Shopping for a Bearbrick collector, or a friend who might become one? Here is how to pick a gift based on their style and budget.

For the Budget-Conscious Gift

A 100% figure is an easy, affordable entry point. Check our current sale section for well-priced options that still make a great first Bearbrick.

For the Design-Focused Collector

If they appreciate a striking finish over a specific character, a chrome piece like the Pink Panther Chrome Bearbrick 1000% makes a strong visual statement on any shelf.

For the Character or Brand Fan

If they already love a specific brand or franchise, look for a Bearbrick tied to it. Pairs like the BE@RBRICK Peko-Chan Fu 100% & 400% Gold set work well as a two-in-one gift.

For the Serious Collector

For someone who already has an established collection, a rarer or larger piece will mean more than another small figure. Browse the full Bearbrick category to find something they likely do not already own.

Still not sure where to start? Our full shop lets you browse everything currently in stock by price and size.

Bearbrick is far from the only designer toy on the market. Here is how it compares to other collectible figures, and what makes it stand out.

A Shared Shape, Not a Shared Character

Many designer toy lines are built around a single mascot character with different outfits or colorways. Bearbrick works differently: the shape is a blank canvas, which is why it can host a fashion house one release and a comic book character the next, as seen with the Coco Chanel Bearbrick 1000% and other collaborations across the line.

Scale Options Most Toys Do Not Offer

Few designer toy lines offer the same size range as Bearbrick, from pocket-sized 100% figures up to 27.5-inch 1000% pieces. That flexibility lets collectors choose based on budget and display space rather than being locked into one size.

A Longer Track Record

Having launched in 2001, Bearbrick has more than two decades of releases behind it, giving it a depth of collaboration history that newer designer toy lines have not had time to build.

New to the space? Our Bearbrick beginner’s guide is a good starting point, and you can browse the full Medicom Bearbrick collection, our full shop, or learn more about us before you buy.

One reason Bearbrick appeals to people who do not think of themselves as toy collectors is its constant crossover with movies, comics, and entertainment brands. Here are a few standouts.

Superheroes in Bearbrick Form

The BE@RBRICK THE BATMAN 100% & 400% set and the BE@RBRICK MARVEL X-MEN 400% Set both translate well-known comic and film characters into the brand’s signature blocky silhouette, giving fans of either franchise a genuinely different way to display their favorite characters.

Lifestyle and Brand Crossovers

Not every pop-culture Bearbrick is tied to a movie. The Gelato Pique Bearbrick pulls from a popular Japanese loungewear brand instead, showing how far the collaboration model extends beyond entertainment franchises.

Why It Works

Because the base Bearbrick shape never changes, these collaborations feel less like generic merchandise and more like a genuine reinterpretation of the source character or brand. That is a big part of why pop-culture Bearbricks tend to attract both existing collectors and first-time buyers.

See what pop-culture crossovers are currently available in the Bearbrick category, or read our full beginner’s guide if this is your first time shopping the line.

Bearbrick has developed a reputation as a collectible that can hold, and sometimes increase, its value over time. Here is a realistic look at Bearbrick as an investment.

What Drives Resale Value

Limited production runs, well-known collaborations, and larger sizes tend to hold value best. A piece like the Coco Chanel Bearbrick 1000%, tied to a major fashion house and produced in a small run, is a good example of the kind of release that tends to appreciate rather than depreciate.

Condition Matters

Original packaging, an intact certificate of authenticity, and undamaged paint all significantly affect resale price. Two identical figures can sell for very different amounts depending on how well they were cared for.

Don’t Buy Purely to Flip

Prices in any collectible market can move in either direction. The safest approach is to buy pieces you genuinely want to own, like the Yue Minjun Bearbrick 1000%, and treat any resale value as a bonus rather than the main reason to buy.

Getting Started

If you are building a collection with an eye toward long-term value, check our sale section for well-priced entry points, browse the full shop, and read more about us on our About Us page.

Some of the most eye-catching Bearbricks are not painted at all, but plated in chrome. Here is why the finish has become a category of its own among collectors.

What Makes Chrome Different

Chrome Bearbricks use a reflective metallic coating instead of standard paint, giving the figure a mirror-like finish that changes with the light around it. Pieces like the Pink Panther Chrome Bearbrick 1000% use this effect to make an already-recognizable character feel entirely new.

Chrome and Milestone Releases

Medicom frequently uses chrome finishes to mark anniversaries and special occasions. The 20th Anniversary 1st Model Chrome Bearbrick 1000% is a direct example, reviving the brand’s original silhouette in a finish that was not available at launch.

