What Dark Secrets Has Hello Kitty Been Hiding?

     She may look innocent, but Hello Kitty could be a lot sneakier than we could have ever dreamed. The tiny white cat—whose iconic cheerful face is plastered on everything from notebooks to vibrators—has invaded our consciousness to such an extent that we accept her unquestioningly.

Well, we should have known that no one can be that happy all the time. It seems, according to a new book, that friendly face might be hiding some very dark truths. The clumsily titled Hello Kitty's Guide to Japan in English and Japanese has called into question everything we thought we knew about Kitty. In case you need a refresher about what exactly we do know about Kitty, here's an excerpt from her official Sanrio bio:

Hello Kitty was born on November 1st and she lives in London, England with her parents and her twin sister, Mimmy.

      The trouble is that the book, published by Natsume Publications, purports that Hello Kitty is introducing her American boyfriend, Dear Daniel, to Japan, which seems strange because she doesn't live there. Even weirder, it is a guide that is meant for use by Japanese people to, as the Atlantic Wire puts it, "explain their ancient culture to the barbarians." Ahh, yes, Hello Kitty the one figure who can speak to everyone, despite the fact that she doesn't actually have a mouth.

Anyway, the book begins with Daniel coming to visit Kitty in Japan. He finds her living there with her entire family—with no explanation offered as to why they're there. They're all fluent and seem to know things about Japan that only people who were raised there would know. But how can this be if Kitty was born and raised in England?!

You might not think it matters much where Hello Kitty is from, but does it ever. Hello Kitty is a point of national pride for Japan, which even claimed her as the Tourism Ambassador to China and Hong Kong. Most Japanese people already believe Hello Kitty is from there, despite the official story that she's English. If it does turns out she is legitimately Japanese, it would be vindication for Japan. But if it turns out she is, in fact, English, it could shake many of her most rabid fans to their very cores.

What's more is that lying about her true nationality for the past 38 years might not be Kitty's worst crime. The book starts out with Kitty showing Dear Daniel around her "adopted" homeland, but the last time we see him is when he's walking into Kitty's house. After that there's a wedding, which he has no part in, and then a funeral, but no Daniel in sight. Is Dear Daniel the dead one? Kitty's comment about the funeral does seem awfully suspicious: "I'm terribly sorry about what happened." Are you really, Kitty?

But for now, even though Daniel's murder seems like a far more upsetting revelation, Kitty's followers are focusing on what her possession of a Japanese passport could mean for the fragile Hello Kitty-based fantasy worlds they have created in their minds. A Sanrio spokesperson "did not have an immediate explanation for which Hello Kitty history was correct." So it seems there is only one way to settle this international issue once and for all: the Sanrio corporation must produce a copy of Hello Kitty's long form birth certificate. And only then can she be considered the legitimate President of Japan's Heart.

Hello Kitty and her Friends

Here you can read everything about all the Hello Kitty cartoon friends As she says, "You can never have too many friends!" Meet all her friends here.

	Timmy and Tammy They're mischevious little monkees. Wherever the fun is, they're always in the middle of it. The funniest little monkeys at school. They are very friendlyand always show you new things to make you laugh. They are like the little entertainers of all.
	Cathy Cathy is quiet and gentlenot as talkative like some of other Kitty's friends. A nd always taking care of others, which makes her an unique friend. She is like an older sister to everyone.
	Tracy Tracy is a racoon who is always into mischieve, but she's everyone's friend. Tracy loves to joke around with the others, always brings out laughterand joy to the friends around him with his harmless mischief. Heis everyone's good buddy.
	Rory Rory lives in the forest and knows the forest well. A smart little squirrel that hello kitty met while gathering flowers in the forest. he taught her the secrets of the forest. Roryloves to climb up trees and jump around from branch to branch.
	Thomas Thomas is very energetic and rollerskates wherever he goes.
	Fifi Fifi is very fiesty, she is always talking and doing things. Fifi is the most energetic student out of all, she is always runningaround doing something! She just doesn't know when to stop. She is always busy and occupied and you will besuprised all the things she does and how little rest the takes.
	Joey Joey is a fast mouse who wins many track events. He is Hello Kitty's best friend. Joey is a humorous and a good friend with everyone. His wit andcharm has turned him into one of the most popular student at school. He also has a girlfriend who is as energetic as him.
	Mory Mory is a small, cute but extremely shy seal who lives in Kitty'sbackyard. You find her in his little pond most of the time enjoyinga bit of sun baking.
	Jody Jody is a dog who is quite the bookworm. She is a dogwith all the knowledge, and loves to read and study to become smarter.Her dream is to become a researcher one day.
	Tippy Tippy is a big bear who is strong and kindhearted, always there to help you in times of trouble. Tippy has a crush on Kitty and wants to be her boyfriend.
	Tiny Chum A small cute bear who is always there to keep you companied.Tiny Chum has been a good friend with both Hello Kitty and Mimi for a longtime now, and they are such good friends that Mimi and Kitty treat TinyChum like their younger brother.

