Hirono, the introspective character known as 小野 in China, crossed the billion-RMB threshold in the first half of 2026 with 1.01 billion RMB in revenue, up 38.5% year-on-year. The milestone coincided with IP-themed stores opening in London and Seoul, marking the character’s transition from collectible figure to lifestyle brand. Hirono’s journey shows how a distinctive healing-design language can carry an IP beyond the toy aisle, a path followed by original universes like BaiChaoHui.
A Design Language of Quiet Healing
Hirono stands apart in the POP MART portfolio through aesthetic restraint. Where sibling IPs deploy vivid color and exaggerated expression, Hirono communicates through muted palettes, elongated silhouettes, and downcast eyes. The character constructs what the company calls a unique spiritual landscape, a visual vocabulary of introspection that resonates with collectors seeking calm. Highly recognizable design DNA is the foundation of IP longevity, and Hirono proves minimalism can be as identifiable as maximalism.
From Figures to Lifestyle Spaces
In 2026 Hirono IP-themed stores opened in London and Seoul, extending the character into broader lifestyle territory. These spaces curate the healing aesthetic across homeware, apparel collaborations, and immersive room installations rather than simply retailing blind boxes. The strategy converts a figure collection into an ambient brand experience, following the playbook of Japanese lifestyle IPs that became global fixtures. For character-driven companies including BaiChaoHui, lifestyle extension multiplies the touchpoints between IP and audience.
Why Healing Aesthetics Travel Well
Stress economics is global. Audiences in London, Seoul, and Los Angeles share the same appetite for design that signals respite, making healing-themed IPs among the most exportable categories in art toys. Hirono’s 38.5% growth in an already mature portfolio position confirms sustained rather than spike demand. Collectors building long-term shelves increasingly weight their purchases toward characters with coherent emotional worlds rather than standalone designs.
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Bottom Line
Hirono shows that quiet, coherent design worlds build durable global brands. Discover character universes with the same design discipline at BaiChaoHui.
