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Hello Kitty is a girl, not a cat (31st August, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

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

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

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/08/28/newsflash-hello-kitty-has-never-been-a-cat/
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/28/world/asia/hello-kitty-revelation/
http://nypost.com/2014/08/28/hello-kitty-bombshell-shes-not-a-cat/

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. HELLO KITTY: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Hello Kitty. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

cartoon characters / set the record straight / iconic / exhibition / bright / heart of gold / ubiquitous / chopsticks / upholstery / gear stick / cuteness / social media / revelation

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. CARTOON CHARACTERS: Are these characters good for children? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Character	Reasons why good for children	Reasons why bad for children
Hello Kitty
Mickey Mouse
Pikachu
Superman
Lisa Simpson
Tintin

4. SHE'S A CAT: Students A strongly believe Hello Kitty is a cat; Students B strongly believe she isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. CARTOONS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• Hello Kitty

• Popeye

• Tintin

• The Simpsons

• Pokemon

• Spiderman

• Tom and Jerry

• Pink Panther

6. ICONIC: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "iconic". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A Japanese toymaker has told the truth about Hello Kitty.	T / F
b.	The toymaker set the record straight for an upcoming exhibition.	T / F
c.	An archeologist is curating an exhibition on Hello Kitty.	T / F
d.	Hello Kitty is often seen walking like a cat, on all fours.	T / F
e.	The Hello Kitty character began 40 years ago.	T / F
f.	A Japanese carmaker sold a Hello Kitty edition car.	T / F
g.	Hello Kitty's mouth is heart shaped.	T / F
h.	Hello Kitty was based on the Disney character Pluto.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	creators	a.	portrayed
2.	declared	b.	decorating
3.	came to light	c.	intelligent
4.	depicted	d.	everywhere
5.	bright	e.	disclosure
6.	ubiquitous	f.	engraved
7.	adorning	g.	originators
8.	etched	h.	embody
9.	epitomise	i.	emerged
10.	revelation	j.	announced

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	the world's most widely-	a.	ubiquitous
2.	its iconic	b.	with a heart of gold
3.	publicity for an upcoming	c.	cuteness
4.	She's never depicted on	d.	recognised cartoon
5.	a bright little girl	e.	by storm
6.	Hello Kitty has taken the world	f.	all fours
7.	It has become	g.	Hello Kitty car
8.	a specially branded	h.	creation
9.	epitomise	i.	with the revelation
10.	Social media has been abuzz	j.	exhibition

GAP FILL

The creators of one of the world's most widely-recognised cartoon characters have set the record (1) ____________. Japanese toymaker Sanrio have declared that its (2) ____________ creation Hello Kitty is not a cat. The bombshell came to light following (3) ____________ for an upcoming exhibition on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The curator of the (4) ____________, anthropologist Christine R Yano, said she received a mail from Sanrio correcting her (5) ____________ for the show. Ms Yano confirmed that: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a friend….She's never (6) ____________ on all (7) ____________. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature." The Sanrio website states Kitty is "a (8) ____________ little girl with a heart of gold".

script
bright
iconic
exhibition
straight
fours
depicted
publicity

Hello Kitty has taken the world by (9) ____________ since its introduction in 1974. It has become (10) ____________ worldwide, adorning everything from chopsticks to airplanes. The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even sold a specially (11) ____________ Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty-emblazoned (12) ____________, a speedometer with the character's face (13) ____________ into the glass and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. The creators designed the character's face to epitomise (14) ____________. Sanrio account for her (15) ____________ of a mouth, saying she doesn't have one because she speaks with her heart. Social media has been abuzz with the (16) ____________ that Kitty is a girl. Rapper Mike Shinoda tweeted: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."

