Learn the story of Hello Kitty ahead of icon’s 50th anniversary

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Hello Kitty celebrates its 50th anniversary later this year, and there are already special events celebrating the famous character! NBC’s Savannah Sellers reports for TODAY on the history and surprising facts about the pop culture icon.
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Пікірлер: 190

@shanikabradley2870 2 ай бұрын

I don't care what they say that thing is a cat😂

@rlight7334 2 ай бұрын

Yep. That’s what I say too.

@katcraig7525 2 ай бұрын

Exactly. How is she a little girl when looks like a cat?? I mean she has whiskers.

@ericrypt 2 ай бұрын

@@katcraig7525 and cat ears!

@paleobc65 2 ай бұрын

Why didn’t they mention the woman who designed Hello Kitty 😭

@ranelgallardo7031 2 ай бұрын

She’s still alive?

@n0chill263 2 ай бұрын

According to a post on USA Today, the original designer is Yuko Shimizu, and she said her design for the character was "a white cat with a red bow in its hair"...

@AndrewB23 2 ай бұрын

@@n0chill263she also stated that she's not a cat because she walks on her hind legs, so the creator is just dumb

@stephanieyvonne9436 2 ай бұрын

I’m 45 and I’ve loved Hello Kitty since I was a very little girl. I actually bought some pjs with her on them a few weeks ago. Happy 50th Anniversary Hello Kitty!🩷😻🎉

@coogern78 2 ай бұрын

😊

@krististarosta6736 2 ай бұрын

They sound so cute!

@munchocrisps 2 ай бұрын

37 here. I like her friend/sister too ❤❤

@molimaeyhising 2 ай бұрын

So, a little girl with whiskers?? How is she not a cat?! Someone help! 😂 We are being gas lit!! 😅

@kerlo.6418 2 ай бұрын

Yeah I'm so confused

@juriettoo 2 ай бұрын

She is a cat, just in the same way as Mickey Mouse is a talking human-like mouse but not like how Pluto is a normal pet dog. (I hope that makes sense!) People just misunderstood what Sanrio said years ago and keep spreading that she's not a cat lol.

@magicalcapi9148 2 ай бұрын

@@juriettoo yes, but the problem here is that the reporter is talking to the company's representative. In her words; "so Hello Kitty is NOT a cat, she is actually a little girl"

@munchocrisps 2 ай бұрын

@@molimaeyhising cat like person 🤔

@pat4005 2 ай бұрын

@@magicalcapi9148Maybe something is, "lost in the translation"...

@typlayer 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty IS a cat. She looks like a cat. And it said so in her name. Happy 50th anniversary!!! My sister was a fan of her.

@erinmefford8041 Ай бұрын

Exactly tara strong who voiced hello kitty in 1987 even confirmed it

@charismalorelye4516 2 ай бұрын

How is she not a cat 😅

@celina4170 2 ай бұрын

So she’s a cat and identifys as a human 😅

@wplants9793 2 ай бұрын

They totally glazed over the fact that Hello Kitty was invented by Japanese schoolgirls who played around with their writing and made a character that looked like her face. It took off among kids and a few years later a dad saw it and took the design.

@unidx249 2 ай бұрын

The dad took the design... but if you search it up on google, hello kitty was designed by a... woman? Her name is.. Yuko Shimizu?

@simonesewitt1040 2 ай бұрын

One question: If she's not a "cat" WHY is she called "K I T T Y" and why dose she look like a 😺?🤔🧐🤯

@blythegirl4348 2 ай бұрын

I know! Exactly! She is a kitty CAT!

@moali68 2 ай бұрын

I think that she was born a cat, but identifies as a little girl, and prefers "her" over "it" pronouns.

@cocoaorange1 2 ай бұрын

OK, In the early 80's as a young girl. I had Hello Kitty school supplies, coin purse, etc.

@JadenYukifan28 2 ай бұрын

Maybe she dresses up like a cat and her actual name is Kitty, who knows...

@Weislawa 2 ай бұрын

😂😂😂@@JadenYukifan28

@krististarosta6736 2 ай бұрын

I can’t believe Hello Kitty is 50 years old! I forgot how adorable Hello Kitty is!

