Tell us in the comments! Kitty looks happy when people are happy. The company produces a character line of merchandise around gift giving occasions. They come in a variety of designs and can be printed on both sides. Voiced by Tara Strong (famous for The Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats, and Scooby-Doo), shes known as Kitty White, the eldest daughter of the White family. When one of the in-house designers came up with Hello Kitty, the best thing company founder Shintaro Tsuji could say was that he liked it well enough. The name Kerokerokeroppi translates from Japanese to English as morning glory. She likes to swim, play baseball, play with boomerangs and sing. WHY DOESN'T HELLO KITTY HAVE A MOUTH? | Draw My Life Still, Bruna never officially challenged the designs until 2010, when he sued Sanrio for its character, Cathy, a white rabbit that is Hello Kitty's best friend. First published in 1955 nearly 20 years before Hello Kittys debut Miffy is a white rabbit with an oval head, small, black eyes and a tiny X for a mouth. Shintaro Tsuji explained that he wanted Hello Kitty's facial expressions to be ambiguous. Some believe this. If Sanrio's goal, as curator Christine Yano suggests, is to present Hello Kitty's feline appearance as "a kind of abstraction," then why has Sanrio given us a list of solid details about Kitty's life? Kawaisa (cuteness) appeared on the cultural landscape in the 1970s, when teenage girls began adding hearts, rainbows, and smiley faces to their writing, and even spoke in a sort of baby talk manner. Why doesnt hello kitty have a mouth? 2015 marks Hello Kitty's year of kindness in the UK and France. I want to believe that Hello Kitty is a cat. What is acceptable behavior in a healthy relationship? Other cultures feature adoration of babies and children as some special creatures, as they have just arrived from a mystical place before life, and thus are closer to deities than people, and this made them garner fear and respect. "Hello Kitty says she is working hard to put smiles on many people's faces ," said Hello Kitty's translator. However, we need to look at this word in a wider perspective. After unanswered prayers in an attempt to cure her daughters cancer, the mother made a deal with the devil that in order to save her daughter, she would have to create a cartoon character that appealed to children worldwide. This era saw the start of pencil-based writing lessons, and the characters painted with ink with varying line thicknesses were replaced by the uniform characters written by pencil. The Hello Kitty phenomenon has grown even further today theres been a multitude of merchandising such as: The merchandising has grown even wilder, including: The television show Hello Kittys Furry Tale Theater reveals more of Hello Kittys ever-growing personality. (Its also one of the things that Kitty haters say creeps them out the most.). In 1874 Mitsukuri Shhei criticised the then popular way of teaching harshly in his essay On Education, which moved along the lines of make the children repeat classical literature until they become smart. She loves baking cookies with her mother, eating almond pound cake, and her best friend is a mouse named Flat. In contrast, the Japanese kodomo expression does not carry a negative connotation and means child-like instead of childish. You will learn something about everything! The last three are called Shichi-Go-San, which seems to have existed centuries before among the nobility, but only became widespread in the 17-18th centuries among non-noble castes. Hello Kitty became an instant hit among young fans not only in Japan but across the world. These rites accompany the childs life events and aging the third and seventh day after birth, when the child first leaves the home, first visits the local Buddhist temple, then at age three, five and seven. The celebrations at ages 3, 5 and 7 were checkpoints, it was worth celebrating that a child lived to those ages. This is represented by the ideas present in Japanese literature. complete answer The roots of this phenomenon lead us back to Shint. In 1976, it was copyrighted and is now an internationally known brand. We have a thorough fact-checking process and a dedicated team verifying our content for accuracy. The story . What does Hello Kitty mean and why doesn't she have a mouth? Why does Hello Kitty not have a mouth? Most of Sanrios items at the time, like pencil cases and stickers, were geared towards elementary school kids and, almost by accident, they discovered that adding cute little designs and characters helped sales. How Long Do Kraft Singles Last In The Fridge. He is a 100% characterized character, a spokesman for Sanrio in Japan told Agence France Presse. Kawaii culture infused every aspect of everyday life in Japan in just a few decades, kawaii clothing is youthful and playful, kawaii food are cakes, ice cream and milk products, and kawaii music: Seiko Matsuda pioneered the idol-era with her concerts rich in giggles and tears, which directly lead to AKB48 and the catchy Pamyu Pamyu Pon Pon Pon by Kyary. However, in spite of her adorable appearance and universal