In 2014 an anthropologist was told by Sanrio that Kitty White was not simply a cat (i.e. “depicted on all fours”), describing her as a little English girl called Kitty White, from outside London.[10] Following reports that interpreted this to mean she was human, a Sanrio PR representative said that the organization had “never said she was a human”, explaining anthropomorphization by comparing the character to Mickey Mouse: “No one would mistake the Disney character for a human–but at the same time he’s not quite a mouse. Just like Hello Kitty isn’t a human, she’s not quite a cat either.”[48] Sanrio stated further, “Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It’s going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat.”[11] Source
Still a cat, as much as Mickey is still a mouse. They just have human traits mixed in.
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. Source
To be fair, this cartoon implies disgust at the sight of a mouse. Not fear for your life because of an intruder. Which is probably why it’s so funny. 😊
Edit: though it might still be funny the other way around. 😂
Not quite…
Still a cat, as much as Mickey is still a mouse. They just have human traits mixed in.
Note that Hello Kitty herself owns a less anthropomorphic cat - like if Goofy owned Pluto.
This will always be my favorite
Hey, you’d be afraid if some random human suddenly came into your home despite you being human.
To be fair, this cartoon implies disgust at the sight of a mouse. Not fear for your life because of an intruder. Which is probably why it’s so funny. 😊
Edit: though it might still be funny the other way around. 😂
I mean I’d be scared if a saw a mouse sized human scurrying around
And naked, no less!
Not quite Felis Catus, not quite Homo Sapiens. Possibly Felis Sapiens or Homo Catus though.
New comments adding to the fray:
Sounds like a little historical whitewashing. Not the first time something like this has happened.