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50 free Hello Kitty trivia questions with answers — pop culture quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
41 free Hello Kitty trivia questions with answers. Hello Kitty has been on coin purses, jumbo jets and Fender guitars for half a century, and this quiz covers the whole story: the designer who drew her in 1974, the Lewis Carroll book that gave her a name, the official biography that puts her in a London suburb with a twin sister, why she has no mouth, and the 2014 fuss over whether she is a cat at all. It also takes in the rest of Sanrio, from founder Shintaro Tsuji's silk company to Puroland, the annual Character Ranking, and favourites like My Melody, Kuromi, Keroppi, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Gudetama and Aggretsuko. The first questions are for anyone who has owned a Hello Kitty pencil case; the later ones will test the collectors who know her grandparents' names and her superhero alter ego. It works for a kids' party, a kawaii-themed quiz night or a solo test of your Sanrio knowledge. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia and Sanrio's official character profiles, and each question shows an explanation and its citation once you answer.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In what year was Hello Kitty created?
1974
The first product, a vinyl coin purse showing her between a milk bottle and a goldfish bowl, went on sale in Japan in March 1975.
Q 02Who was the original designer who created Hello Kitty in 1974?
Yuko Shimizu
She left Sanrio in 1976; Yuko Yamaguchi took over as lead designer in 1980 and has held the job ever since.
Q 03According to Sanrio's official profile, what is Hello Kitty's family surname?
White
Her papa is George White and her mama is Mary White; grandpa Anthony tells stories and grandma Margaret likes sewing.
Q 04Where does Hello Kitty's official backstory say she lives?
A London suburb
Sanrio describes her as British, and her official birthday is November 1.
Q 05What is the name of Hello Kitty's twin sister?
Mimmy
The twins are told apart by their bows: Kitty wears red on her left ear, her sister yellow on the right.
Q 06On which date is Hello Kitty's official birthday?
November 1
Sanrio Puroland held a multi-day 40th birthday celebration for her in November 2014.
Q 07According to her official profile, how tall is Hello Kitty?
Five apples
Her weight is given as three apples, which is as precise as Sanrio gets.
Q 08What reason has Sanrio given for Hello Kitty having no mouth?
So people can project their own feelings onto her
The company has also said she 'speaks from the heart', though her lead designer has claimed she does have a mouth hidden in her fur.
Q 09Hello Kitty's original designer took the name Kitty from a cat in which classic book?
Through the Looking-Glass
Early in Lewis Carroll's sequel, Alice plays with a kitten she calls Kitty.
Q 10What breed of cat is Hello Kitty a personification of?
Japanese Bobtail
The word for such an anthropomorphised character in Japanese is gijinka.
Q 11In 2014, headlines claimed Hello Kitty was 'not a cat'. Who had Sanrio told this to?
An anthropologist
Sanrio had told Christine Yano that Kitty White was a little English girl, not a cat depicted on all fours; the company later said calling her 'not a cat' went too far.
Q 12Hello Kitty's boyfriend, introduced in 1999, is called what?
Dear Daniel
Later additions to her world include her pet cat Charmmy Kitty and hamster Sugar in 2004.
Q 13What is the name of Hello Kitty's superhero alter ego, introduced in 2011?
Ichigoman
Ichigo means strawberry in Japanese, a fruit that runs through Sanrio's history, from its Strawberry Newspaper to the Strawberry King character.
Q 21What was the first animated TV series starring Sanrio's mouthless cat, from 1987, called?
Furry Tale Theater
It ran for 13 episodes; critics have said her lack of a mouth has held her back as an animated character.
Q 22Which pop star adopted Hello Kitty as a fashion statement in the late 1990s, boosting the brand among adults?
Mariah Carey
The 1990s repositioning as a retro brand for teenagers and adults took Hello Kitty to her peak in Japan.
Q 23Who founded Sanrio in 1960?
Shintaro Tsuji
He ran the company for 60 years before handing control to his grandson Tomokuni in 2020.
Q 14Hello Kitty's pet cat, Charmmy Kitty, is what breed?
Persian
She was a gift from Kitty's papa, and since her real birthday is unknown the family celebrates October 31, the day Kitty received her.
Q 15In which US city did Hello Kitty make her American debut in 1976, at a Sanrio Gift Gate store?
San Jose
By 2008 there were more than 50,000 Hello Kitty products on sale in over 60 countries.
Q 16Which international organisation named Hello Kitty a children's ambassador and 'Special Friend of Children'?
UNICEF
The titles came in 1983 for the US, 1994 for Japan and 2004 for the special title.
Q 17In 2008 the Japanese government made Hello Kitty its ambassador of tourism to which two places?
China and Hong Kong
It was the first time Japan's tourism ministry had given the role to a fictional character.
Q 18Which airline flies Airbus jets painted with Hello Kitty liveries?
EVA Air
The Taiwanese carrier's Hello Kitty jets have themed boarding passes, meals and cabin crew aprons.
Q 19Since 2005, Hello Kitty has appeared on a Stratocaster guitar made under which brand?
Fender via Squier
The pink guitar became a cult item, and Sanrio's high-end tie-ins have run all the way up to Louis Vuitton.
Q 20The 2023 game Hello Kitty Island Adventure won Game of the Year on which platform?
Apple Arcade
The cosy social simulation set on an island of Sanrio characters later came to Switch, PC and PlayStation 5.
Q 24What did Sanrio's founding company originally sell before it moved into cute characters?
Silk
In 1962 Tsuji added rubber sandals with painted flowers, noticed how a cute design boosted sales, and the rest followed.
Q 25Which American comic-strip character did Sanrio license in Japan before creating its own?
Snoopy
Tsuji then hired in-house designers so the company would not have to pay outside royalties; its first original character, Coro Chan, arrived in 1973.
Q 26Which British children's characters did Sanrio buy the rights to in 2011?
The Mr. Men and Little Miss
The company also still owns the Japanese licensing rights to the Peanuts characters.
Q 27Sanrio Puroland, the indoor Hello Kitty theme park, is in which Japanese city?
Tokyo
It opened in Tama New Town in December 1990 and draws more than 1.5 million visitors a year; Sanrio's outdoor park, Harmonyland, is on Kyushu.
Q 28The annual Sanrio Character Ranking, in which fans vote for their favourites, began in which year?
1986
It started in Sanrio's Strawberry Newspaper and now takes votes online from around the world.
Q 29When My Melody debuted in 1975, she was dressed as which fairy-tale character?
Little Red Riding Hood
The rabbit's popularity faded in the late 1980s and revived in 1997 when fans voted her back and her red hood returned.
Q 30My Melody's rival wears a black jester's hat decorated with what?
A pink skull
She first appeared in the 2005 anime Onegai My Melody and has also been drawn as leader of a biker gang called Kuromi's 5.