Why Collectors Pay a Premium

Chrome plating is more complex and costly to produce than standard paint, which usually means smaller production runs. Combined with the visual impact on a shelf, that scarcity is a big part of why chrome pieces often command higher resale prices than their painted counterparts.

Curious what else is available in this finish? Browse the wider Medicom Bearbrick collection, check our full shop, or start with our beginner’s guide to Bearbrick if you are new to collecting.

A Bearbrick collection is only as good as its condition. A few simple habits will keep your figures looking new for years.

Keep Them Out of Direct Sunlight

Vinyl figures can fade or yellow with prolonged UV exposure. This matters even more for chrome and metallic finishes, like the Pink Panther Chrome Bearbrick 1000%, where surface quality is a big part of the appeal.

Dust Gently, Don’t Scrub

A soft, dry cloth is usually enough. Avoid household cleaners, which can dull paint or damage printed detail, especially on limited or anniversary pieces like the 20th Anniversary Chrome Bearbrick.

Display Behind Glass If You Can

A display case protects against dust, humidity, and accidental bumps, particularly useful for larger and more valuable figures.

Keep the Original Box

Even if you display the figure itself, keeping the original packaging preserves resale value. If you are building out a collection, check our current sale section for well-priced pieces to start with, see our full shop for everything currently in stock, or read our beginner’s guide to Bearbrick if you are just getting started.

The reliable way to avoid a fake Bearbrick is to buy from an authorised Medicom dealer, because every visual check below can be beaten by a good replica. Where you cannot do that — a private sale, a marketplace listing, a figure you already own — the checks that matter most are construction, finish quality, and packaging print, in that order.

This guide is written for the second situation. It covers what a genuine figure is specified to be, which details replicas most often get wrong, and where the limits of visual authentication actually sit.

How do you tell if a Bearbrick is real?

Start with construction, because it is the one thing that is fixed and documented. Every standard Bearbrick is built from nine parts with eight points of articulation — swivel head, swivel waist, ball-jointed arms, swivel wrists and ball-jointed legs — and that specification has not changed since the line launched in 2001.

A figure whose joints sit in the wrong place, whose limbs move in ways the specification does not describe, or whose proportions differ from the standard silhouette is not a Medicom production. This construction standard is documented in the Bearbrick reference entry alongside the official size dimensions.

What do fake Bearbricks usually get wrong?

Finish quality, most often. Replicas can copy a silhouette accurately but struggle to match Medicom’s surface application, and that is where inconsistencies tend to show.

The details worth examining closely:

• Paint against the seam lines. On a genuine figure, printed artwork registers cleanly and does not bleed across the moulded seams. Misregistration — artwork sitting a millimetre off where it should — is a common replica tell.
• Chrome and metallic finish. Genuine chrome editions are even and mirror-like. Replica chrome frequently shows a dull cast, a slight orange-peel texture, or visible spray shadowing around the joints.
• Colour accuracy. Compare against Medicom’s own release photography rather than another seller’s listing. Replicas are often close but not exact, and the difference is most visible in saturated colours.
• Joint feel. Articulation should move with consistent resistance. Joints that are notably loose, gritty, or stiff enough to feel like they might crack point away from genuine production.
• Weight. A genuine figure has a density that replicas using thinner vinyl do not match. This is only useful if you have a known-genuine figure of the same size to compare against.

What should the packaging look like?

Print quality is the fastest packaging check. Medicom’s boxes use crisp text and sharp logo reproduction; replica boxes are frequently reproduced from scans, which softens fine detail and edges.

Look at the smallest text on the box — the copyright block, the licensor credits, the manufacturing information. On a reproduction these are the first elements to go fuzzy or pixelated, because they were never sharp in the source image. Check that the size stated on the box matches the figure inside, and that licensed collaborations carry the correct rights-holder credits. Series figures should arrive in their sealed blind box; a series figure sold loose has no packaging evidence available at all.

Does the box guarantee a Bearbrick is genuine?

No. Packaging is reproducible, and a convincing box around a replica figure is a known pattern. Treat packaging as one signal among several rather than as proof.

The inverse is also true and worth saying: a genuine figure can arrive with a damaged or missing box, particularly on the secondary market. Absent packaging affects value considerably but is not itself evidence that a figure is fake.

Can you authenticate a Bearbrick from photographs?

Only partially, and with real limits. Photographs can reveal obvious problems — wrong proportions, visibly poor finish, clearly reproduced packaging — but they cannot establish that a figure is genuine.