popularity, a troubling tale surrounding the origins of Hello Kitty is making rounds on the internet these days. This is a perfect example of how mythologies change in response to changes in the way a society thinks. Because of its hidden lifestyle, this species wasnt even discovered until 1965 today it is an endangered species, only a few hundred of the cats exist. And even if you did notice it, chances are you dont know the real reason behind it. The same logic applies when after a mass shooting in America, tabloid media jumps on the fact that the perpetrator had a gaming system, therefore anyone who ever played a computer game (which amounts to about 70% of the developed worlds population) should be arrested pre-emptively. As the story goes, the kitten was created in 1970 by a Chinese woman. (And many more.). Where does Hello Kitty come from? She likes to collect cute things, such as butterflies and her favorite lessons at school are English, music, and art. Even with critics complaints, this didnt stop Hello Kitty from being made the ambassador of Japanese Tourism in China and Hong Kong. Then, in 2008, she was appointed as the official Japanese ambassador of tourism to both Hong Kong and China, the first fictional character to hold this title. To sum up, this whole child-centered institutional system was developed to emphasize practical views and to back these by religious and cultural means. Is it a modern branch of ancient Japanese beauty-ideals? Know any other Hello Kitty facts we missed? NEW VIDEO every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday! Generations of girls worldwide will recognize the white face and bright bow of Hello Kitty. But this is not about reality. Is he a cat? Due to this, the interpretation evolved into myriad different branches, every person applying their own unique view to the iconic cat. The Dangers of Diving and the Risk Navy Divers Take Every Day. Think of stories where the characters ritual/mythical/fabulous passage into adulthood happens at age 12-16 (so basically any shjo-shnen story). THANKS FOR WATCHING! She's a cartoon character. Hello Kitty also has connections to the traditional beckoning cat of Japan, also known as the Maneki Neko, which is said to bring good fortune, health, and protection for the home and family. As bizarre as this theory sounds, the Scary for Kids website, does try to explain it further. Ill be home late tonight. While I am unsure of the origin of that legend, the true story behind Hello Kitty not having a mouth is much more family-friendly. It is said that in the 1970s there was a 14-year-old girl who was in the terminal phase of oral cancer. According to the story, the doll was designed without a mouth due to the girls mouth cancer. Cat power. In spite of, or even because of this the underground feminist punk movement from the nineties, Riot grrrl put Kitty on their flag, stating that the radical equal rights movement doesnt have to mean excluding anything cute. This is not to say that cats werent cute before the seventies. (Blood type is apparently important in the Sanrio canon; you have to enter a blood type when creating your character on the Hello Kitty Online game.) To give you some idea of the price, a typical in-game house costs about $5, not including furniture, which is, of course, sold separately. But she is not a cat. In fact, Yuko Shimizu was the artist who created Hello Kitty for Sanrio. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. True to the company's perspective, Sanrio has also said that Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth because she doesn't represent any particular language groupinstead, she "speaks from the heart." 3 In a new twist (August 2014), Sanrio proclaimed something even stranger, however, saying that Hello . Sanrio maintains that Hello Kitty is a girl and not a cat, although she displays feline characteristics such as pointed ears, whiskers, and a tail. Japanese designer Yuko Shimizu was heavily influenced by Lewis Carolls Through the Looking Glass and she now works with the Sanrio company, creating other characters such as Chococat, Deary Lou, and Monkichi. Although it is not as popular as Hello Kitty, its related products are sold in almost all Sanrio stores in the world. Considering this tradition of purity and sanctity ascribed to children, it is not so surprising anymore that child-culture is an integral part of Japanese culture. This epic world of cute fuzzy icons includes: It may have started out as a simple white cat, but today it is a symbol. Why Does Hello Kitty Look Like A Cat? Hello Kittys pointed ears represent the devils horns. Licca-chan thus provides a way to make connections through their age for children, and helps adults reconnect with the child within them. She did so save her daughters life as her young girl was dying from cancer, more specifically a cancer of the mouth. Sanrio reports that the bewhiskered Kitty brings in more than $1 billion in annual sales, with more than 50,000 branded items on the shelves in more than 70 countries. "Hello Kitty represents the deep desire among all people, regardless of nationality or race, to feel joy and happiness, without having to qualify it at any deep intellectual level . While Barbie is placed above the children, Licca-chan is at the same level with them. Their secondary goal was to gain knowledge of the state of western science and bring home intel to help Japan catch up with the West. