Social media users are in disbelief after finding out that Hello Kitty isn't actually a cat.

For decades, Hello Kitty has been widely accepted as a sweet white feline with her trademark bow.

After all, she has whiskers, pointed ears, and even the word “Kitty” in her name.

However, the internet has once again revived a surprising truth that continues to catch fans off guard: despite how she looks, Hello Kitty was never meant to be a cat at all.

The Character Everyone Thought They Knew

Hello Kitty - whose full name is Kitty White - was created in the 1970s by Yuko Shimizu, with her current design credited to Yuko Yamaguchi.

Owned by Japanese company Sanrio, she became a global pop culture phenomenon, especially during the 1990s kawaii boom.

The character has appeared on everything from stationery and backpacks to animated TV shows, video games, books, comics, and even theme parks.

At one point, Sanrio’s senior director Dave Marchi said Hello Kitty generated more than $8 billion in retail revenue in 2013 alone, according to CNN.

With that level of fame, you’d think fans would know exactly what she is, but here’s where things get strange.

The Sketch That Reignited The Debate

The confusion resurfaced after a Saturday Night Live sketch featured a Hello Kitty store manager training new employees.

“If you open to page five of your employee handbooks, you’ll see a list of facts about Hello Kitty,” the manager says. “As you can see, she loves to bake cookies, she goes to school, and she’s not a cat, she’s a human little girl.”

A stunned employee replies: “Why did you say Hello Kitty was a human little girl?”

Experts Reveal The Truth

Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist at the University of Hawaii, previously clarified the situation when she was working on an exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum.

“That’s one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show,” Yano told the Los Angeles Times. “Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours."

“She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.”

To make things even more surprising, Yano added that Hello Kitty “lives in London,” not Japan, another detail that caught fans off guard.

Social Media Reactions

Musician Mike Shinoda reacted to the news back in 2014, writing on X: "I just got off stage to find out that Hello Kitty is not a cat. This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."

"Help. Nothing makes sense anymore," another said, while a third exclaimed: "I JUST FOUND OUT THAT HELLO KITTY IS A LITTLE GIRL AND NOT A CAT AND IM DISTURBED????"

Meanwhile, a fourth shared: "Hello Kitty being canonically a girl and not a cat is the sweetest thing. She is what a creative little girl who loves cats would draw herself as."

Hello Kitty isn’t the only beloved character who has confused the internet, as fans of Stuart Little were equally shaken after realizing the original book character wasn’t a mouse.

In E.B. White’s original 1945 novel, Stuart is described as a tiny human boy - “only about two inches high,” with “a mouse's sharp nose, a mouse's tail, a mouse's whiskers,” according to PEOPLE.

Film critic Chris Evangelista sparked fresh confusion when he posted on X: “I’ve just now learned that in the STUART LITTLE book, Stuart is not actually a mouse but a human boy who looks like a mouse, and I don’t know how to process this.”

One user responded: "That's just not right. Not right at all," while a second wrote: "WAIT WHAT??!!! Don't make me read the book again."

The 1999 film adaptation changed the premise, making Stuart an anthropomorphic mouse adopted by the Little family - a version that went on to gross more than $300 million worldwide and earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Featured image credit: Leon Neal / Getty

If you've spent your whole life thinking Hello Kitty is a cat, I have some news for you - according to the character's creators... she isn't. Hello Kitty might be a fan favorite - but she isn't actually a cat. Credit: Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty ImagesNow, we can see where you'd get the idea that Hello Kitty is a cat - given the name and the fact she has ears and whiskers. But it's taken until the 50th anniversary of her creation for fans to find out that they've been wrong this whole time. Jill Cook, the director of retail business development at Sanrio, the creators of the iconic cartoon, revealed to Today: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s actually a little girl."Wait... what?As well as the fact that this whiskered feline creature is apparently a little girl, people were bewildered to discover her nationality. According to Jill, Hello Kitty is a tiny girl who “weighs three apples” and stands five apples tall, that was raised in the suburbs of London with her twin sister Mimmy, their parents, and even her own pet cat, Charmmy Kitty. Understandably, fans were left utterly confused by the revelation, tweeting: "Not them trying to gaslight us."Others added: "I have never seen a human being with real life whiskers and cat ears. THAT IS A CAT AND I WONT BE GASLIGHTED LIKE THIS!!!", and: "Is the little girl in the room cause I don’t see her."Another joked: "If she has ears like a cat, has whiskers like a cat, she is probably just a little girl."One commented: "lil girls don’t have whiskers but okay lol", while someone else added: "i thought hello kitty was japanese?"It's the cartoon's 50th anniversary this year. Credot: Li Zhihua/China News Service/VCG via Getty ImagesWell, according to anthropologist and author Christine R. Yano, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, at the time Hello Kitty was created “the Japanese and Japanese women were into Britain.""They loved the idea of Britain. It represented the quintessential idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So, the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time,” she explained, confirming that Hello Kitty is “a little girl.”In 2014, on the 40th anniversary of the cartoon, Sanrio "very firmly" corrected Yano in differentiating Hello Kitty's identity as a little girl and the fact that she has all the features of a cat. “She is a friend. But she is not a cat,” Yano said. “She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.”Well, that's literally blown my mind. Featured image credit: Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty Images

We have reported on a lot of unique cats over the last few months. Just today we introduced you to Xherdan the Canadian Sphynx cat, who has become incredibly popular on social media for looking like a grump "brain".