Weight, joint resistance and the exact quality of a chrome surface do not survive photography, and those are precisely the details that separate a good replica from the real thing. Seller-supplied images also carry an obvious problem: they may not be images of the figure you will actually receive. If you are buying at any significant value from an unfamiliar seller, request photographs of the specific item including the box and its printed detail, and treat refusal as an answer.

Where is it safe to buy Bearbricks?

From authorised dealers and established specialist retailers. This is the only approach that removes authentication risk rather than managing it, which is why it is the first line of this guide rather than the last.

On any other channel the risk scales with price and with how desirable the release is: high-value 1000% collaborations attract the most sophisticated replicas, and the figures with the highest recorded sale prices are exactly the ones most worth faking. If you are buying privately, favour sellers with a verifiable history in the category, insist on item-specific photographs, and use a payment method with buyer protection.

What should you do if you think you have bought a fake?

Raise it with the seller and the payment provider quickly, because dispute windows are limited. Keep the packaging and take clear photographs of whatever prompted the concern before doing anything else.

Marketplace and card-payment protections generally cover items that are not as described, but they are time-bound, so acting within days rather than weeks matters. If a seller resists a straightforward request for evidence about a figure’s origin, that itself is informative.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if a Bearbrick is real?

Check construction first — a genuine figure has nine parts and eight articulation points. Then examine finish quality for paint bleeding across seams or uneven chrome, and check the box for soft or pixelated small text. None of these is conclusive on its own; buying from an authorised dealer is.

Do genuine Bearbricks have a serial number?

Standard retail Bearbricks are not individually serial-numbered. Identifying information appears on the packaging rather than as a per-figure serial, which is why packaging print quality carries weight in a visual check.

Are all Bearbricks on marketplaces fake?

No — genuine figures trade on marketplaces constantly. The issue is that authenticity varies by seller and cannot be verified from a listing alone, so risk rises with the value of the figure.

Is a Bearbrick without a box fake?

Not necessarily. Boxes are frequently lost or damaged on the secondary market. Missing packaging reduces value significantly but is not evidence of a replica.

Why are fake Bearbricks so common?

Because editions are limited and rarely reissued, demand for retired figures far exceeds supply, and prices for sought-after releases reach thousands of dollars. That combination is what makes replication profitable.

Buying with certainty

Every figure we sell is an authentic Medicom Toy production. We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns — so if a figure is not what you expected, you are not stuck with it.

Browse the full Bearbrick range, or by size: 100% · 400% · 1000%.

Also worth reading: what a Bearbrick is and how the sizes compare before you buy.

Part of what makes Bearbrick so collectible is the sheer range of brands and artists Medicom has worked with. Here are a few standout collaborations worth knowing about.

Fashion House Crossovers

High fashion and Bearbrick might seem like an unlikely pairing, but pieces like the Coco Chanel Bearbrick 1000%, designed under Karl Lagerfeld’s direction, show how far the collaboration model can stretch. Similarly, the Gelato Pique Bearbrick brings a cozy, loungewear-inspired aesthetic to the same base figure.

Entertainment and Pop Culture

Movie and comic collaborations are some of the most popular releases. The BE@RBRICK THE BATMAN 100% & 400% and the BE@RBRICK MARVEL X-MEN 400% Set both bring recognizable franchises into figure form, appealing to collectors who might not otherwise think of themselves as toy collectors at all.

Why Collaborations Matter

Each collaboration introduces Bearbrick to a new audience while giving existing collectors a reason to keep buying. It is also a major driver of resale value: limited runs tied to a specific brand or artist tend to hold their value better than generic designs.

Want to see what is currently available? Browse the full Medicom Bearbrick collection for the latest collaborations in stock.

Bearbrick sizes are written as percentages of the original figure, not as descriptions of how big they are. A 100% Bearbrick is 7cm tall — roughly the height of a coffee cup — and every other size scales from that baseline. The 400% is 28cm, and the 1000% is 70cm, which is nearly waist height on most adults.

That percentage system is the single most common source of buyer confusion we deal with, and it costs people money. Below is every size Medicom produces, what each one actually looks like in a room, and the four mistakes we see most often on incoming orders.

What are the Bearbrick sizes in cm?

There are six sizes in regular production: 50%, 70%, 100%, 200%, 400% and 1000%. The 100% at 7cm is the reference point, and every other figure is that height multiplied by its percentage.

Medicom has occasionally produced larger one-off pieces for exhibitions and collaborations, but these are not mass-produced and almost never reach the retail market.