@ericrypt 2 ай бұрын

and her boyfriend is 23, look it up! Hello Cougar!

@Gonzalez1412 2 ай бұрын

⁠@@ericryptOH…that’s interesting 🤔😭😰

@sorryiwasinanotherworldforasec 2 ай бұрын

I was obsessed with hello kitty as a kid. Stuffed animals, the theatre tv show, Wii games, keychains, pencil cases, backpacks…thank you for a great childhood Hello Kitty!

@travisfields157 2 ай бұрын

SHE'S A CAT. I'M NOT REALLY EVEN A FAN, BUT SHE'S A CAT!

@etiger675 2 ай бұрын

I was nine when Hello Kitty came out! Couldn’t get enough and still can’t.

@benjaminlibertarianscorpio 2 ай бұрын

So you’re 59 years old?

@WondrousWoman 2 ай бұрын

@@benjaminlibertarianscorpiogood job, you know your math!

@etiger675 2 ай бұрын

@@benjaminlibertarianscorpio yes!! But still love her!

@listenquitely2888 2 ай бұрын

Hello.... Kitty? What part don't she understand its a cat. A little girl... is that what she identifies as?

@gwenmloveskpopandmore 2 ай бұрын

I think she’s both a cat and a little girl she just doesn’t act like a cat despite being one herself

@krystalann98 2 ай бұрын

Not a cat but just has whiskers 😂😂😂😂😂😂❤️✌️🙏

@PvtGermanWagz 2 ай бұрын

@@krystalann98and a tail, and cat ears, and is the size of a cat…. lol

@beatrizmacias9655 2 ай бұрын

I just love Hello Kitty. She was part of my childhood. She's adorable.

@Yanxa-chan 2 ай бұрын

Man I want this Franchise to never end I want people for generations to come to see this wonderful icon

@juston5454 2 ай бұрын

Can’t believe this is the second highest grossing media franchise on the planet after Pokémon.

@ttttttttttttttttttt22t2t 2 ай бұрын

Not true.

@UmmYeahOk 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty, or Sanrio? Because it’s not really fair to compare one character to an entire franchise. Hello Kitty vs Pikachu, and I bet Hello Kitty wins, but she was around several decades longer. Sanrio vs Pokémon, and it would be a closer match, but Sanrio probably still wins simply because of all the characters, and continued release of characters. Pokémon realized this when they limited themselves to 150 (151) Pokémon, and started having to unlock “regions” just so they could sell more merch. Oh, also… …Mickey Mouse? Hello Kitty and Pikachu aren’t nearly as popular. He has generations who grew up and died loving him before any of us were ever born.

@ranelgallardo7031 2 ай бұрын

Pokémon makes more money cause that appeals to everyone. Hello Kitty is for little girls.

@thehitman976 2 ай бұрын

Its a fkn CAT

@carmitch 2 ай бұрын

I've been a Hello Kitty fan since elementary school. But, boys in the 80s weren't supposed to like her, so I couldn't tell anyone that I was a fan. When I reached adulthood, I started to open up by saying I liked Dear Daniel. It wasn't until a few years ago that I finally 'came out' as a Hello Kitty fan. She's part of the reason I like Japanese culture.

@boardcertifiable 2 ай бұрын

So if shes a little girl, how come her head is cat shaped?

@catherinetong4472 2 ай бұрын

Ohh shush...Hello Kitty is a kitty cat!! I don't care what you say!

@KrystaDavis 2 ай бұрын

I ❤ Hello Kitty! Happy Anniversary

@lanapapas 2 ай бұрын

She is a kitty lol

@kittymogulco 2 ай бұрын

Warm Kitty hugs everyone! 🤗✨ wow 😻 Learned so much about Hello Kitty in this video. So surprising to learn that she doesn't actually live in Japan 😱 She's been such an inspiration in my life forever 🎂 Can't wait to celebrate her upcoming birthday! ✨

@litepaw7 2 ай бұрын

She’s a cat, the girl thing was a joke…

@NexciPixie 2 ай бұрын

Googled it says it’s a cat

@cindygonzalez8537 2 ай бұрын

Hello kitty just a girl frim london its not all true "Following reports that interpreted this to mean she was human, a Sanrio PR representative said that the organization had "never said she was a human", explaining anthropomorphization by comparing the character to Mickey Mouse: "No one would mistake the Disney character for a human-but at the same time he's not quite a mouse. Just like Hello Kitty isn't a human, she's not quite a cat either."[48] Sanrio stated further, "Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It's going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat."

