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The creators of one of the world's most widely-recognised cartoon characters have set the record [narrow / straight] . Japanese toymaker Sanrio have declared that its [ironic / iconic] creation Hello Kitty is not a cat. The [bombproof / bombshell] came to light following [publicly / publicity] for an upcoming [exhibition / exhibitor] on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The curator of the exhibition, [anthropology / anthropologist] Christine R Yano, said she received a mail from Sanrio correcting her [scripture / script] for the show. Ms Yano confirmed that: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a [friend / fiend] ….She's never depicted on all [fours / twos] . She walks and sits like a two-legged creature." The Sanrio website states Kitty is "a [bright / brightly] little girl with a heart of gold”.

Hello Kitty has taken the world by [tempest / storm] since its introduction in 1974. It has become [ubiquitous / ubiquity] worldwide, adorning everything [for / from] chopsticks to airplanes. The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even sold a specially [branded / bland] Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty-emblazoned [upholstery / upholsterer] , a speedometer with the character's face [fetched / etched] into the glass and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. The creators designed the character's face to epitomise [cutie / cuteness] . Sanrio account for her [lack / slack] of a mouth, saying she doesn't have one because she speaks with her heart. Social media has been [abuzz / buzzed] with the revelation that Kitty is a girl. Rapper Mike Shinoda tweeted: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a [planet / planetary] ."