FUTURA x Be@rbrick 'World Wide Tour Series' (2004) Rare 100% Designer Art Figure

'World Wide Tour' by Futura, 2004
Limited Edition figure collab. with Be@rbrick x Medicom Toy.
100% (2.8 Inches/7.1 Centimeters)
Rare, collectible painted vinyl designer art figure.
(This is from the original Be@rbrick World Wide Tour series, released in 2004).
Limited Edition (Sold Out).
Futura 2000 signature printed on figure foot bottom.
Very good, original, as-is condition in ziploc bag.

ARTIST BIO

Futura formerly known as "Futura 2000" is an American graffiti artist. He started to paint illegally on New York's subway in the early seventies, working with other artists such as ALI. In the early eighties he showed with Patti Astor at the Fun Gallery, along with Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton and Kenny Scharf.

Futura painted backdrops live on-stage for British punk rock band The Clash's 1981 European tour. More recently, he is a successful graphic designer and gallery artist. One of the most distinctive features of Futura's work is his abstract approach to graffiti art.

While the primary focus, during the 1980s, of the majority of graffiti artists was lettering, Futura pioneered abstract street art, which has since become more popular. Conversely, his aerosol strokes are regarded as different from those of his peers, as they are as thin as the fine lines achieved only through the use of an airbrush.

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.