Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yaotome Wins Praise for Spotting Lovebu Early

He Was the First Among STARTO Idols to Spot the Trend

The Chinese-born character “Labubu” has become especially popular in Japan since the start of this year. It is a product sold by the Chinese art toy brand POPMART, and it also drew attention because idols from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT (formerly Johnny & Associates) were seen with it. Amid this Labubu boom, Hikaru Yaotome (34) of Hey! Say! JUMP has become a hot topic, praised for his foresight.

Labubu appears in THE MONSTERS, a picture book created by Hong Kong-born author Kasing Lung, and is one of the playful fairies living in a northern European forest. It is characterized by rabbit-like ears, big eyes, and jagged teeth. In 2019, POPMART commercialized the series, releasing figurines and plush toys.

The character’s popularity spread among Japan’s Generation Z, and in the entertainment world, idols such as Keiichiro Koyama (41) of NEWS, Ryôsuke Yamada (32) of Hey! Say! JUMP, and Tatsuya Fukazawa (33) of Snow Man were seen on social media with Labubu plush toys attached to their personal bags.

“Among them, it’s said that Yaotome was probably the first among STARTO idols to take notice of THE MONSTERSseries. In January last year, he streamed a live broadcast from home on Instagram, proudly showing off a figure from the POPMART THE MONSTERS × Kow Yokoyama Ma.K. collaboration. Toward the end of the broadcast, as if eager to explain to fans, he said things like, ‘This series is all so cute — when you open it, there’s a little bunny inside,’ and ‘It has a vibe similar to the kind of pictures I draw. I think it’s really great,’ while showing it off,” said an entertainment writer.

In addition, when Hey! Say! JUMP released their single “Negative Fighter” in May 2021, Yaotome personally requested the four-member dance and vocal group ATARASHII GAKKO! (Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders) to handle the choreography. That same group went on to achieve a huge breakthrough in 2023, when their song “Otonablue”(originally released as a digital single on May 1, 2020) went viral on TikTok, earning them their first appearance on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen at the end of that year.

Some fans, recalling these moments amid the Labubu boom, have been posting online:

“Hikaru-kun is amazing — he introduced Labubu, which is a big hit now, on his Instagram Live last year!”

“He had ATARASHII GAKKO! choreograph Negative Fighter, and then a few years later Otonablue went viral — Hikaru really has foresight.”

“Between Labubu and ATARASHII GAKKO!, Hikaru’s sense for what’s next is incredible!”

“He owns Labubu figures, he collaborated with ATARASHII GAKKO! — Hikaru’s creative radar is amazing.”

Yaotome, often teased as the airhead of Hey! Say! JUMP—even called “The Main Building of the Silly Squad” on the variety show School Kakumei! (NTV)—actually has strong creative talents. He has written lyrics for the group’s songs and around 2013 designed the group’s original characters “9puu (Jumpuu)”, each representing a member. Skilled in illustration, Yaotome created the designs himself, and the characters were later made into plushies and blankets.

In the past, while appearing on the NHK Radio program Rajira! Saturday, the show’s official X (formerly Twitter) account shared one of his post-broadcast comments:

“I want to post about the things I love on social media and make them go viral myself!” (Posted January 27, 2024)

Yaotome also became the first member of Hey! Say! JUMP to open a personal Instagram account, launching it in June 2023.

If you want to stay ahead of the next big trend, you might want to keep an eye on Hikaru Yaotome’s social media.