The safest Bearbrick gift is a 400% figure tied to something the recipient already cares about — an artist, a brand, or a character. At 28cm it has real presence without needing dedicated floor space, and it is the size with the widest choice of designs.

Below is how to choose by budget, by what the person is actually into, and the two mistakes that make a Bearbrick gift land badly.

What size Bearbrick makes the best gift?

The 400%, at 28cm. It reads as a substantial object, fits on a normal shelf, and does not commit the recipient to rearranging a room.

A 100% at 7cm is a good low-cost gift but can feel slight if it is the main present. A 1000% at 70cm is a serious object that needs floor space — wonderful if you know they have room and want one, awkward if you are guessing. Unless you are certain, 400% is the safe answer.

What should you buy for someone new to Bearbrick?

Something whose subject they already love, rather than something a collector would rate. The design does the work of explaining what the object is.

Character and franchise figures are the easiest entry: Spider-Man, Batman, Evangelion, Care Bears. Someone who has never heard of Medicom will immediately understand a figure of a character they like, and can discover the wider collecting world afterwards.

What about someone who already collects?

Harder, because they probably own the obvious things. Go for an artist edition or a collaboration in a size they are less likely to have, and check what they own first if you possibly can.

Artist editions — Warhol, Basquiat, Sorayama — carry weight with established collectors because they are the releases that hold value. If they collect a specific brand, BAPE, CLOT and Fragment are the names they will be tracking.

What is a good Bearbrick gift on a smaller budget?

A 100% figure, or a 100% & 400% set if the budget stretches. Sets give two figures in one design and present better than a single small figure.

Check the sale section for reduced pieces — discounting on a limited collectible generally reflects stock levels rather than desirability, so a sale figure is not a lesser gift.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Two, and both come from misreading the sizing. Buyers routinely order the wrong size because the percentage sounds like a description.

Assuming 100% means full size. It is the smallest commonly sold figure at 7cm. If you want the gift to have presence, 100% is not it.

Not realising a set is two figures. A listing reading “100% & 400%” contains both — a 7cm and a 28cm figure in one box. That is a feature for a gift, but only if you know it before you buy. The size guide covers both in detail.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Bearbrick for a beginner?

A 400% figure of a character, artist or brand they already like. At 28cm it has presence without needing dedicated space, and the subject makes the object self-explanatory.

How much does a Bearbrick gift cost?

100% figures generally sell in the tens of dollars, 400% figures in the low hundreds, and 1000% figures from several hundred dollars upward.

Are Bearbricks suitable for children?

No. They are produced and sold as collectible art objects, not children’s toys, and small figures and detachable parts make them unsuitable for young children.

Can you gift a Bearbrick to someone who already collects?

Yes, but check what they own. Artist editions and limited collaborations carry the most weight with established collectors.

How long does delivery take?

We ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days. Order with time in hand for a dated occasion.

Find a gift

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns — so a gift that misses can be sent back.

Browse by size: 100% · 400% · 1000%. Or the full range and the sale section.

The difference between Bearbrick and most designer toy lines is that Bearbrick is not a character. KAWS’s Companion, Kidrobot’s Dunny, Popmart’s Labubu and Molly all have a face and an identity. A Bearbrick has a neutral silhouette whose entire purpose is to carry someone else’s artwork.

That single structural difference explains most of what follows: the collaboration model, the size range, and why a shelf of Bearbricks reads as one collection rather than a set of unrelated purchases.

What makes Bearbrick different from other designer toys?

It is a canvas rather than a character. Most collectible figure lines are built around a mascot that appears in different outfits and colourways; Bearbrick keeps one fixed form and changes only what is printed on it.

The consequence is that Bearbrick can host things that would look absurd on a character toy. A Chanel collaboration, a Van Gogh painting and a Spider-Man costume can all occupy the same silhouette without any of them looking like a compromise, because the form was never anyone’s in the first place.

How does Bearbrick compare to KAWS?

