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Hirono: The Little Boy from China Capturing Hearts Worldwide
Hirono is Pop Mart's most emotionally honest IP — a melancholy little boy by artist Lang, born from loneliness, that became a Gen-Z comfort icon. Series guide, the emotional design, and why collectors feel 'seen'.
Hirono: The Little Boy from China Capturing Hearts Worldwide
Not every designer toy wants to be cute. Some want to be real. That’s Hirono — the tousled-haired little boy with sleepy eyes, freckles, and a guarded posture who refuses to pretend he’s okay. He’s Pop Mart’s most emotionally honest IP, and the reason so many young collectors say they feel “seen” by a vinyl figure.
Created by Chinese artist Lang (宣一朗 / Xuan Yilang), Hirono turned ¥1.74 billion in revenue for Pop Mart in 2025, up 138.8% year-on-year (Pop Mart 2025 Annual Report) — proof that in a market full of grinning mascots, melancholy can be a billion-yuan business. This is his story.
Who Is Lang, the Artist Behind Hirono?
Lang, born 1988 and based in Beijing, is not just an artist — he’s a co-founder of Pop Mart, serving as the company’s Art Director since 2011 alongside founder Wang Ning (Toysez, Pop Mart artist profile). Originally from Luoyang, Henan, he moved to Beijing in pursuit of a design career; after pitching concepts to over 30 companies without success, his college friend Wang Ning invited him to co-found the company (Toysez).
Lang’s career spans painting, sculpture, toys and animation, and his stated philosophy is that designers should convey “the spirit of the times and stay true to themselves” rather than chase trends (Pop Mart artist profile).
Born from Loneliness: The Origins of a “Sad Boy”
Hirono emerged from a deeply personal place. The first drawings date to 2020, timed to Lang’s child being about to be born — he imagined what that new life might look like, and the boy in the sketches gradually absorbed Lang’s own emotions, memories and understanding of the world (Ri-son). Moving to Beijing as a young adult was lonely and hard, and Lang has said the “sad boy” carries the story of that time — the idea that growth continues even when nobody is watching (ENNXO).
The character entered physical figure form via Pop Mart in 2021 with the debut series The Other One — a title that points straight at the hidden, rejected, or imagined self we keep inside. Even a signature prop is autobiographical: the cardboard box Hirono often wears on his head comes from Lang’s childhood habit of wearing a cardboard box (ENNXO).
Why Hirono Works for Gen-Z
Hirono is essentially emotional validation in collectible form. Rather than one fixed mood, his ambiguous face — heavily lidded eyes, small pout, worn details — lets each viewer project their own feeling: loneliness to one person, calm to another, a refusal to perform happiness to a third. Lang says viewers “see themselves through Hirono” (Ri-son).
That dovetails with broader Gen-Z psychology around mental health and the “healing economy.” In a hyper-connected, high-pressure world, a companion that “doesn’t promise things will be okay” — but holds space for feeling deeply — resonates far beyond a cute shelf display. Therapists in Japan and South Korea have even begun using Hirono-style figures as prompts in art-therapy sessions, and the character’s literary bent (he collabs with The Little Prince, Harry Potter, Kodak) cements his identity as the “introspective” IP (Ri-son, KICKOMI).
Series Guide: Reading Hirono as a Diary
Hirono isn’t collected to “complete a set” so much as to follow a story. Each series is a chapter in a single emotional journey:
| Series | Year | Theme / Mood |
|---|---|---|
| The Other One | 2021 | Debut — hidden self, emotional honesty (Ghost, Amnesia, Marionette) |
| Little Mischief | 2022 | Childlike mischief, boundaries, tender rebellion |
| City of Mercy | 2022 | Forgiveness, healing in a flawed world |
| Mime | 2023 | Invisible struggles, silence and self-expression |
| Reshape | 2023 | Breaking down & rebuilding; wound → scar → new form |
| Shelter | 2024 | Refuge — the walls that protect us may also trap us |
| Echo | 2025 | What we carry silently; memory and childhood |
| Monsters’ Carnival | 2025 | A spooky playground; light in the darkest place |
| Tamed Wildgrass | 2026 | Longing for wildness — the “hothouse man” who remembers freedom |
Plus beloved collaborations with Le Petit Prince and Harry Potter, and plush pendants like Road Journal and Dino. Each blind box series holds 12 regular figures + 1 secret at around 1/144 odds (Surprey, lucifer.toy).
Collecting Hirono: Practical Notes
Pricing: Hirono figures run ¥69–99 per blind box in China (about $19.99 internationally; plush pendants ~$29–39). Full sets of a 12-figure series run roughly ¥828–1,000.
Best for first-timers: If you want the classic roots, start with The Other One. If you collect for emotional depth, Echo or Reshape are fan favourites; if you just want a wearable companion, the plush pendants are easy to carry and hug.
How Hirono compares: where SKULLPANDA is dark, fashionable and “arty,” Hirono is quiet, literary and purely emotional. See our Labubu vs. Skullpanda vs. Hirono breakdown to place them side by side — and for authenticity checks before any resale buy, read how to tell authentic Pop Mart from fakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Hirono? Chinese artist Lang (Xuan Yilang), a co-founder and Art Director of Pop Mart. He created the first drawings in 2020 and launched the figure in 2021.
Is Hirono supposed to be sad? Not only sad. Lang intends the character to express the full range of hidden feelings — loneliness, sensitivity, resistance, play, vulnerability and freedom. The face is deliberately open to different readings.
Why do people like Hirono so much? It’s emotional honesty and the “healing economy.” Hirono gives collectors permission to feel deeply without performing happiness — which is why it’s massive with Gen-Z.
Is Hirono still growing? Hirono revenue rose 138.8% in 2025 to ¥1.74B, and it remains one of Pop Mart’s fastest-growers — still second-tier in size to LABUBU and SKULLPANDA, but with strong geographic pockets (e.g., notable influence in the Philippines).
Sources
- Pop Mart 2025 Annual Report — revenue figures
- Pop Mart artist profile: Lang — artist bio & “Hirono” description
- Ri-son: What Is Hirono? Meaning, Story & Series
- ENNXO: Origin & Inspiration of Hirono by LANG
- KICKOMI: Hirono series in order
- Surprey: Hirono backstory & characters
- lucifer.toy: Hirono The Other One & designer LANG
- Toysez: Hirono database & designer