Hello Kitty was created by Sanrio in Japan in 1974, not as a cat, but rather, as a little girl/cartoon character named Kitty White. According to University of Hawai’i anthropologist Christine Yano, who will curate the Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles next month, Kitty White is a perpetual third grader who is actually the British daughter of George and Mary White and has an unnamed twin sister. Kitty was created in response to the girls and women of 1970s Japanese culture desiring all things British as well as what was perceived as the idyllic childhood of the UK. For the record, Kitty does have a cat – but the cat’s name is Charmmy Kitty.
“Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty” opens on October 11, 2014 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles and the Hello Kitty Con begins on October 30, 2014 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Source: Los Angeles Times