KAWS Companion is a single artist’s creation with a defined identity; Bearbrick is a platform many artists use, including KAWS himself.

The two are not really competitors so much as different propositions. A KAWS figure is a work by KAWS. A Bearbrick is a Medicom object carrying a collaborator’s artwork — and KAWS has produced Bearbricks, with the Chomper and OriginalFake anniversary editions appearing among the highest recorded Bearbrick sales. Owning a KAWS Bearbrick and a KAWS Companion are genuinely different purchases.

How does Bearbrick compare to Popmart, Labubu and blind-box lines?

Both use the blind-box format, but Bearbrick’s blind boxes are one part of a range that also includes large standalone display pieces, and its collaborations reach further into art and fashion.

Popmart-style lines are built on character IP and a lower price point, with the collecting mechanic centred on completing sets. Bearbrick runs numbered series on the same principle at 100%, but the centre of gravity for most collectors is the standalone 400% and 1000% collaborations, which are bought individually and deliberately.

Does any other designer toy offer the same size range?

Few do. Bearbrick spans 4cm keychains to a 70cm floor piece, all in the same silhouette, which is unusual in the category.

That range lets the same design work as a pocket object or a room centrepiece, and it lets collectors buy according to budget and available space rather than being locked into whatever size the line offers. The size guide sets out every size with real measurements.

Which designer toy holds value best?

Across the category, value tracks edition size and the strength of the name attached — not the line itself. That is true of Bearbrick, KAWS and everything else.

Bearbrick’s advantage is a long documented sales record: it launched in 2001, so there are two decades of secondary-market history to look at rather than a few years. The highest recorded sale is the Chanel 1000% at $30,000, and the top ten sales are all limited 1000% collaborations. The same logic applies elsewhere in the category, as covered in Bearbrick as an investment.

Should you collect Bearbrick or something else?

Collect Bearbrick if you want variety within a consistent form, and something character-led if you want to follow one artist’s vision.

It is a genuine preference rather than a ranking. Some collectors find the fixed silhouette liberating — fifty different artworks, one shelf, visual coherence. Others find it limiting and prefer figures with their own identity. Neither is the better hobby, and plenty of people collect both.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Bearbrick and KAWS?

KAWS Companion is an artist’s own character. Bearbrick is a fixed neutral form that many artists apply work to — including KAWS, who has produced several Bearbrick editions.

Is Bearbrick the most popular designer toy?

It is among the most established, having launched in 2001 with a collaboration catalogue running into the thousands. Popularity varies by market and by year.

What is the difference between Bearbrick and Kubrick?

Kubrick is Medicom’s earlier blocky human-figure line. Bearbrick uses the same design language with a bear head, and has since become far more popular than the line it came from.

Are Bearbricks better quality than other vinyl figures?

Construction is consistent and documented — nine parts, eight points of articulation, unchanged since 2001. Quality across the category varies more by manufacturer than by line.

Can you collect Bearbrick and other designer toys together?

Many collectors do. The fixed Bearbrick silhouette actually sits well alongside character-led figures, because it provides visual consistency between them.

Start with Bearbrick

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns.

Browse the full range or by size: 100% · 400% · 1000%. New here? Read what a Bearbrick is.

Pop-culture Bearbricks are the entry point for most collectors, because they need no explanation. Someone who has never heard of Medicom Toy immediately understands a figure of a character they already like — and that is how a large share of the collector base arrives.

These releases span Marvel and DC, Japanese animation, cartoons, music and long-running mascot licences. Here is what exists and why the format works as well as it does.

What pop-culture Bearbricks are there?

Comics, film, animation, cartoons and brand mascots. The licensed catalogue is the widest part of the Bearbrick range and generally the most affordable, because print runs are larger than artist editions.

Marvel is well represented through Spider-Man, covering the Integrated Suit and Black Costume figures alongside the Into the Spider-Verse releases for Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen and Scarlet Spider. DC appears through Batman, including the Batman: Hush editions. Japanese animation is anchored by Evangelion, and there are long-running cartoon licences including Tom & Jerry, The Simpsons, Astro Boy and Care Bears.

