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On Monday, December 9, the official Instagram page of American artist and designer, KAWS, posted a picture of BTS' j-hope with the latest collection release. KAWS recently rolled out merchandise in celebration of Netflix's Squid Game season 2 premiere.
The merchandise is a reimagination of the Squid Game character Young-hee (the doll in the show), combining it with KAWS' renowned character, COMPANION. Therefore, it has resulted in a series of collectibles and a mask. The collection is scheduled to be released on December 20. Before its official release, BTS' j-hope received the collection as a gift from KAWS.
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Additionally, KAWS partner for the collaboration, AllRightsReserved, posted a video of j-hope opening his gift. Given that the idol is known to be a fan of the artist, many wondered if he would purchase the upcoming collection. However, fans were elated to learn that he was personally gifted these collectibles by KAWS. Some of the fan comments read:
"The way hobi received a YOUNG-HEE mask, aside from the figurine, just like the cast of Netflix Squid Game 2, Oh, j-hope, YOU ARE SPECIAL"
"Yes!!! jhope came home!!! We knew he would have this collection!! The photos were shared by All Rights Reserved! KAWS partnered with Netflix for the Squid Game and recreated the iconic character YOUNG-HEE!!" said a fan on X.
"Hobi really has good relationship with Kaws. I love how happy Hobi is," added another fan.
More fans talked about how they were not only happy to get new content from the BTS member, but also to see him interact with the designer.
"Hearing hobi's voice, and please is this an exclusive get-together with the one and only j-hope???? He was even gifted with a KAWS YOUNG-HEE mask!" commented a netizen.
"Hobi’s love for kaws is very dear to me," stated a fan.
"Ofc hobi got the exclusive KAWS x SG mask from them," added an X user.
All you need to know about BTS' j-hope's recent activities following his military discharge
On October 17, the BTS member j-hope was discharged from his mandatory military service. He enlisted in April 2023. While he entered the military as an assistant drill instructor, he received a promotion midway through his service where he was raised to the rank of a Seargent. During his discharge, his fellow member Jin welcomed him back from the idol's military base.
Following his discharge, the idol has been moderately active in the industry. While he's spent time with his fans through Weverse livestreams, he also attended many social events. Some of them include the Audemars Piguet event in Seoul, the 2024 Korean Series where he threw the first pitch of the second baseball match, etc.
Additionally, he also appeared on the first broadcast of Lee Hyun’s debut radio show, Close Friend with Lee Hyun, which was produced by MBC FM4U. There, he talked about several things such as wanting to start his own TikTok account, shedding light his solo career, and more. Therefore, fans are excited to see what's in store for them from the K-pop idol.
On the other hand, Squid Game season 2 is slated to be released on December 26 on Netflix.