@kerrygligorovic9758 2 ай бұрын

But that never sense at all because looking at the details of Hello Kitty make me convinced that Hello Kitty is a cat🐱so I don't know were the director get this stupid idea that Hello Kitty is not a cat🐱 in the first place.

@nancy4980 2 ай бұрын

❤ My 6th birthday celebration was Hello Kitty themed, from my piñata, cake toppers, party favors, my crown, etc. Even my first grade teacher attended my party and her teacher aide also joined in the celebrations. I have two Hello Kitty Barbies and a couple of Hello Kitties from Build-a-Bear, a Hawaiian Hello Kitty, as well as several other Hello Kitty items. I'm in my forties, to me it is a connection to my childhood a different time when life was simpler and my Dad and my Grandparents were still alive. Hello Kitty transcends cultures and time.

@courtneycourtney9085 2 ай бұрын

Love hello kitty

@projectpink3365 2 ай бұрын

and who is this lady to tell me hellokitty is not a kitty? !! 😠

@missbrownskinlady23 2 ай бұрын

Hello kitty is so adorable 😍

@valerieodonnell6764 2 ай бұрын

That Sanrio executive is spouting nonsense, of course Hello Kitty is a cat.

@teresaprice2478 2 ай бұрын

I have a hello kitty smart car also. That’s so awesome, I take mine to car shows and give out change purses, stickers all kinds of hello kitty stuff. The kids absolutely love it.

@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621 2 ай бұрын

Really?!?! In Australia they sold smart cars (most well known for being driven by Kelly knight on Kath and kim), but idk if they sold the hello kitty smart car here. Although I have seen that there is a musical coming, probably a English translation of the one that has been playing in Japan for years

@mimim8532 2 ай бұрын

I loved Hello kitty as a little kid…..then years later….living in Japan - I got my own hello kitty- a stray that I rescued- Annie. All white- pink ears and green eyes….and May I say quite famous in her own way- from Japan to the beaches to the mountains in the USA….annie was a great ambassador. For 15 years….i was a very lucky and happy girl. Thank you, Hello Kitty! Thank you Annie!

@jimin585 2 ай бұрын

why with whiskers if she's not a cat?

@daydreameraj9777 2 ай бұрын

0:52 There’s a Hello Kitty x Barbie collab?! 😳

@ItAllLedUpToThis 2 ай бұрын

ok but if she's a little girl why is she a cat?

@ItAllLedUpToThis 2 ай бұрын

i like how they never say anything but their faces reveal that they're just as confused as i am

@mikedelta987 2 ай бұрын

@@ItAllLedUpToThis That's what I'm saying like it is litterly in the name Hello "Kitty". If it looks like a cat, walks like a cat and talks like a cat.... it's a cat to me...

@simonesewitt1040 2 ай бұрын

Twisted human logic at it's finest.

@cocoa_pacific 2 ай бұрын

Oh my god Karen you can’t just ask people why they’re a cat. 🤭

@daydreameraj9777 2 ай бұрын

@@mikedelta987Hello Kitty doesn’t walk and talk like a cat though. 😅

@emeralddragon-yv1pg 2 ай бұрын

You’re telling me she’s a 48 year-old fourth grader, who clapping cheeks with a cat no Jimmy! - Bowen Yang, SNL 2022

@mayraramos3092 2 ай бұрын

I thought she was 5 apples tall 🤔

@KelahCash 2 ай бұрын

I'm blown at the, "She's not a cat. She's a little girl." Huh!? The cat with whiskers, paws, cat ears, tail, and cat button nose? Please 😩 What's wrong with Hello Kitty being a kitty? Lol. Wow.

@computersandgaming6664 2 ай бұрын

Wish they make and do more stuff with Dear Daniel.

@Coastiestevie 2 ай бұрын

So stupid to say she isn’t a cat. Clearly she is.