Why does the Bearbrick format suit pop culture?

Because the silhouette never changes, a licensed release reads as an interpretation rather than as merchandise. The character has to be reduced to colour, pattern and a few printed details on a fixed form.

That constraint is what separates a Bearbrick from a standard action figure. A conventional figure tries to look like the character; a Bearbrick translates the character into a shared visual language. The result sits on a shelf next to a Warhol edition and a BAPE camo without looking out of place, which a licensed action figure never manages.

Are pop-culture Bearbricks worth collecting?

As objects, yes. As appreciating assets, less reliably than artist or luxury collaborations, because licensed runs tend to be larger.

That is a reason to buy them for the right motive rather than a reason to avoid them. A licensed figure of a character you love is a good purchase at retail. If you are buying with resale in mind, edition size matters more than the licence — covered in the guide to Bearbrick as an investment.

Which pop-culture figures are most sought after?

Those where the licence is limited or the release was tied to an event. Scarcity does the work, not the popularity of the character.

A widely produced figure of a very famous character will be easy to find and priced accordingly. A short-run release of a secondary character from the same franchise can be considerably harder to get. Among recorded high-value sales, the Readymade × Mickey Mouse 1000% is the clearest example of a character licence reaching the top tier — and it did so through a fashion collaboration, not on the character alone.

Do brand mascots count as pop culture?

They are one of the strongest categories in Japan, and often overlooked outside it. Peko-chan, the mascot of confectioner Fujiya, has one of the longest collaboration runs of any licence.

Releases such as the Milky and Enamel Sign editions carry decades of Japanese cultural familiarity that does not translate automatically to a Western audience — which is exactly why they are worth knowing about. Lifestyle brands work similarly, as with the Gelato Pique loungewear collaboration.

Frequently asked questions

What pop-culture Bearbricks are available?

Marvel and DC characters including Spider-Man and Batman, Japanese animation such as Evangelion and Astro Boy, cartoon licences including Tom & Jerry and Care Bears, and brand mascots such as Peko-chan.

Are licensed Bearbricks cheaper than artist editions?

Generally yes, because licensed print runs are larger. Artist and luxury-brand collaborations are produced in smaller quantities and priced accordingly.

Is there a Star Wars Bearbrick?

Medicom has produced Star Wars releases as part of its licensed output. Availability varies by release, since editions are limited and rarely reissued.

Which size do pop-culture Bearbricks come in?

Most licensed designs appear as 100% & 400% sets or standalone 400% figures, with selected releases produced at 1000%.

Do pop-culture Bearbricks hold value?

Some do, but edition size matters more than the licence. Short-run and event-tied releases hold value better than widely produced ones.

Browse pop-culture figures

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns.

Spider-Man · Batman · Evangelion · Care Bears · Peko-chan — or the full Bearbrick range.

Some Bearbricks appreciate substantially and most do not. The honest position is that the figures with documented resale gains are a small, identifiable subset — limited-run 1000% collaborations — and the rest of the catalogue behaves like ordinary retail product.

This guide sets out what actually drives value, what the realistic downside looks like, and why “buy what you want to own” is not a platitude but the only strategy that survives a soft market.

Do Bearbricks hold their value?

A minority do, strongly. The majority track retail or fall below it once initial demand passes.

The figures that appreciate share two characteristics: a small production run, and a collaboration that cannot be repeated. Remove either and the effect largely disappears. A widely produced 400% from a large run is unlikely to move much in either direction; a limited 1000% artist collaboration that sold out at retail is where the documented gains sit.

What makes a Bearbrick increase in value?

Edition size first, the strength of the collaboration second. Everything else adjusts the price rather than setting it.

