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PPAP-creator Pikotaro is earning more now than what you think

Japanese comedian Pikotaro performing the “pen-pineapple-apple-pen” song at a press conference in Tokyo. (Photo: AP)
Japanese comedian Pikotaro performing the “pen-pineapple-apple-pen” song at a press conference in Tokyo. (Photo: AP)

Unh! Ever since the comical Pikotaro — who dons an iconic yellow outfit with a leopard-print scarf — came up with the catchy Pen Pineapple Apple Pen (PPAP) song, his popularity has skyrocketed.

Apart from moving into the role of a producer, the Japanese comedian also recently had the honour of performing at the official state reception when President Donald Trump visited Japan. He even tied the knot earlier in August this year, with his girlfriend 15 years his junior, whom he has been dating for the last four years.

Despite his success now, Pikotaro was previously known by his other stage name, Daimaou Kosaka. He had been active in the entertainment industry since 1991 as a comedian, DJ and music producer. But his breakthrough only came when he released the PPAP song on YouTube as Pikotaro, a character he created.

When Pikotaro went on a Japanese television programme called “Niketsu” last week, he was asked, “How well did the apple pen thing go?” Although the question meant to ask Pikotaro how many events and performances he was active in (We think it is probably too many to even count!), he sneakily tried to avoid answering by changing the topic.

But the other Japanese artistes on the show were not going to let him off easy and threw him a direct question, “Back to the topic. So, how much are you earning?” With a troubled look, Pikotaro revealed, “It exceeded my past 25 years’ worth of salary.”

The fact that it is more than all he has earned since he entered the industry shocked everyone around him. Also, all of Pikotaro’s performances as of January this year reportedly totalled nearly 400,000!

With 2017 coming to an end, Pikotaro might have already hit the millions for the number of performances he had. The question is, will he be able to sustain his popularity and create songs even more epic than PPAP?

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