@elainejsta 2 ай бұрын

You aren't being gaslit; Hello Kitty was always meant to REPRESENT a little girl. Think of her as, (for lack of a better word) a fursona. Think about it. Her schoolmates are other animals, possibly representing a diverse group of school friends, and she also has a pet cat of her own (Charmmy Kitty). She's even dressed as a cat in costume in some pieces of art and merch in the past. I swear some of yall have forgotten to use your imaginations as you became adults. 😂

@MUSICWORLD_99168 2 ай бұрын

My wife and I were on that 0:35 EVA AIR flight, from Taiwan to Guam, for our Honeymoon in 2012.

@EliseoReyes-qv9hn 2 ай бұрын

I love Keroppi by Sanrio. 🐸💚

@SilverStrumer Ай бұрын

Why don’t they have a Hello Kitty shop in London then because that’s where she’s from! 😊

@Umi143 Ай бұрын

My dad introduced me to Hello Kitty one Christmas when I was around 6. Favorite Christmas memory. He just turned 50 this year too coincidentally . I got a tattoo that displays Hello Kitty as a plushie in Sailor Moon clothes this year too. She keeps my inner child alive and I love that for me.

@PvtGermanWagz 2 ай бұрын

Did….did she just say she’s NOT a cat, then proceed to say she’s 5 apples tall, which is the size of a cat? 😂😂😂

@cesaesa 2 ай бұрын

this Hello Kitty doll looks chinese or japanese race because of the face shape and definitely like a cat because of whiskers and the face shape

@krystalann98 2 ай бұрын

Lord my mom obsessed and she older than me and she will always be convinced that Hello Kitty is a cat 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤️✌️🙏

@annmorrison6328 2 ай бұрын

You telling me hello kitty is a little girl do little girls have whiskers no I did not think so am I the only one who can’t except this

@kevinmerila3848 2 ай бұрын

Can hello kitty have her own movie soon?

@johnbehneman1546 2 ай бұрын

I NEED TO BUY SOME HELLO KITTY MERCHANDISE!!!!

@timdakis2107 2 ай бұрын

I met Hello Kitty at Universal Studios in Orlando Florida.

@UmmYeahOk 2 ай бұрын

Make a pilgrimage to Universal Studios Japan. She has her own ride, several stores, meet and greet, and sometimes she can be spotted on stage or a parade float. The trip alone is work seeing Kuromi on drums and My Melody on the synthesizer.

@87javonte 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty is a cat. She just wears a mask or makeup like a cat. Okay.

@shutterfly915 2 ай бұрын

I luvvv hello kitty😫

@tiffanykahn2535 2 ай бұрын

There used to be a Hello Kitty Store in Times Square area. Its no longer there because the rent was too high 😢 and so was Hello Kitty merchandise! It would be great to see the store again!

@PrettyNightmare69 2 ай бұрын

Yes she’s not a cat. That’s what the creators said. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@niahart8028 2 ай бұрын

Happy 50th anniversary to my favorite cartoon character of all time Hello Kitty!

@cynthiasmith4130 2 ай бұрын

Happy Anniversary, Hello Kitty!!!! 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷...... 🎉🎉🎉🎉....

@imeldasantana1652 2 ай бұрын

Happy Anniversary Hello Kitty 👏💐

@unwound9869 2 ай бұрын

She did NOT create hello kitty…..

@tigergirl8686 2 ай бұрын

Puerto ricans Love hello kitty too

@addy_playsroblox2769 2 ай бұрын

Wrong best friend his her teddy bear .

@gracie2298 2 ай бұрын

Whether girl or cat there is no mouth?

@rubbersoulgirl84 2 ай бұрын

So... hello kitty is NOT a cat?

@erictheisen3203 2 ай бұрын

"Hello Kitty" rocks!