• Production run. The dominant factor. Figures made in the hundreds behave nothing like figures made in the tens of thousands.
• The collaborator. Names that carry demand from outside the Bearbrick market — Warhol, Sorayama, KAWS, Chanel, BAPE — widen the pool of buyers.
• Whether it can be reissued. Medicom rarely re-releases, and an anniversary or event-tied figure cannot be reissued at all.
• Size. 1000% figures are produced in the smallest quantities, which is why nine of the ten highest recorded sales are that size.
• Condition and packaging. Sealed with the original box is the benchmark; an opened figure without packaging can lose a large share of its value.

How much do the top Bearbricks actually sell for?

The record is the Chanel 1000% at $30,000 through Christie’s in November 2019. The next nine highest recorded sales fall between $12,000 and $20,799.

Those figures are individual recorded transactions, not standing market values, and most date from 2021–22. The full ranked list with sources is in the guide to the most expensive Bearbricks ever sold. Treat them as the extreme tail of the distribution, not as a typical outcome.

What are the risks of buying Bearbricks as an investment?

Illiquidity, fees, volatility and authentication risk — in roughly that order of practical importance.

Selling requires finding a buyer, and marketplace fees take a meaningful share of any gain. Collectibles pricing is sentiment-driven and can fall as fast as it rises. And at higher values, replicas become a genuine problem: buying an expensive figure from an unfamiliar seller carries a real chance of buying nothing of value at all, which is why the authenticity guide matters more as the price rises.

None of this is financial advice, and past sale prices are not an indication of future value. If you would be materially worse off should a figure lose half its value, it is not an investment you should be making.

Is buying to flip a good idea?

It is the approach most likely to disappoint. Flipping requires correctly predicting which releases will be scarce and desirable, competing with buyers who do this full time, and absorbing fees on the way out.

The collectors who do best over long periods are generally the ones who bought figures they wanted on their shelf, held them because they liked them, and treated appreciation as an accident. That approach has a floor: even if the market softens, you still own something you wanted.

How should you buy if value matters to you?

Buy sealed, keep the box, buy from an authorised source, and favour limited collaborations in larger sizes over common releases.

Provenance is the part people underweight. A figure with no verifiable origin is difficult to resell at the top of the market regardless of its condition, because the next buyer faces the same authentication problem you did. Buying from an authorised dealer removes that from the equation for whoever you eventually sell to.

Frequently asked questions

Are Bearbricks a good investment?

A small subset — limited-run 1000% collaborations — has appreciated substantially. Most Bearbricks do not appreciate meaningfully, and some sell below retail. Buy figures you want to own rather than treating the category as an asset class.

Which Bearbricks appreciate the most?

1000% figures from small production runs tied to unrepeatable collaborations, particularly artist editions and luxury-brand partnerships.

Does keeping the box matter for value?

Substantially. Sealed figures with original packaging command a clear premium, and an opened figure without its box can be worth considerably less.

Do Bearbricks ever lose value?

Yes. Widely produced releases frequently trade at or below retail once initial demand passes, and collectibles markets move in both directions.

Is it better to buy 400% or 1000% for value?

1000% figures have produced the documented high-value sales because they are made in smaller quantities. They also cost considerably more up front and need real display space.

Browse the collection

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns — so provenance is settled before you buy.

Browse 1000% and 400% figures, or the full range. Also worth reading: the most expensive Bearbricks and the collaborations that drive value.

Chrome Bearbricks are plated rather than painted, giving a mirror finish that changes with the light around it. The plating process is more complex and costly than standard paint, which usually means shorter production runs — and that scarcity is why chrome figures often resell above their painted equivalents.

This covers what the finish actually is, why Medicom reserves it for milestone releases, and what owning one means for display and care.

What is a chrome Bearbrick?

A figure finished with a reflective metallic plating instead of conventional paint. The surface behaves like a mirror, so the figure picks up the colours of whatever is around it rather than presenting one fixed colour.

The underlying figure is unchanged — the same nine parts and eight points of articulation as any standard BE@RBRICK. Only the surface treatment differs, which is exactly why the effect is so pronounced: a familiar silhouette in an unfamiliar material.