And back in September, we wrote about rescue cat Daisy, who was struggling to find a forever home due to the fact she had an unfortunate marking on her head that resembled a member.

And who could forget the hilarious reactions these pet cats were having to their owners using the feline filter:

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But now, we may have found the cutest kitty we have ever covered on VT. We all know cats come in all shapes and sizes, with different colors and personalities - but this adorable feline may be the most unique cat you'll ever see.

The cat was spotted and shared to social media by Twitter user @TOKAITRICK_bot, who was able to snap pics of the kitten in the unspecified location.

Surrounded by a group of other cats, this particular kitty stood out as a result of its unique facial markings - markings that legitimately look like the silhouette of another teeny tiny cat resting on the cat's nose.

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Pictures of the cat were tweeted along with the caption, "I have a cat on my nose" (according to Google Translate).

Another Twitter user, @phootahh, was able to share a short video of the cat, along with the caption: "Kitty has a kitty on her nose."

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The videos and pictures recirculated on the social media platform last month, and @TOKAITRICK_bot shared an update with their followers revealing that they were now "playing" with the unique kitty:

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According to Google Translate, the tweet reads: "Thank you for your introduction. Immediately after the video, we are currently playing with our cat."

The Daily Star reports that the cute cat is believed to be a stray, but looking at @TOKAITRICK_bot's recent tweets, it's possible they may have provided the unique cat with a forever home since first sharing pictures of the cat back in 2017.

If there's one thing the internet loves more than pets, its pets that are that little bit different. Yup, if you want your furry friend to stand out from the crowd on social media, then the most important thing to bear in mind is this: does it have something unique? Does it look like no other animal? Is it one you'd recognise, like Grumpy Cat, while scrolling through your newsfeed?

If you want proof of this axiom then look no further than Nori: a dog who has worked social media users up to a frenzy with his unique appearance: namely, the fact that he almost looks like he has the face of a human being!

Check out this adorable footage of Nori below:

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Nori is an Aussiepoo mix who always likes to smile for the camera. His owners, Kevin Hurless and Tiffany Ngo, live with the crossbreed in the city of Seattle in Washington, and first noticed that Nori had the makings of a canine influencer after Kevin tweeted a picture of him, which ended up getting a lot of attention from other social media users.

Kevin even claims that, when he and Tiffany would walk him, strangers would often stop them in the street and comment on Nori's bizarre appearance. Although they say that this phenomenon has gotten less frequent as Nori has aged, they still hear fairly often about how human his face and eyes look.

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The couple owns a Shorkie (a Yorkshire terrier and Shih-tzu cross) called Boba, who looks a lot more normal. The two animals are best friends, and Nori seems to like the attention he gets from the general public (even if he isn't necessarily aware of social media). 

So there you have it: if you have a unique look, then don't be ashamed of it. Take a leaf out of Nori's book and embrace it! It could make you a viral superstar...

All animals have human moments. Did you know that dolphins love to look at themselves in the mirror (much like those selfie fanatics out there)? Or have you heard that rats giggle when they're tickled (but only if they're in a good mood)? How about Marmosets? The South American monkeys share our social anxiety so much that they are said to make small talk, even waiting a few seconds after the other has finished speaking so as to avoid interrupting.

But, while many members of the Animal Kingdom share certain traits with Homo Sapiens, it's rare to find a creature that shares our looks. That's exactly why so many people were surprised to stumble across Valkyrie, a two-month-old Maine Coon kitten who went viral recently for her incredible 'human face'. When owner and breeder, Tatiana Rastorgueva started sharing photos and videos of Valkyrie on Instagram, people instantly noticed that she shared some important characteristics with all of us: namely her doubtful eyes, fed-up expression and overall grumpy persona. Don't believe me? Check her out and marvel at her human-like characteristics.

Meet Valkyrie

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She looks how most of us feel

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i.e. Like she wants to be left the hell alone

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She's not up for playing games

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I mean, like, really not up for it

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I wouldn't mess with her if I were you

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She may have the initial look of a two-month-old Maine Coon kitten, but she has the glare of a future Kanye West

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Ultimately, just stop shoving that camera in her face and leave her alone for a goddamn nap

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Can't get enough of weird animal stories? You ain't seen nothing yet! Meet the woman who claims she can talk to animals and communicate with them from beyond the grave.