Hello Kitty: not a cat?

But it has "Kitty in the name..

(Telegraph) - She turns 40 this year, but Hello Kitty's blank face and impressive skill with accessories are still as ubiquitous as they were when the Japanese character launched in 1974 as a coin purse.

But news for fans - did you know that Hello Kitty is not a cat, but a young British girl with a twin sister and an entire backstory?

Christine R Yano, an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii and visiting professor at Harvard, has spent years studying the phenomenon that is Hello Kitty and her lasting appeal.

Speaking to the LA Times, she explains some of the lesser-known facts about the cutesy character.

"Hello Kitty is not a cat," she says.

"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. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty."

Here are some other things you might not know about Hello Kitty:

She's actually British. She has an entire backstory that sees her living at home outside London with her parents, George and Mary White

Her full name is Kitty White

She has a twin sister called Mimmy White, a cool grandpa called Anthony and a sweet grandma called Margaret

She's a Scorpio

She loves apple pie

As well as her own pet cat, Charmmy, she has a hamster called Sugar, given to her by her friend Dear Daniel