Why does Medicom use chrome for special releases?

Because the finish signals significance without changing the design. It lets Medicom revisit an existing figure — an original silhouette, a well-known character — and make it new without altering the artwork.

The 20th Anniversary 1st Model Chrome 1000% is the clearest case: the 2001 original reissued in a finish that did not exist for it at launch. Character releases work the same way, as with the Pink Panther Chrome 1000% and the Astro Boy chrome editions, where a recognisable figure gains an entirely different physical presence.

Are chrome Bearbricks worth more?

Often, yes — but the driver is edition size rather than the finish itself. Chrome plating constrains production, and shorter runs are what create secondary-market scarcity.

Chrome figures appear repeatedly among high-value sales, particularly Sorayama’s chrome collaborations, which sit among the highest recorded Bearbrick prices. That said, a widely produced chrome figure will not outperform a rare painted one; the finish correlates with scarcity rather than causing value. The full picture is in the guide to Bearbrick as an investment.

Do chrome Bearbricks damage easily?

They show handling more readily than painted figures. Fingerprints, dust and fine surface marks are all more visible on a mirror surface, and plating cannot be touched up the way paint can.

This is the practical trade-off. A chrome figure looks more striking on a shelf and is less forgiving of careless handling. Handle it by the body rather than the limbs, keep it out of direct sunlight, and dust with a soft dry cloth only — never a household cleaner. The care and display guide covers this in full.

How should you display a chrome Bearbrick?

Under even, indirect light, and behind glass if you can. A mirror finish reflects its surroundings, so what sits opposite the figure matters as much as the figure itself.

Direct spotlighting tends to blow out the surface into a single bright patch and loses the detail. Diffuse light from more than one direction reads better. For a 1000% chrome figure, floor or plinth placement with clear space around it works better than a crowded shelf, because the reflections need somewhere to go.

Frequently asked questions

What is a chrome Bearbrick?

A BE@RBRICK finished in reflective metallic plating rather than paint, giving a mirror surface. The figure underneath is the standard nine-part construction.

Why are chrome Bearbricks more expensive?

Chrome plating is more complex and costly to produce than paint, so runs tend to be shorter. The smaller edition size, more than the finish itself, is what drives the higher price.

Do chrome Bearbricks scratch?

The plating shows fingerprints and fine marks more readily than paint, and cannot be touched up. Handle by the body, dust with a soft dry cloth, and avoid cleaning products.

Is chrome available in every size?

Chrome releases appear across 100%, 400% and 1000%, but not every design is produced in every size. Availability depends on the individual release.

How can you tell real chrome from a replica?

Genuine chrome is even and mirror-like. Replica plating frequently shows a dull cast, a slight orange-peel texture, or spray shadowing around the joints — see the authentication guide.

Browse chrome and metallic figures

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns.

Browse the full Bearbrick range or by size: 400% · 1000%. Chrome collaborations appear across Sorayama, CLOT and BAPE.

Vinyl figures need very little maintenance, but the two things that ruin them — UV exposure and cleaning products — are both avoidable and both irreversible. Sunlight yellows vinyl and fades print; household cleaners dull paint and lift printed detail.

Everything else is straightforward. Here is what actually matters for keeping a collection in the condition you bought it.

How do you clean a Bearbrick?

A soft, dry cloth, and nothing else. Microfibre works well. Wipe with light pressure, following the surface rather than scrubbing at a mark.

Avoid household cleaners, alcohol wipes, polish and anything abrasive. Printed artwork on a BE@RBRICK sits on the surface, not under a protective layer, so a solvent that would be harmless on a plastic shelf can lift the print permanently. If a mark will not come away with a dry cloth, a barely damp cloth with plain water, dried immediately, is as far as it is worth going.

Does sunlight damage Bearbricks?

Yes, and it is the most common cause of avoidable damage. Prolonged UV exposure yellows vinyl and fades printed colour, and neither is reversible.

