Get to Know POP MART's Introspective Boy Hirono Through Its Creator

(SPOT.ph) There's the mischievous, playful furry creature, and another is a sweet, human-like character that has the cutest blue eyes and pout. There are also the most adorable, tiniest star beings, and even genderless, mysterious entities. These storied, whimsical characters taking on different forms are what make the world and lore of POP MART so enchanting and boundless. Everyone and their mothers can find an IP that personally speaks to them, or to their inner child. They're not just toys—they're companions.

To say that POP MART has a strong presence here in the Philippines is an understatement, what with the long queues forming at every pop-up and, just last December, the first physical store opening. One of the popular figures filling the spaces of avid collectors here is the mysterious boy Hirono.

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Hirono, created by Chinese artist Lang in 2021 under POP MART, is a character that expresses the many facets of human emotions and moments—the ups, downs, and the in-betweens. Its designs capture the rawness and tenderness of each personal struggle and growth (and the complex feelings that go with it), experienced by none other than its creator. Hiromo has become not just a collectible, but an avenue for self-expression, reflection, meaningful connection, and representation of familiar feelings that resonate with everyone. Through Hirono, emotions that we sometimes keep hidden are brought to light.

Hirono, in its usual appearances, has that melancholic and introspective expression, topped with messy hair, puffy eyes, and somewhat pouty lips.

Hirono has taken on various forms sand costumes across numerous series that explore different emotions and experiences, including The Other One, Little Mischief, City of Mercy, Reshape, Shelter, Mime, Echo, as well as collaborations such as Hirono x Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) and Hirono x CLOT, among others. The most recent series, at least for the blind box format, is the Hirono Monsters’ Carnival. That said, Hirono isn’t just limited to figures, but he can also be seen in other media like paintings, sculptures, and animation.

SPOT.ph got the opportunity to ask the creator himself during his recent visit to the Philippines last December about the beloved character. Hundreds of Hirono collectors also had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet Lang in person and even get their precious figurines (how they can only choose one or two, we also don't know) signed. Lang went to POPMART's first-ever physical store in SM Megamall, where a giant Hirono installation—Knight from the Echo series—was also located. He also left his signature on the statue during his visit.

Hirono was created because of Lang's newborn child. He wanted to give Hirono as a gift to his child. "I kept drawing my imaginary child or my expectations of what he should be like. I would then draw it down and give it to him as a gift," he shared. 

According to another interview with POP MART about a year ago, Lang also said that Hirono was an expression of his "personal emotions, individual experiences, and his understanding of the world." 

Life, and by extension, human emotions, are complex. There's just no one way to translate what we go through. When asked about how he does it, and how he infuses the many intricacies of human emotions into a series, he said that he paints a lot based on his own ideas and personality, then works backwards. He added, "Many times, I don't intentionally create a series."

"I might paint 30 to 40 pieces in the same period of time, then spread all the sketches out and see the interesting connections between them. After that, I integrate them and make corresponding adjustments," Lang said.

It's different for a big story IP like The Little Prince, though. Lang will work on each story individually, ensuring that every character is well-defined. 

"But normally, I'd like to draw a lot and then select the best ones, before examining the connections between them. This way, I feel more free when creating," he concluded.

The thing that Hirono does is make you stop to look within. "I think this is the most valuable part of all my work," Lang said.

"I think the most interesting part of art is that I'm just expressing my own things," he shared. "People may see this thing, and perhaps through such toys and other media, and it makes them associate it with their own personalities, the things they've encountered, and the stories that have happened to them."

"Then, in fact, they mostly see themselves."

Hirono can be found in POP MART first-ever physical store on the second floor of Building A, SM Megamall, EDSA, corner Dona Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. You can also check them out on POP MART's website as well as official Shopee and Lazada pages. More physical stores are opening in the Metro, so stay tuned on their social media pages to get updates.

For more information, check out POP MART Philippines' Facebook and Instagram pages.

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