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Designer Yuko Yamaguchi Reveals The Interesting Reason Why "Hello Kitty The kawaii phenomenon is only a few decades old, but it can be traced back on several points to the traditional Japanese beauty ideals. Badtz-Maru is one of the few Sanrio characters whose products are sold to both girls and boys. But I will never look at whatever it is the same way again. Players can adventure alone or join guilds to complete quests like finding all the ingredients for a special soup, delivering a pizza before it gets cold, or collecting wands that can be used to defeat monsters that guard treasure. Chococat is a fictional character created by Sanrio in 1996. For this reason, we thought she shouldnt be tied to any emotion and thats why she doesnt have a mouth. Yuko Shimizu created this cute little bobtail cat in the 1970s. I thought, "This is the cutest cat eveeerrrrrrrrr.". The franchise is known in some Japanese-centered cultures as kawaii (literally meaning adorable and cute). Hello Kitty - Breaking News English Lesson - ESL If you name something "Hello Kitty," and proceed to give it cat ears and cat whisker-looking things, then don't be surprised if people think you have made a cat. The bombshell came to light following publicity for an upcoming exhibition on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The craze had begun and appeared in America and the United Kingdom simply two years later. In the 1960s, they expanded their product line to include items that catered to the gift-giving tradition in Japan usually small, simple objects that can be given to a friend for special occasions, holidays, or even everyday things like visiting their house. But occasionally, we may get things wrong, or information becomes outdated. If someone felt happy, they could imagine Hello Kitty with a smile. Hello Kitty is not a stand-alone phenomenon, it is the product of a larger cultural system, in which a modern offshoot of traditional Japanese aesthetics intertwines with a special child-culture that developed from the 17 th century. This is done so that the viewer can project their own feelings onto the character, allowing them to be happy or sad with her. I was quite shocked when I finished my research and understood how much this little kitty cat can do. She is Sanrio's . Her official character profiles for Hello Kitty, her real name is Kitty White and she was born in the suburbs of London, England on November 1st. One story says that a controversial nuclear power plant hired Sanrio to create a cute corporate mascot that would help soften their image. Why does hello not have a mouth? Please disable your adblocking software or whitelist our website. Kitty stands at five apples in height and weighs three apples. Hello Kitty is a cat-like cartoon character whose origins in cute kawaii culture have led to worldwide popularity. Hello Kitty's lack of mouth may also just reflect the Japanese way of showing emotion, which doesn't always involve expressing feelings using words, according to Christine Yano, anthropology . Her popularity waned and still has not fully recovered from being beaten on the 2002 Character Databank popularity Chart. She was central to a full bottle of milk and a goldfish bowl. His father is a famous photographer, which means the family has lived all over the world in places like Africa, New York City, and is now back in London. Does Hello Kitty have a love interest? - Wise-Answer 2023 The Fact Network Ltd | All Rights Reserved. This wasnt because Japanese children do not play with dolls, but because Barbies position was taken by the 1967-born Licca-chan. The design is inspired by a cat, but there is no other characteristic of that animal in Hello Kitty. Hello Kittys pet, Charmmy Kitty. What to Expect from the Drop on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Adam Warlock? If you believe something to be incorrect, please leave us a message below. The iconic character of modern Japan, Hello Kitty was designed by Yuko Shimizu in 1974. The last rite celebrates adulthood (seijin-shiki). Todays kawaii culture can be traced back to the seventies. Since anthropologist Christine Yano had to change her exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles because she incorrectly referred to Hello Kitty as a cat, it turns out that manufacturer Sanrio had already confirmed that the character is a human in 2014. Legend has it that Hello Kitty was not created by Shintaro Tsuji, but instead by a Chinese woman whose fourteen year old daughter was terminally ill with cancer of the mouth. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Emperor Ichij, who reigned between 980 and 1011, had cats in his household, one by the name of Myobu no Omoto, that had a rank equivalent to a lady in waiting, and had its own ladies in waiting.