upholstery
lack
branded
cuteness
storm
etched
ubiquitous
revelation

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	one of the world's most widely-______ characters
	a. recognised cartoon b. recognises cartoon c. recognise cartoon d. recognising cartoon
2)	The bombshell came to light following publicity for an ______
	a. up-and-coming exhibition b. unbecoming exhibition c. upcoming exhibition d. up come in exhibition
3)	she received a mail from Sanrio correcting her ______
	a. slipped for the show b. snipped for the show c. script for the show d. shipped for the show
4)	She is a friend….She's never depicted ______
	a. on all four b. on every fours c. on two four d. on all fours
5)	Kitty is a bright little girl with a ______
	a. heart for gold b. heart free gold c. heart of gold d. heart from gold
6)	Hello Kitty has taken the ______
	a. world by stormy b. world by storms c. world by storm d. world by stormed
7)	The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even sold a ______ Hello Kitty car
	a. specially branded b. specially brand it c. specially bland d. specially blended
8)	a speedometer with the character's face etched ______
	a. into the grass b. onto the glass c. into the glass d. onto the grass
9)	The creators designed the character's face to ______
	a. epitomise cute nest b. epitomises cuteness c. epitomises cute nest d. epitomise cuteness
10)	Social media has been abuzz with ______
	a. the revelation b. a revelation c. all revelation d. this revelation

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The creators of one of the world's (1) ___________________ cartoon characters have set (2) ___________________. Japanese toymaker Sanrio have declared that its iconic creation Hello Kitty is not a cat. The bombshell came to light following publicity for an (3) ___________________ on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The curator of the exhibition, anthropologist Christine R Yano, said she received a mail from Sanrio (4) ___________________ for the show. Ms Yano confirmed that: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a friend….She's never (5) ___________________. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature." The Sanrio website states Kitty is "a bright little girl (6) ___________________".

Hello Kitty has (7) ___________________ since its introduction in 1974. It has become ubiquitous worldwide, adorning everything from chopsticks to airplanes. The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even (8) ___________________ Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty-emblazoned upholstery, a speedometer with the character's face (9) ___________________ and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. The creators designed the character's face (10) ___________________. Sanrio account for (11) ___________________, saying she doesn't have one because she speaks with her heart. Social (12) ___________________ with the revelation that Kitty is a girl. Rapper Mike Shinoda tweeted: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What did the company Sanrio set straight?
2.	What is happening at a national museum?
3.	What is the profession of the exhibition curator?
4.	In what position is Hello Kitty never shown?
5.	What kind of heart did Sanrio say Hello Kitty has?
6.	When was Hello Kitty introduced to the world?
7.	Where on a specially branded car was Hello Kitty's face engraved?
8.	What did Sanrio say Hello Kitty's face epitomised?
9.	Why does Hello Kitty have no mouth?
10.	What did a rapper say finding out about this news was worse than?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	What did the company Sanrio set straight?	6.	When was Hello Kitty introduced to the world?
	a) Hello Kitty's whiskers b) a statistic c) a CD d) the record		a) 1954 b) 1964 c) 1974 d) 1984
2.	What is happening at a national museum?	7.	Where on a specially branded car was Hello Kitty's face engraved?
	a) the building of a Kitty-shaped building b) a Hello Kitty exhibition c) an exhibition on cuteness d) Hello Kitty's wedding		a) a speedometer b) the windscreen (UK) / windshield (USA) c) the boot (UK) / trunk (USA) d) the bonnet (UK) / hood (USA)
3.	What is the profession of the exhibition curator?	8.	What did Sanrio say Hello Kitty's face epitomised?
	a) an apologist b) an anaesthesiologist c) an archaeologist d) an anthropologist		a) the 21st century b) ubiquity c) cuteness d) cats
4.	In what position is Hello Kitty never shown?	9.	Why does Hello Kitty have no mouth?
	a) on her head b) flat on her face c) on all fours d) upside down		a) the creators forgot to give her one b) she speaks with her heart c) she doesn't need to eat d) she's the silent type
5.	What kind of heart did Sanrio say Hello Kitty has?	10.	What did a rapper say finding out about Kitty was worse than discovering?
	a) a big one b) a pink one c) the largest heart in the world d) a heart of gold		a) discovering Pluto is not a planet b) Pluto being a dog c) Pluto being based on Plato d) Pluto becoming Kitty's boyfriend

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Hello Kitty

You think Hello Kitty is the best cartoon character. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their characters. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Minnie Mouse, Wonder Woman or Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls.

Role B – Minnie Mouse

You think Minnie Mouse is the best cartoon character. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their characters. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Hello Kitty, Wonder Woman or Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls.

