Hello Kitty not a cat? Confirmed fact leaves fans who grew up with the Sanrio character disillusioned.

Hello Kitty is not a cat, as confirmed by the Sanrio character's creators. The news is a sobering reminder to adults who grew up with the character that looks can be deceiving indeed.

Sanrio corrected the confusion in an interview with Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii and currently a curator at the Japanese American National Museum.

"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."

Some commented the revelation was expected, and the impression that Hello Kitty is human in a "Planet of the Apes" sense seems normal enough. Sanrio's explanation also reconciles childhood memories of the cute kitten with an adult's realizations: Hello Kitty does talk like a little girl.

As if the news of Hello Kitty not a cat isn't enough, there are also details about the girl's personality some fans may not be aware of. Like the fact she's born British and hails from London, or that she has a twin sister named Mimmy. It's unclear whether Mimmy is an identical or fraternal twin, though.

Hello Kitty has a zodiac sign, which apparently is crucial to her personality. She (and twin Mimmy) are Scorpios. She has healthy cravings compared to Garfield, though. While Garfield loves lasagna, Hello Kitty is deep into apples. She is five apples tall, which is quite short.

Celebrities didn't hesitate to challenge Sanrio's revelation, and Josh Grobin even went so far as to debunk the claim in a tweet. "Hello Kitty is a cat. She has whiskers and a cat nose. Girls don't look like that. Stop this nonsense."

Hello Kitty is not a cat, and Sanrio's rude awakening is final (source: metro.co.uk and nypost.com).