Hello Kitty'S Family

Mimmy White

 Mimmy White is Hello Kitty's twin sister and best friend. The two of them grew up and studied together, sharing lots of life experiences and fun adventures with each other.

George White

George White is Hello Kitty's loveable papa. Even though he works very hard, he still finds time to spend with his family. He has a wonderful sense of humor.

Mary White

Mary White is Hello Kitty's loving mama. She always shows love and care for her family. Hello Kitty got her baking talents from Mary White, who is the best apple pie baker in thei neighborhood.

Anthony

Anthony is Hello Kitty's cool grandpa. He has a lot of life experience and shares it very well during story-telling time. He's also very artistic and expresses it through his colorful, happy paintings.

Margaret

Margaret is Hello Kitty's sweet grandma. She is the original master baker in the family, able to make really delicious pudding! She loves doing home-made embroideries for her family while sitting on her favorite rocking chair.

Hello Kitty & Dear Daniel

Hello Kitty Profile

Real Name	Kitty White
Birthday	November 1st
Blood Type	A
Star sign	Scorpio
Height	Around 5 apples
Weight	Around 3 apples
Birthplace	In the suburbs of London, England
Hobbies	Baking cookies and making pancakes; origami; foreign cultures; playing the piano; tennis; collecting little stars, ribbons, and other cute little things
Favorite Foods	Mama's homemade Apple Pie (most favorite)
Favorite Color	Red

Hello Kitty Background

Hello Kitty is a cheerful and happy little girl with a heart of gold. She lives in London with her mama (Mary White), papa (George White), and her twin sister Mimmy. Hello Kitty loves to bake and she can make really delicious cookies. She learned her baking talents from her mama, who makes scrumptious apple pies that are enjoyed by the whole family.

Hello Kitty's hobbies include traveling, listening to music, reading, eating cookies and mama's apple pies, and making new friends. One of her most popular mottos is "You can never have too many friends."

Hello Kitty has a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty and a pet hamster named Sugar. Charmmy Kitty was a present from her papa, while Sugar was given to her by her childhood friend Dear Daniel.
 

The Real Story Behind Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty, the iconic white cat with a red bow, dots for eyes, and absent mouth that is mysteriously cute as hell. I used to be into Hello Kitty stuff big time when I was a kid (Hello Kitty stationary and pencil boxes ftw) and still buy Hello Kitty stuff from time to time even now.
If you think about it though it’s amazing that something can be so universally popular yet the average buyer of Hello Kitty merchandise doesn’t have a clue as to what it’s about or what the story behind it is.

 FIVE APPLES TALL

Hello Kitty first came into being in the 70′s when a then new company called Sanrio needed to come up with a merchandise mascot that would appeal to the preteen girl demographic.
They commissioned an artist to work on the project and she came up with a drawing of a white Japanese Bobtail cat that had a red bow in it’s hair and was wearing blue overalls. You can see the original Hello Kitty concept on the coin purse in the picture above, which was the first Hello Kitty product ever.
A whole back story for Hello Kitty was created, which is basically this:
Hello Kitty is actually a nickname for Kitty White, who is not Japanese but actually British and lives in London with her family.
She has a twin sister named Mimmy. The only way you can tell the two apart is by their bows, Hello Kitty wears a red bow and Mimmy wears a yellow one.
She is in the third grade but when school’s out she travels the world making new friends. She is bright, kind-hearted, and loves the outdoors.
Favorite food: apple pie. Favorite word: friendship (of course). Height: five apples tall. Had enough cute yet lol?
But why doesn’t she have a mouth?
  
HAPPY OR SAD TOGETHER

The Hello Kitty character was deliberately designed without a mouth because the lack of that visual cue makes it easier for people to project their own feelings on to the cartoon. Or as one author put it ‘the person can be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty’.
The irresistible vortex of cuteness that is Hello Kitty eventually built Sanrio a mutli-billion dollar empire that includes a wide range of products and even theme parks.
Hello Kitty has developed a highly devoted following around the world, even inspiring a new word to come into existence: kitira, it means someone who is a devoted follower of Hello Kitty. Ha take that, Devil.