White and pale figures show yellowing first and worst. Chrome and metallic finishes are also vulnerable, because surface quality is the entire appeal — a dulled chrome figure has lost the thing that made it worth buying. Keep figures away from windowsills and out of any position that gets direct sun for part of the day, even briefly.

Should you display Bearbricks in or out of the box?

It depends on whether you are optimising for enjoyment or resale. Sealed in box preserves maximum value; displayed out of box is why most people buy them.

There is a middle path most collectors settle on: display the figure and keep the box flat in storage. That preserves most of the resale premium — which attaches to having the original packaging, not to the figure never having left it — while letting you actually look at what you bought.

How should you display a Bearbrick?

Behind glass where possible, under indirect light, with the weight properly supported. A display case handles dust, humidity and accidental knocks in one move.

Size changes the calculation. A 100% figure sits anywhere. A 400% at 28cm needs a shelf with real depth. A 1000% at 70cm and roughly 12kg should not go on a bracket-mounted shelf at all — floor, plinth or sideboard. The size guide has the clearance figures.

How do you store a Bearbrick long term?

Somewhere with stable temperature and low humidity, out of the light, and not under pressure from anything stacked on top.

Lofts and garages are the usual mistakes: both cycle through temperature extremes that stress vinyl and warp packaging. An interior cupboard is better than either. Store boxes flat rather than on edge, and avoid sealed plastic bags, which can trap moisture against the figure.

What about dust on articulated joints?

Dust settles in the joint seams first because they are recessed. A soft brush — a clean makeup or paint brush — lifts it out without pressing it further in.

Do not work the joints repeatedly to clear dust. The eight points of articulation are designed for occasional positioning, not regular movement, and repeated cycling loosens them over time. Position the figure once and leave it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you clean a Bearbrick?

With a soft dry cloth only. Avoid household cleaners, alcohol and abrasives, which can dull paint and lift printed artwork permanently.

Will sunlight fade a Bearbrick?

Yes. Prolonged UV exposure yellows vinyl and fades print, and the damage cannot be reversed. Keep figures out of direct sunlight.

Should I keep the Bearbrick box?

Yes. Original packaging carries a clear resale premium. Most collectors display the figure and store the box flat, which preserves most of that value.

Can you display a 1000% Bearbrick on a shelf?

Not on a bracket-mounted one. At 70cm and around 12kg it needs floor, plinth or sideboard placement with roughly 80cm of vertical clearance.

How do you clean a chrome Bearbrick?

Dry cloth only, and handle by the body rather than the limbs. Chrome plating shows fingerprints readily and cannot be touched up — see the chrome guide.

Build your collection

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns. Figures arrive in their original packaging.

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

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.

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.

Size	Height	In inches	What it compares to	How it’s usually sold
50%	4 cm	1.6″	A house key	Keychains, sold in sets
70%	5 cm	2.0″	A matchbox	Event and promotional releases
100%	7 cm	2.75″	A coffee cup	Blind boxes, or paired with a 400%
200%	14.5 cm	5.7″	A soda can	Uncommon; produced rarely
400%	28 cm	11″	A wine bottle	Standalone, or as a 100% + 400% set
1000%	70 cm	27.5″	A bar stool seat	Standalone, limited runs

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.

Bearbrick collaborations fall into three groups that behave very differently: artist editions, fashion and streetwear, and entertainment licences. Knowing which group a figure belongs to tells you most of what you need to know about its scarcity and its resale behaviour.

This is a guide to the collaborations worth knowing, organised by those three groups, with the figures we currently stock in each.

What are the most important Bearbrick artist collaborations?

The Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat editions, and Hajime Sorayama’s chrome work. These are the releases that put museum-grade names on a $200–900 object, and they consistently appear among the highest recorded resale prices.

The Warhol figures include the “SPECIAL” editions and the Muhammad Ali design, and several releases pair Warhol with Basquiat as numbered joint editions rather than a single design. Sorayama’s chrome collaborations, including work with Daniel Arsham, are among the most valuable figures Medicom has produced.

