'Jellybean Series: Coffee Bean' by Be@rbrick, 2022
Limited Edition Series 44 figure from Medicom Toy.
100% (2.8 Inches/7.1 Centimeters)
3.5 x 2 Inches (display)
Collectible hydro-dipped vinyl/ABS designer art figure with acrylic cylindrical display case.
Limited Edition (Sold Out).
Very good, original, as-is condition.
ABOUT THE ART
Is it a toy, or is it art? Boasting boundary-breaking collabs with artists, designers and musicians, Medicom’s Bearbrick is in a class of its own. The bear-headed figurine is widely credited with sparking the modern madness for collectible toys, and for good reason: partnerships with creators like KAWS, BAPE and even Karl Lagerfeld have produced some of the most sought-after—and most valuable—toys of all time.
We can thank Medicom’s founder, Tatsuhiko Akashi, for the Bearbrick’s existence. Founded in 1996, Medicom burst onto the collectible scene with the Kubrick, a LEGO-like figurine with savvy pop-cultural tie-ins. Thanks to the Kubrick’s success, Akashi was tapped to create a handout gift for the 2001 World Character Convention in Tokyo, celebrating the 100th birthday of the iconic teddy bear. But the commission posed a logistical challenge for the then-fledgling company, with hundreds more orders than it could rapidly produce from scratch. Luckily, Akashi’s ingenuity carried the day. He cleverly modified Medicom’s flagship toy, replacing the Kubrick’s humanoid head with that of a bear—and the BE@RBRICK was born.
While the original Bearbrick stood 70 mm high, today Bearbrick sizes range from 35 mm (50%) to a whopping 700 mm (1000%). Collecting an entire series is a feat in itself: released only twice a year in limited runs, Bearbricks are sold in randomly distributed “blind boxes,” making the rarest models incredibly hard to come by. The resale market is the surest bet for completionists and hardcore collectors, and resale values for the most coveted toys have risen accordingly.