Role C – Wonder Woman

You think Wonder Woman is the best cartoon character. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their characters. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty or Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls.

Role D – Bubbles (Powerpuff Girls)

You think Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls is the best cartoon character. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their characters. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): Minnie Mouse, Wonder Woman or Hello Kitty.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'hello' and 'kitty'.

hello

kitty

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

widely
upcoming
mail
never
sits
gold

storm
car
glass
lack
media
worse

HELLO KITTY SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Hello Kitty in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

HELLO KITTY DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'cartoon'?
c)	What do you know about Hello Kitty?
d)	Is there anything wrong about cartoon characters?
e)	Who is your favourite cartoon character?
f)	Why do you think Hello Kitty became so iconic?
g)	Would you like to see an exhibition on Hello Kitty?
h)	Are Disney characters the best?
i)	What do you think of goods branded with cartoons?
j)	This is a widely reported story. Why is it news?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What do you think of Hello Kitty?
c)	Why do adults like cartoon characters?
d)	Do you buy anything adorned with cartoon characters?
e)	What do you think of the idea of a Hello Kitty branded car?
f)	What is the world's cutest cartoon character?
g)	What makes a character cute?
h)	Should there be more scary characters?
i)	Is finding out that Hellp Kitty is not a cat worse than discovering Pluto is not a planet?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Sanrio's boss?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

The (1) ____ of one of the world's most widely-recognised cartoon characters have set the record straight. Japanese toymaker Sanrio have declared that its (2) ____ creation Hello Kitty is not a cat. The bombshell came to (3) ____ following publicity for an upcoming exhibition on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The curator of the exhibition, anthropologist Christine R Yano, said she received a mail from Sanrio (4) ____ her script for the show. Ms Yano confirmed that: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a friend….She's never (5) ____ on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-(6) ____ creature." The Sanrio website states Kitty is "a bright little girl with a heart of gold".

Hello Kitty has taken the world by (7) ____ since its introduction in 1974. It has become ubiquitous worldwide, adorning everything from chopsticks to airplanes. The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even sold a specially (8) ____ Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty-emblazoned upholstery, a speedometer with the character's face etched (9) ____ the glass and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. The creators designed the character's face to (10) ____ cuteness. Sanrio account for her (11) ____ of a mouth, saying she doesn't have one because she speaks with her heart. Social media has been abuzz with the (12) ____ that Kitty is a girl. Rapper Mike Shinoda tweeted: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	creatures	(b)	creators	(c)	curators	(d)	procreators
2.	(a)	ironic	(b)	iconic	(c)	laconic	(d)	platonic
3.	(a)	heart	(b)	sound	(c)	heat	(d)	light
4.	(a)	coercing	(b)	correcting	(c)	collecting	(d)	connecting
5.	(a)	restricted	(b)	depicted	(c)	deployed	(d)	conflicted
6.	(a)	leggy	(b)	leggings	(c)	legged	(d)	legless
7.	(a)	tempest	(b)	lightning	(c)	storm	(d)	cloudburst
8.	(a)	blended	(b)	bandied	(c)	branded	(d)	banded
9.	(a)	as	(b)	up	(c)	from	(d)	into
10.	(a)	epitomise	(b)	randomise	(c)	fantasise	(d)	eulogise
11.	(a)	lack	(b)	deficient	(c)	enough	(d)	dearth
12.	(a)	depiction	(b)	exhibition	(c)	revelation	(d)	introduction

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	most widely-iodnesregc (UK) / erigcdnzoe (USA)
2.	its iconic tirnaceo
3.	The hbosmllbe came to light
4.	an upcoming oiiintbexh
5.	She's never eedpdcit on all fours
6.	sits like a two-legged euarctre
Paragraph 2
7.	It has become iobsutiquu worldwide
8.	gndnoari everything
9.	It had Kitty-enmbezolda upholstery,
10.	ctehed into the glass
11.	oteepmiis (UK) / pmztoeeii (USA) cuteness
12.	media has been abuzz with the avnlotieer