Keith Haring and Van Gogh Museum editions belong to the same category: recognisable artwork applied to a neutral form, bought by people who are as interested in the art as the toy.

Which fashion and streetwear brands have made Bearbricks?

BAPE has the longest-running relationship of any brand, and Fragment Design and CLOT are the other two names collectors track most closely.

A Bathing Ape collaborations cover the ABC camo patterns, Baby Milo editions, and joint releases with NEIGHBORHOOD, READYMADE and Levi’s. CLOT, Edison Chen’s Hong Kong label, produced the 3125C 3-Eyed Mickey and Panda figures. Fragment Design, Hiroshi Fujiwara’s label, is behind the World Wide Tour series.

The luxury end is thinner but sets the ceiling: the Chanel 1000%, produced under Karl Lagerfeld’s direction, holds the record at $30,000. That figure and the other top sales are covered in the guide to the most expensive Bearbricks.

What entertainment and character collaborations exist?

Marvel, DC, Japanese animation and long-running mascot licences. These are the widest-reaching group and usually the most affordable, because print runs are larger.

Current categories include Spider-Man — covering the Integrated Suit, Black Costume and Into the Spider-Verse figures for Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Scarlet Spider and Ben Reilly — and Batman, including the Batman: Hush editions. Evangelion covers the Unit designs, and Care Bears includes the Rainbow Heart Bear sets.

Peko-chan, the mascot of Japanese confectioner Fujiya, has one of the longest collaboration runs of any licence, spanning the Milky and Enamel Sign editions.

Why do collaborations drive Bearbrick value?

Because they bring demand from outside the Bearbrick market. A Warhol edition competes for art buyers; a BAPE edition competes for streetwear buyers. Neither group would otherwise be bidding on a vinyl bear.

The second reason is that a collaboration is definitionally unrepeatable. Medicom rarely reissues, and a figure tied to a specific partnership, anniversary or event cannot be reissued even in principle. That certainty is what supports secondary prices — covered in more depth in the guide to Bearbrick as an investment.

Which collaboration should you buy first?

Buy the one whose source material you actually care about. Collaboration value tracks the strength of the partnership, but enjoyment tracks whether you want to look at it every day.

If you have no strong preference, the 400% size gives the widest choice across all three groups at the most manageable price point. Artist editions tend to hold value best; entertainment licences are the easiest entry.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous Bearbrick collaboration?

The Chanel 1000%, designed under Karl Lagerfeld’s direction, which sold for $30,000 at Christie’s in 2019 and remains the highest recorded Bearbrick sale.

Which artists have made Bearbricks?

Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Hajime Sorayama, Daniel Arsham and KAWS are among the most collected, alongside museum collaborations such as the Van Gogh Museum editions.

Has BAPE made Bearbricks?

Yes — A Bathing Ape has one of the longest-running collaborations with Medicom, covering ABC camo, Baby Milo, and joint releases with NEIGHBORHOOD, READYMADE and Levi’s.

Are collaboration Bearbricks worth more?

Generally yes, because they carry demand from outside the Bearbrick market and cannot be reissued. Edition size still matters more than the collaboration alone.

How often does Medicom release new collaborations?

Continuously, alongside the two numbered series released each year. Collaboration figures are usually standalone 400% or 1000% releases rather than part of a series.

Browse current collaborations

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns.

Artists: Warhol · Basquiat · Sorayama. Brands: BAPE · CLOT · Fragment. Characters: Spider-Man · Batman · Evangelion · Peko-chan · Care Bears.

Bearbrick launched on 27 May 2001, given away free to visitors at World Character Convention 12 in Tokyo. In the two decades since, Medicom Toy has turned a deliberately blank bear silhouette into one of the most collected objects in contemporary design.

This is how that happened — the origin in Medicom’s earlier Kubrick line, the collaboration model that made the figure a canvas rather than a character, and where the line sits today.

When was the first Bearbrick released?