@victoriadeguzman6198 2 ай бұрын

I love Hello Kitty but I am not a cat person

@ladynight3790 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty was my First Best Friend when I was a little girl. I never stopped loving her. And today I still love her very much! Without her, I wouldn’t understand how love, kindness, and friendship is all about!🥰🤍🩷❤️

@swissmediastuff 2 ай бұрын

Isn’t this called gaslighting? 😂

@joshsykes3670 2 ай бұрын

I feel like I'm losing my mind

@ericplas9177 2 ай бұрын

My first backpack for kindergarten was a Hello Kitty backpack. My dad bought it for me. Since I'm a cat lover I instantly feel in love with Hello Kitty. I'm a 43 Hello Kitty fan and so is my 18 year old son.

@rockstardaya 2 ай бұрын

I was 5 when I first saw Hello Kitty and it wasn’t popular at all until my twenties. I’m 40 and I still love her!!!

@skysetblue9578 2 ай бұрын

Same here

@claudiaparchman1266 2 ай бұрын

My age 😂😂😂

@munchocrisps 2 ай бұрын

I got some Sanrio Squishmallows HugMees and Squishmallows Hello Kitty HugMees from Target. 😍

@ErinWalker-je4vw 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty looks amazing for someone about to turn 50! She doesn’t look a day over 15!🤣😂😅😅😂🤣

@ssharkiggo6432 28 күн бұрын

1:14 the worst moment of my life. This cannot get worse, I’ve reached rock bottom. The diddly darn kitty is not a cat. We live in a universe where hello kitty is not a cat. Are her friends also animals? This can’t be. I will not accept this. Help me.

@Muerteblanc 26 күн бұрын

It comes from Eurasian fusion which is very kawaii and ancient. Hello kitty has ancestors predating the pyramids as we went into Africa.

@ChaoticShelly 2 ай бұрын

I met Hello Kitty in Universal Osaka and I can confirm, she is, in fact, a girl (in a Hello Kitty life size custom)

@stanford-nf4jk 2 ай бұрын

I’m really glad that the brand has endured! I briefly worked at a Sanrio Store in the late ‘90s. It was in a mall, and though not as bad as they are today, brick & mortar sales were beginning to decline, so it didn’t last. I digress. We had to learn the backstories of all the characters. It was so fun! My favorite was/is Kerokerokeroppi, who is according to the brand’s lore, *NOT* a frog. 🐸 ♥️

@LITTLE1994 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty is adorable

@kittsmitten6285 21 күн бұрын

What is the best way to sell all of your Hello Ki... I mean london caucasian girl pretending to be a cat stuff?

@DennisTamayo 2 ай бұрын

She sometimes had a mouth in animation, including Furry Tale Theater.

@ezekielmcville5101 2 ай бұрын

🎉 im a dude, i was never into Hello Kitty growing up but i definitly saw stickers and other merchandise in the background of my childhood 😂😂😂

@littleblueorchid 2 ай бұрын

I love hello kitty! I have a room just for her!

@curtisfranklin9159 2 ай бұрын

That’s crazy asf they left Japanese creator completely out of the picture and just took it basically. Clearly that’s a cat her name is Kitty duh: That lady lied with a big bold smile on her face. I believe that this goes along with the agenda being what you want to be. If you’re a little boy who what’s to be a girl then you’re a little girl now and if you’re a little girl who feels she a little boy then she’s a little boy and so on. Even though clearly that’s a little boy and not a little girl just because he is dressed like one and want to be called one, doesn’t naturally change who he is a boy. Hello Kitty is not a Little Girl it’s A Little Cat who wants to be a Human Girl! Wikipedia tells all. Hurry up and check it before they change it to suit the narrative.

@curtisfranklin9159 2 ай бұрын

@PrincessBrae-r9f 2 ай бұрын

I’m 14 now and when I was 5 I had this friend her name was Addy and her and I both loved hello kitty and we would carry our little hello kitty book bags and lunch boxes and water bottles and till this day I love hello kitty

@lexiortiz1689 Ай бұрын

I read somewhere that the original illustrator Yuko Shimizu says hello kitty is a cat????

@gemtree7913 2 ай бұрын

I love hello kitty! I saw in an interview w Sanrio founder that experiencing war as a teen he wanted to create a way to spread love and peace by giving small gifts to bring smiles to ppl ❤

@BradThePitts 2 ай бұрын

Hello Kitty is not a cat. And I'm not a loser that lives with his mom, I'm a debonair secret agent living in Monaco under the cover of an English billionaire.