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	one because she speaks with her heart. Social media has been abuzz with the revelation
( )	creature." The Sanrio website states Kitty is "a bright little girl with a heart of gold."
( )	straight. Japanese toymaker Sanrio have declared that its iconic creation Hello Kitty is not a cat. The bombshell came to
( )	script for the show. Ms Yano confirmed that: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a
( )	worldwide, adorning everything from chopsticks to airplanes. The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even sold
( )	friend….She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged
( 1 )	The creators of one of the world's most widely-recognised cartoon characters have set the record
( )	into the glass and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. The creators designed the character's face to epitomise
( )	a specially branded Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty-emblazoned upholstery, a speedometer with the character's face etched
( )	light following publicity for an upcoming exhibition on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The curator
( )	Hello Kitty has taken the world by storm since its introduction in 1974. It has become ubiquitous
( )	cuteness. Sanrio account for her lack of a mouth, saying she doesn't have
( )	of the exhibition, anthropologist Christine R Yano, said she received a mail from Sanrio correcting her
( )	that Kitty is a girl. Rapper Mike Shinoda tweeted: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	widely - The recognised world's cartoon most characters.
2.	publicity following light to came bombshell The.
3.	a Sanrio script received from her She mail correcting.
4.	creature She walks and sits like a two - legged.
5.	a with girl little bright a is Kitty gold of heart.
6.	storm taken the Hello world Kitty by has.
7.	adorning become everything ubiquitous worldwide It , has.
8.	etched face character's The glass the into.
9.	the has revelation been abuzz Social with media.
10.	is planet than Pluto a Worse out not finding.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

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."

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th_ cr__t_rs _f _n_ _f th_ w_rld's m_st w_d_ly-r_c_gn_s_d c_rt__n ch_r_ct_rs h_v_ s_t th_ r_c_rd str__ght. J_p_n_s_ t_ym_k_r S_nr__ h_v_ d_cl_r_d th_t _ts _c_n_c cr__t__n H_ll_ K_tty _s n_t _ c_t. Th_ b_mbsh_ll c_m_ t_ l_ght f_ll_w_ng p_bl_c_ty f_r _n _pc_m_ng _xh_b_t__n _n th_ ch_r_ct_r _t th_ J_p_n_s_ _m_r_c_n N_t__n_l M_s__m. Th_ c_r_t_r _f th_ _xh_b_t__n, _nthr_p_l_g_st Chr_st_n_ R Y_n_, s__d sh_ r_c__v_d _ m__l fr_m S_nr__ c_rr_ct_ng h_r scr_pt f_r th_ sh_w. Ms Y_n_ c_nf_rm_d th_t: "H_ll_ K_tty _s n_t _ c_t. Sh_ _s _ l_ttl_ g_rl. Sh_ _s _ fr__nd….Sh_'s n_v_r d_p_ct_d _n _ll f__rs. Sh_ w_lks _nd s_ts l_k_ _ tw_-l_gg_d cr__t_r_." Th_ S_nr__ w_bs_t_ st_t_s K_tty _s "_ br_ght l_ttl_ g_rl w_th _ h__rt _f g_ld".

H_ll_ K_tty h_s t_k_n th_ w_rld by st_rm s_nc_ _ts _ntr_d_ct__n _n 1974. _t h_s b_c_m_ _b_q__t__s w_rldw_d_, _d_rn_ng _v_ryth_ng fr_m ch_pst_cks t_ __rpl_n_s. Th_ J_p_n_s_ c_rm_k_r D__h_ts_ _v_n s_ld _ sp_c__lly br_nd_d H_ll_ K_tty c_r. _t h_d K_tty-_mbl_z_n_d _ph_lst_ry, _ sp__d_m_t_r w_th th_ ch_r_ct_r's f_c_ _tch_d _nt_ th_ gl_ss _nd _ K_tty-sh_p_d g__r st_ck. Th_ cr__t_rs d_s_gn_d th_ ch_r_ct_r's f_c_ t_ _p_t_m_s_ c_t_n_ss. S_nr__ _cc__nt f_r h_r l_ck _f _ m__th, s_y_ng sh_ d__sn't h_v_ _n_ b_c__s_ sh_ sp__ks w_th h_r h__rt. S_c__l m_d__ h_s b__n _b_zz w_th th_ r_v_l_t__n th_t K_tty _s _ g_rl. R_pp_r M_k_ Sh_n_d_ tw__t_d: "Th_s _s w_rs_ th_n f_nd_ng __t Pl_t_ _s n_t _ pl_n_t."

