WHAT ARE BE@RBRICKS?
The toy collector’s favorite toy
I started collecting Bearbricks in 2015, and the best analogy to describe them to the curious observer is “an oversized LEGO figurine shaped like a bear.” A series of curious questions and comments follow: “but why do you collect them?” “how much are they?” and “aw, this baby-sized one is cute.”
In this post, you will learn everything you need about Bearbricks to understand and appreciate these highly-sought collectibles.
ORIGINS
Restocked 400% version
Medicom Toys (founded by Tatsuhiko Akashi), a toy company in Japan, created the Bearbrick predecessor — “Kubrick” in 2000, in honor of Stanley Kubrick’s film, “A Clockwork Orange” in collaboration with a former LEGO employee (can’t find the name of this employee for the life of me).
“Ku” is of significance as well; it means “nine” in Japanese and is said to speak to the nine parts of the body that move on a Bearbrick. Coincidently, “Bearbrick” has nine letters.
The first Bearbrick was introduced at the Tokyo World Character Convention as a promo gift on May 27, 2001. The figure is what we know today as the 100% model, standing at 70mm.
RELEASES
Pictured is SERIES 45, the latest the launch
The standard Bearbrick is typically released biannually in ‘SERIES’ with 24 tiny (100% size) blind boxes; you won’t know what you get until you open them. The Bearbricks are identifiable by the following themes:
| THEME | RARITY | DESCRIPTION |
| BASIC | 14.58% | There are nine basic figures with letters imprinted on the belly that spell out "Be@rbrick" |
| JELLYBEAN | 11.45% | Transparent Bearbrick, you can observe it's joints |
| PATTERN | 11.45% | A unique pattern overlayed on the whole body |
| FLAG | 9.37% | Features a country flag, usually stamped on the belly |
| HORROR | 9.37% | Figure referencing characters from the horror genre, usually from film |
| SF (Science Fiction) | 10.41% | Figure referencing the science fiction genre, usually from film |
| CUTE | 13.54% | Super kawaii figures |
| ANIMAL | 8.33% | Figure resembles an animal |
| HERO / VILLAIN | 7.29% | Figure of heroes or villains from DC Comics |
| SECRET | 0.52% | Rarer pulls that usually are collaborations with brands or artists |
| Artist | 1.04% - 4.16% | Collaboration with artists |
I recognize the percentages don’t add up to a whole 100%, but this is the best stats available 🥲
SIZING
The more popular sizes collected are the 400% and 1000% (check out GQ’s article with Ben Baller). However, Bearbricks come in other sizes such as the Chogokin, which is 200%.
| NAME | SIZE | ABOUT |
| 50% | 35mm | Normally released in the form of keychains. |
| 70% | 50mm | Originally collectible items alongside other products. Since then, many have adopted this format as a form of lucky charm. In response to this, MediCom toy has produced 70% BE@RBRICKS adorned with auspicious and customizable tags. |
| 100% | 70mm | The most classic and common format. Available in blind boxes. |
| 200% | 145mm | A relatively newer format and are only released in the “Chogokin” Series. These are all constructed of die-cast metal and weigh in at 400g. |
| 400% | 280mm | The second most common format, most collectors buy BE@RBRICKS in 400% form. |
| 1000% | 700mm | The largest regular BE@RBRICK size, the 1000% is normally reserved as collectible statue pieces. |
Credit to Helena Yeung’s article on “A Beginner's Guide To All Things BE@RBRICK”.
THE ADULT COLLECTIBLE TOY
The beauty of Bearbricks is that they symbolize today’s culture, art, fashion, and music. It’s not talked much about, but now that you learned about them, you’ll see them everywhere.
The Bearbrick is the adult’s favorite collectible toy that not everyone will understand. For those who do collect them, it represents our inner child, and we live for the joy of our next unboxing.
