The Day the Kitty Cried

Hello Kitty and Mimmy- A Day in the Life

Los Angeles, CA- Hello Kitty wants you to know that behind her mouthless face is a very laid back cat, whose years of fame in the public eye have not warped her worldview. If anything her money has given her the ability to care for her family and create a lifestyle for her and Mimmy that her immigrant parents could not have imagined.

As I pull up to the Kitty mansion in a very exclusive neighborhood in Brentwood, I’m struck by how chic and minimalistic her mansion is. One would imagine with endless stacks of cash, Hello would create a Taj Mahal to herself tricked out in vibrant anime colors, but instead Hello has opted to keep most of the original architecture and design from the original owner Jackie Gleason's vision of her 30 bedroom mansion. As she welcomes me I note the tired look in her eyes, which she quickly shakes off as to show me that the happy icon isn’t letting fame wear her down. We are soon joined by her sister Mimmy, a peppy yet cautious feline with yellow bow and they invite me into the kitchen while they prepare sushi for me.

“We normally don’t do interviews, since we are contractually obligated to maintain a certain image, and that can be draining, but we figure it’s about time to let people know the real us.”

Mimmy cautiously glances over to Hello to let her know she’s got backup. It’s clear that even though Hello is the older sister, Mimmy makes sure that Hello feels supported and calm.

I turn the conversation to their most recent anniversary— 40 years. Hello continues to make the sushi while avoiding eye contact. “Sanrio has been really really great with me all these years. They have trusted me a lot. At the same time I do find it difficult to keep doing the same thing. I think sometimes I would like to break out. Do something else, like study sushi with Jiro in Japan. I saw that documentary and it really struck a nerve.”

40 years ago before Sanrio turned Hello into the star she is now, she probably could have become a world class sushi maker. Her parents encouraged her to be more traditional. They immigrated from Japan to London to get a better life never imagining that their daughters would become so famous. They don’t come out for the interview, maintaining a careful distance from all the fame that at once supports them and appalls them. In the early years they turned their yellow button noses up at all the fame and attention their daughter gained. It’s clear that they have had to find a way to cope with the constant attention.

(to read the rest of the article please buy next months Rolling Stone Article)