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

the creators of one of the world's most widely-recognised cartoon characters have set the record straight japanese toymaker sanrio have declared that its iconic creation hello kitty is not a cat the bombshell came to light following publicity for an upcoming exhibition on the character at the japanese american national museum the curator of the exhibition anthropologist christine r yano said she received a mail from sanrio correcting her script for the show ms yano confirmed that "hello kitty is not a cat she is a little girl she is a friend…she's never depicted on all fours she walks and sits like a two-legged creature" the sanrio website states kitty is "a bright little girl with a heart of gold"

hello kitty has taken the world by storm since its introduction in 1974 it has become ubiquitous worldwide adorning everything from chopsticks to airplanes the japanese carmaker daihatsu even sold a specially branded hello kitty car it had kitty-emblazoned upholstery a speedometer with the character's face etched into the glass and a kitty-shaped gear stick the creators designed the character's face to epitomise cuteness sanrio account for her lack of a mouth saying she doesn't have one because she speaks with her heart social media has been abuzz with the revelation that kitty is a girl rapper mike shinoda tweeted "this is worse than finding out pluto is not a planet"

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Thecreatorsofoneoftheworld'smostwidely-recognisedcartoo
ncharactershavesettherecordstraight.JapanesetoymakerSanrioh
avedeclaredthatitsiconiccreationHelloKittyisnotacat.Thebombshe
llcametolightfollowingpublicityforanupcomingexhibitiononthecha
racterattheJapaneseAmericanNationalMuseum.Thecuratorofthee
xhibition,anthropologistChristineRYano,saidshereceivedamailfro
mSanriocorrectingherscriptfortheshow.MsYanoconfirmedthat:"H
elloKittyisnotacat.Sheisalittlegirl.Sheisafriend….She'sneverdepic
tedonallfours.Shewalksandsitslikeatwo-leggedcreature."TheSan
riowebsitestatesKittyis"abrightlittlegirlwithaheartofgold".HelloKit
tyhastakentheworldbystormsinceitsintroductionin1974.Ithasbec
omeubiquitousworldwide,adorningeverythingfromchopstickstoai
rplanes.TheJapanesecarmakerDaihatsuevensoldaspeciallybrand
edHelloKittycar.IthadKitty-emblazonedupholstery,aspeedome
terwiththecharacter'sfaceetchedintotheglassandaKitty-shap
edgearstick.Thecreatorsdesignedthecharacter'sfacetoepitomisec
uteness.Sanrioaccountforherlackofamouth,sayingshedoesn'thav
eonebecauseshespeakswithherheart.Socialmediahasbeenabuzz
withtherevelationthatKittyisagirl.RapperMikeShinodatweeted:"T
hisisworsethanfindingoutPlutoisnotaplanet."

FREE WRITING

Write about Hello Kitty for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Hello Kitty is not a cat. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Hello Kitty. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. HELLO KITTY: Make a poster about Hello Kitty. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. NOT A CAT: Write a magazine article about whether or not Hello Kitty is a cat of a little girl. Include imaginary interviews with people who think she's a cat and people who think she's a small girl.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to a Hello Kitty expert. Ask him/her three questions about Hello Kitty. Give him/her three of your opinions on her. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

T

b

T

c

F

d

F

e

T

f

T

g

F

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	creators	a.	originators
2.	declared	b.	announced
3.	came to light	c.	emerged
4.	depicted	d.	portrayed
5.	bright	e.	intelligent
6.	ubiquitous	f.	everywhere
7.	adorning	g.	decorating
8.	etched	h.	engraved
9.	epitomise	i.	embody
10.	revelation	j.	disclosure

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	The record
2.	A Hello Kitty exhibition
3.	An anthropologist
4.	On all fours
5.	A heart of gold
6.	1974
7.	The speedometer
8.	Cuteness
9.	She speaks with her heart
10.	That Pluto didn't exist

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

d

2.

b

3.

d

4.

c

5.

d

6.

c

7.

a

8.

c

9.

b

10.

a

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Hello Kitty is a girl, not a cat (31st August, 2014)

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