Hello Kitty is not a cat, never was!<

For 40 years, millions of girls around the world have been swooning over the pretty face of the little candy pink Japanese character by the name of Hello Kitty, convinced that it is a sweet and peaceful feline. Well no! Hello Kitty is not a cat, never has been, her mother house revealed this week.

Against all appearances, and no offense to those who see her with pointy ears, a muzzle and mustaches (she has them), "Hello Kitty is a joyful and happy little girl with a heart of gold", explains everything to seriously does the firm Sanrio.

This sudden and, to say the least, shocking affirmation results from the curiosity of an academic specializing in the “kawaï” (cute) culture symbolized by Hello Kitty.

Christine Yano, an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii, had had the wisdom to ask Sanrio to check the captions for a memorial exhibit for Kitty's 40th birthday.

What was the anger of Sanrio: “Hello Kitty is not a cat. He's a cartoon character. A little girl. A friend. But not a cat. She has never been depicted on all fours. She walks and stands like a bipedal creature.

"Hello Kitty is a 100% humanized character," added a Sanrio spokesperson for AFP, who was kind enough to acknowledge that some confusion was possible: "the shape is certainly close to a cat, but that's all".

And explain to us, just in case: her real name is Kitty White. She was born in the south of England on November 1, 1974. She is of the astrological sign Scorpio and an element of primary importance for the Japanese, of blood group A.

She has a twin sister, Minny, and lives in an unnamed London suburb with her father George and mother Marie.

Ultimate proof: Kitty has her own pet cat, a "real one", named Charmmy Kitty.

There is one thing, however, that Sanrio is careful not to point out: with annual sales revenue of some 2.5 to 3 billion euros, Hello Kitty is in reality above all... a cash cow, or a hen with golden eggs.