Hello Kitty, one of Japan's most famous cartoon characters, is turning 40 this year and what better way to commemorate the character's birthday than to find out that the "Hello Kitty" is not really a cat.

Sanrio, the brand that officially carries Hello Kitty, as well as other famous characters including Little Twin Stars, My Melody and the like, recently confirmed the news.

"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," Christine Yano, author of "Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific" told the Los Angeles Times.

Yano also revealed that Hello Kitty as we know it is not named as such. Instead, the character's name is Kitty White, according to the Huffington Post.

Kitty White's zodiac sign is a Scorpio and her favorite food is apple pie. Kitty White is also the daughter of George and Mary White, the same publication noted.

"She has a twin sister. She's a perpetual third-grader. She lives outside of London. I could go on. A lot of people don't know the story and a lot don't care," Yano said.

Meanwhile, some famous celebrities recently reacted to the news that obviously shocked the entire world, IBTimes noted.

Singer Josh Groban tweeted, "Hello Kitty is a cat. She has whiskers and a cat nose. Girls don't look like that. Stop this nonsense."

Tim Allen wrote, "I knew Hello Kitty wasn't a cat because I'm allergic to cats but I have wholly embraced Hello Kitty."

Alex Shibutani tweeted, "Apparently, #HelloKitty is actually a little girl. My haiku reaction: I yearn for days past simpler times when a Kitty was just a Kitty."

Suzanne Young wrote, "You know I'm going to search images of real life hello kitty now."