On 27 May 2001, as a giveaway at World Character Convention 12 in Tokyo. It was not sold at retail, which is part of why original first-model figures are now difficult to find.

The launch date and venue are documented in the Bearbrick reference entry. Medicom Toy Incorporated, based in Tokyo, has produced the line continuously since.

Where did the Bearbrick design come from?

From Kubrick, Medicom’s earlier line of blocky, LEGO-influenced human figures. Bearbrick kept the same design language and articulation but replaced the human head with a bear head — and the name is simply “bear” plus “brick”.

The decision that mattered was leaving the surface blank. A figure with its own face and costume is a character; a figure with a neutral silhouette is a canvas. That choice is why the same object can carry a Warhol painting one season and a comic-book character the next, and why the line outgrew the one it came from.

What made Bearbrick successful?

The collaboration model. Rather than inventing characters, Medicom licensed the form out to artists, fashion houses and entertainment brands, so each release brought a new audience to the same object.

That compounding is the whole story. A collector who arrived for BAPE discovers the Warhol editions; someone who bought a Spider-Man figure finds Sorayama. Because the shape never changes, those unrelated purchases still read as one collection on a shelf.

How does the series system work?

Medicom releases numbered series roughly twice a year, sold in blind boxes, with a fixed set of themed categories that recur from series to series.

The recurring themes include Basic, Jellybean, Pattern, Flag, Horror, SF, Cute, Animal, Artist and Hero. Each appears at a different frequency within a case, creating the rarity ladder — Basic figures are common, and the second Artist figure is the scarcest. All editions are limited and re-releases are rare, as Artoyz sets out in its overview of the series system. Series figures are almost always 100%; the larger sizes are standalone releases.

What are anniversary and chrome editions?

Milestone releases where Medicom revisits its own history, usually in a finish that was not available originally. The 20th Anniversary 1st Model Chrome 1000% is the clearest example — the original silhouette, reissued in mirror chrome two decades later.

These matter to collectors because they are self-referential: the value is in the reference to the 2001 original, not in a licensed character. Chrome plating also carries a production constraint that keeps runs short, which is covered in the guide to chrome and metallic finishes.

How has the size range changed?

The 100% at 7cm has been the reference point throughout. What expanded was the range around it — up to the 70cm 1000% and down to 50% keychains.

The percentage has always been a multiplier of that original 7cm figure rather than a description of size, which is the single most persistent source of confusion for new buyers. The size guide sets out every size with real measurements.

Where does Bearbrick stand today?

Thousands of releases deep, with an established secondary market and auction-house presence. The highest recorded sale is the Chanel 1000% at $30,000 through Christie’s in 2019.

The line now spans genuine art collaborations, streetwear, and licensed entertainment, and the collector base splits along those lines rather than behaving as one market. What has not changed in twenty-four years is the object itself: nine parts, eight points of articulation, and a blank surface waiting for artwork.

Frequently asked questions

When was Bearbrick created?

The first Bearbrick was released on 27 May 2001 as a free giveaway at World Character Convention 12 in Tokyo, produced by Medicom Toy.

Who invented Bearbrick?

Medicom Toy Incorporated, a Japanese collectibles company based in Tokyo. The design evolved from the company’s earlier Kubrick figure line.

What was the first Bearbrick?

The original 2001 first-model figure, distributed free at World Character Convention 12 rather than sold at retail. Medicom has since revisited it in anniversary editions.

Why is it called Bearbrick?

It combines “bear” with “brick”, reflecting both the bear head and the blocky, brick-like construction inherited from Medicom’s Kubrick line.

How many Bearbricks have been made?

Medicom has produced thousands of distinct releases since 2001 across numbered series, collaborations and standalone editions. There is no official total, and editions are rarely reissued.

Start collecting

We are an authorised Medicom dealer and ship from Japan, typically arriving in 7–14 days, with 90-day returns. Browse the full Bearbrick range, or by size: 100% · 400% · 1000%.

New here? Start with what a Bearbrick is, then the size guide.