Which Japanese artist created the sculpture used in the Momo Challenge hoax?

Japanese artist Keisuke Aiso created the sculpture used in the Momo Challenge hoax.

The unsettling figure was not originally designed as an internet challenge. It was a sculpture displayed publicly in 2016, with exaggerated features including bulging eyes, a wide toothy mouth, and long hair. Photographs of the work later circulated online and became attached to frightening claims about a supposed social-media account called “Momo.”

Early reports incorrectly attributed the image to Japanese artist Midori Hayashi. The sculpture was instead linked to Link Factory, a Japanese special-effects company, and Aiso was identified as its original creator. That attribution is why the answer is more specific than simply naming a company associated with the work.

The Momo Challenge itself was widely treated by experts and authorities as an internet hoax or moral panic. Many reports alleged that children were being pressured into dangerous tasks, but documented evidence of a coordinated worldwide challenge was limited. Aiso said in March 2019 that the sculpture had been discarded in 2018 after its natural rubber and plant oils decomposed.