nope. not the one here.
the real one.
Hello Kitty turns 40: 10 things to know about the famous
cat
Hello Kitty turns 40 this year!
From attracting long lines at Macdonalds to inspiring collectors to
buy millions of dollars worth of merchandise, Hello Kitty is one of
the most popular cartoon characters in the world. To mark her
birthday, a series of celebrations will take place later this year,
including the first fan convention, hosted in Los Angeles at the
end of October.
Here are 10 things about the pop culture icon:
1. Her full name is Kitty White and she was born on Nov 1,
1974
Her parents' names are George and Mary White. She also has a twin
sister named Mimmy. Her grandparents are named Anthony and
Margaret. Kitty even has a blood type. She is of the A blood group,
and is meant to be a Japanese Bobcat.
2. She weighs "three apples" and is "five apples"
tall
This puts her at 1.8kg and 50cm.
3. Kitty's name was inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in
Wonderland
In a scene early in the book, Alice plays with a cat she calls
Kitty. This is said to be the inspiration behind Hello Kitty's
name.
4. Kawaii Kitty is in fact British
Although she was conceived of by the Japanese company Sanrio, her
story explains that she was born in a suburb outside of London, and
even attended a British school.
5. She has no mouth for a reason
According to Sanrio, “Hello Kitty speaks from her heart. She’s
Sanrio’s ambassador to the world and isn’t bound to any particular
language”. It worked. Kitty has even been named Special Friend of
Children by the United Nations Children's Fund.
6. She loves apple pie made by her mother
Her hobbies also include traveling, listening to music, reading,
eating cookies making new friends. One of her most popular mottos
is "You can never have too many friends".
7. The cat has a pet cat and a pet hamster
Her cat is named Charmmy Kitty and her pet hamster is named Sugar.
Charmmy Kitty was a present from her father, while Sugar was given
to her by her childhood friend Dear Daniel.
8. She shares
a birthday with her creator
Her original creator Yuko
Shimizu was born Nov 1, 1946. Hello Kitty has had two
other designers to date: Ms Setsuko Yonekubo, and Ms Yuko
Yamaguchi. Ms Yamaguchi is the current designer for the Kitty
brand.
9. She hasn't worked a day in her life but she is a
billionaire
Her image is licensed by Japanese company Sanrio, which says on its
website that it makes more than US$5 billion (S$6.25 billion) in
retail sales each year.
10. She is everywhere
From Hello Kitty dolls to stationery and household appliances,
Kitty has it all. In fact, there are even chequebooks, debit cards
and even an airplane with her face on it. The adorable cat has
also inspired Hello Kitty themed restaurants and even a maternity
hospital.
- See more at:
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/story/10-things-know-about-hello-kitty-20140717#sthash.3VcmaayV.dpuf
