Why Doesn’t Hello Kitty Have a Mouth? Real Reason, Rumors & More

Download Article

Influencer Gia Rutkowski explains why Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth, whether she’s a cat, and why she’s so popular

Co-authored by Gia Rutkowski and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: February 3, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

• Real Reason Hello Kitty Has No Mouth
|
• Rumors & Theories
|
• Why Cartoon Hello Kitty Has a Mouth
|
• Is Hello Kitty a cat?
|
• Sanrio Characters with Mouths
|
• Hello Kitty’s Popularity Explained
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

Hello Kitty is one of the most popular fictional characters out there, and she’s known for her adorable cat-like features and lack of a mouth. Although fans have come up with plenty of wild theories and explanations for why Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth, the creator of Hello Kitty herself has actually weighed in with the official reason. In this article, we explain why Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth, dive into some of the rumors, and answer some more of your burning Hello Kitty questions, with insights from influencer Gia Rutkowski.

Why Hello Kitty Has No Mouth

Download Image

Influencer Gia Rutkowski says the creator designed Hello Kitty without a mouth so customers could project their emotions onto her. Some rumors claim that the designer intentionally removed Hello Kitty's mouth after a deal with the devil that would save her child from mouth cancer, but they’re not true.

Steps

Section 1 of 6:

Why does Hello Kitty not have a mouth?

Download Article

1. 
   Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth because the creator wanted her to be relatable. In an interview with Time Magazine, one of Hello Kitty’s designers, Yuko Yamaguchi, explained that Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth so that people can project their own emotions onto her. “Kitty looks happy when people are happy. She looks sad when they are sad. For this psychological reason, we thought she shouldn’t be tied to any emotion – and that’s why she doesn’t have a mouth,” Yamaguchi said.

   • According to Rutkowski, the other Sanrio cat characters are mouthless for the same reason—customers can imagine a smile when happy, or a frown when sad. It makes the cartoon more relatable and helps build a connection with consumers.
   • There have been plenty of rumors as to why Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth, including a deal with the devil to save a dying child. We’ll go over some of these wild theories below!

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Gia Rutkowski is an influencer, content creator, speaker, and consultant based in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in digital patterns and their behavioral implications, with over 130k followers on TikTok, Substack, and YouTube.
Advertisement

Section 2 of 6:

Rumors About Why Hello Kitty Doesn’t Have a Mouth

Download Article

1. 
   1
   One rumor claims that Hello Kitty designer Yuko Shimizu made a deal with the devil. The theory says that Shimizu had a 14-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with terminal mouth cancer. With no cure for the disease, Shimizu supposedly went to every church in the city and prayed for her daughter’s safety. When that didn’t work, she apparently made a deal with the devil to save her daughter in exchange for creating a popular cartoon character that tricked kids into worshipping the devil.

   • This rumor is untrue, as the creator of Hello Kitty revealed the actual reason behind the design. They just wanted the audience to be able to relate to Hello Kitty—no scary deals with the devil here!
2. 
   2
   Another theory says that Shimizu removed both her and Hello Kitty’s mouths. This theory is that, to cure her daughter of the terminal mouth cancer, Yuko Shimizu removed her own mouth. After supposedly removing her mouth, the rumor suggests that Shimizu designed Hello Kitty without a mouth as well, so that she would resemble her and her daughter.

   • This rumor is also untrue, as Yuko Shimizu still has a mouth.
Advertisement

Section 3 of 6:

Why does the cartoon version of Hello Kitty have a mouth?

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Some say there was a supposed miscommunication between animators. The official reason as to why Hello Kitty has a mouth in some cartoons, like Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater and Hello Kitty and Friends, has never been revealed, but some Reddit users believe it’s due to a miscommunication between Sanrio and the animation company they hired.

   • These Redditors attribute this belief to the fact that Hello Kitty didn’t have a mouth in the 70s, nor does she have one in the newer cartoons.
2. 
   2
   Others believe the animators wanted to make Hello Kitty’s talking more realistic. While the official reason is unknown, some fans claim that Hello Kitty was given a mouth in the older cartoons because it’s strange to have a character speak with no mouth. They say that because it’s so strange, animators added a mouth, so that Hello Kitty could speak properly without creeping out viewers.
Advertisement

Section 4 of 6:

Is Hello Kitty a cat?

Download Article

1. 
   No, Hello Kitty is a human with cat-like features. According to Rutkowski, “Hello Kitty is more of an anthropomorphized character, representing a young girl who lives in the suburbs with her family. Though she is a personification of a Japanese Bobtail cat, it appears that her creators took great effort into humanizing her while maintaining the on-brand cuteness of the Sanrio universe. She can be considered a cat representing a human girl, neither entirely cat nor entirely human.”

   • In fact, Hello Kitty manufacturer Sanrio clarified that Hello Kitty is a human, not a cat, after a story in LAist claimed the opposite. Sanrio's statement said, “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.”
   • Fun fact: Hello Kitty’s height is described as five apples, and her weight is three apples. She partakes in human activities, such as baking cookies, and loves her mother’s apple pie. She is also close with her twin sister, Mimmy, who wears a yellow bow and has human characteristics like kindness and intelligence, says Rutkowski.

Section 5 of 6:

Sanrio Characters with Mouths

Download Article

1. 
   Characters like My Melody and Kuromi have mouths to match their personalities. While the most popular Sanrio character, Hello Kitty, doesn’t have a mouth, other Sanrio characters do. Some of these characters, like My Melody and Kuromi, have mouths to match their personalities, with My Melody’s smile matching her positive personality and Kuromi’s smirk matching her mischievous ways. Other Sanrio characters with mouths include:

   • Keroppi
   • Hangyodon
   • Pekkle
   • Chibimaru
   • Monkichi
   • Sugarminuet
Advertisement

Section 6 of 6:

Why is Hello Kitty so popular?

Download Article

1. Hello Kitty is popular because she’s nostalgic and relatable. Rutkowski says Hello Kitty has spiked in popularity again because young people long for a nostalgic, consumable item. “[She] was a large part of many Gen Z’s collective childhood, so in moments of collective turbulence, it’s logical that people may draw back to familiar odes to their younger years as a source of comfort. This also explains the sudden spike in Sanrio aesthetics, where Hello Kitty serves as a cornerstone, which is inspired by Japanese “kawaii” (cute) culture.”

   • According to Rutkowski, you can find more details on the kawaii aesthetic at https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Sanriocore.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!