These dimensions come from Medicom’s own production standard and are consistent across every release. A 400% Andy Warhol is the same 28cm as a 400% BAPE — only the artwork changes. Sizes are documented on the Bearbrick reference entry, which lists the 100% at seven centimetres and the 1000% at seventy.

What size mistakes do buyers actually make?

Four, and we see all of them regularly. Each one comes from reading the percentage as a description rather than as a multiplier.

1. Expecting 100% to be the biggest. This is the most frequent. “100%” reads like “full size”, so buyers assume it is the flagship. It is the opposite — 100% is the smallest commonly sold figure at 7cm. If you want something with presence on a shelf, 100% is not it.

2. Underestimating the 1000%. Product photography flattens scale badly. A 1000% is 70cm and substantial enough that it changes a room; people order one picturing a shelf ornament and receive something closer to a piece of furniture. Measure the space before you buy, and account for the box on delivery.

3. Not realising a set is two figures. A listing titled “100% & 400%” is a pair — one 7cm figure and one 28cm figure, in the same design, in one box. Buyers frequently read this as a choice between two sizes. It isn’t; you receive both.

4. Misjudging the 400%. At 28cm the 400% sits in an awkward blind spot — some expect a desk ornament, others expect something floor-standing. It is roughly wine-bottle height. For most collectors this is the size that actually works on a shelf, which is why it is the most collected.

Which Bearbrick size should you buy?

For a first figure, buy the 400%. At 28cm it is large enough to read as a display object from across a room, small enough to sit on a normal shelf, and it is the size with the widest choice of designs.

Beyond that, the size follows the intent. Buy a 100% if you are collecting a series or want the matching small figure from a set. Buy a 400% if you want one piece that anchors a shelf. Buy a 1000% if you have floor or plinth space and want the piece to be the focal point of the room — and confirm your measurements first.

The 200% is worth knowing about but hard to plan around: Medicom produces it far less often than the other sizes, so the choice of designs is narrow.

How much space does a 1000% Bearbrick need?

Allow at least 80cm of vertical clearance and a footprint of about 40cm square. The figure itself is 70cm tall, but it needs air around it to look deliberate rather than crammed.

Floor placement works better than shelving for this size. Most domestic shelves are not deep enough, and a figure this heavy sitting on a bracket-mounted shelf is a genuine risk. A low plinth, a sideboard, or the floor beside a media unit are the placements that tend to work.

Are Bearbrick sizes the same across every release?

Yes. The percentage always refers to the same physical dimensions regardless of the artist, the collaboration or the year of release.

What does vary is finish and weight. Chrome and metallic editions feel heavier in the hand than standard vinyl, and some collaborations add non-standard elements — a hat, a base, a light-up component — that change the overall footprint without changing the figure’s core height. Where a release does that, the product listing states it.

Do all Bearbricks have the same construction?

Every standard Bearbrick is built from nine parts with eight points of articulation: a swivel head, swivel waist, ball-jointed arms, swivel wrists and ball-jointed legs. That construction has been consistent since the figure launched.

This matters when you are assessing a figure you have been sent photographs of. The silhouette, the joint placement and the proportions are fixed. A figure whose joints sit in the wrong place, or whose limbs move differently from what is described above, is not a standard Medicom production.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is a 400% Bearbrick?

A 400% Bearbrick is 28cm (11 inches) tall. It is the most collected size and the one most collectors recommend as a first purchase.

How tall is a 1000% Bearbrick?

A 1000% Bearbrick is 70cm (27.5 inches) tall. It is the largest size in regular production and is best displayed on the floor or a low plinth rather than a shelf.

Is 100% the biggest Bearbrick?

No. 100% is the smallest commonly sold size at 7cm. The percentage is a multiplier of that 7cm baseline, so 400% and 1000% are both considerably larger.

What does “100% & 400%” mean in a listing?

It means the box contains two figures in the same design — one 7cm and one 28cm. It is a set, not a choice of size.

Which Bearbrick size holds its value best?

1000% figures produced in the smallest quantities have historically appreciated most on the secondary market, though this varies by release and no appreciation is guaranteed. Size alone does not determine value — edition size and the collaboration do more.

Buying the right size

Every figure we sell lists its size in the product title and its exact dimensions in the description, so you can check before you order. We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns if a figure is not what you expected.

Browse by size: 100% · 400% · 1000% · 200% — or see the full Bearbrick range.

New to these figures? Start with what a Bearbrick actually is, or read how to tell a genuine figure from a replica.