I honestly don't know...

I didn't read the rules and when i submitted my solution it was accepted, so i thought that must be ok. Why did the creator of the kata not reject solution with a '*'-character in it?

This is a puzzles and challenges website, the very definition of "restricted by artificial rules". Would you sit down at a monopoly board and then insist that "If this were real life, I would just keep moving until I found a hotel that I considered affordable"?

Personally I did it because it's the most effective way (that I know of) and that is what programming should aim for.
And not be restricted by artificial rules.

This solution will not pass the following test.
pig_it("O Hello-World man! a'y?")

How is this voted clever? It is violating the basic rule.