Be@rbrick

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Be@rbrick

Be@rbrick is a collectible

Collectible

Toy

A toy is an object used in Play . Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non-Domesticationated animals to play with toys....
designed and produced by MediCom Toy Incorporated. The name is derived from the fact that the figure is a cartoon

Cartoon

The word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time.The original meaning was in fine art, and there cartoon meant a preparatory drawing for a piece of art such as a painting or tapestry....
-style representation of a bear

Bear

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives....
, and that it is a variation of MediCom's Kubrick design. The at sign

At sign

The typographic character @, also known as the at sign is an abbreviation of the word 'at' which evolved from the phrase "at the rate of" in accounting and commercial invoices, e.g....
in the place of the letter a is a visual device that is a part of the Be@rbrick brand

Brand management

Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product , product line, or brand. It seeks to increase the product's perceived value to the customer and thereby increase brand franchise and brand equity....
, and as such, a trademark

TradeMark

TradeMark is a tall, primarily residential, skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was completed in 2007 and has 28 floors. There are 200 hundred residential units....
of MediCom Toy.

The figure is an anthropomorphized

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts....
bear with an extremely simplified form and a pot belly.

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Encyclopedia

Be@rbrick is a collectible

Collectible

Toy

Cartoon

Bear

At sign

Brand management

TradeMark

Anthropomorphism

Plastic

Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic chemistry solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products....
figure features nine parts (widely referred to as tools in the toy industry): head

Head

In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilateria do....
, torso

Torso

Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk....
, hips, arm

Arm

In anatomy, an arm is one of the upper limbs of an animal. The term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired upper limbs of a four-legged animal, or the cephalopod arm....
s, hand

Hand

The hands are the two intricate, prehensile, multi-fingered body parts normally located at the end of each arm of a human or other primate. They are the chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, using anywhere from the roughest motor skills to the finest , and since the fingertips contain some of the densest areas of nerve e...
s, and leg

Leg

Leg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Elk *Leg, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Leg, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship ...
s; These nine tools allow eight points of articulation

Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
: swivel

Swivel

A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a swivel gun or chair to rotate horizontally and/or vertically. A common design for a swivel is a cylindrical rod that can turn freely within a support structure....
head, swivel waist

Waist

The waist is the part of the Human abdomen between the rib cage and Hip . On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....
, ball joint

Ball joint

In an automobile, ball joints are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles. More specifically, a ball joint is a steel bearing stud and socket enclosed in a steel casing....
arms, swivel wrists, and ball joint legs.

Releases

The first figure was released 27 May 2001 as a free gift to visitors of the World Character Convention 12. Since then Be@rbricks have been released in several different sizes using a variety of materials, including wood, felt, and glow-in-the-dark plastic.

The standard size is seven centimeters high, and these figures are referred to as 100% Be@rbricks. Other Be@rbricks are named for their size relative to the standard: 50% are four centimeters high, 70% are five centimeters high, 400% are 28 centimeters high, and 1000% are 70 centimeters high.

Be@rbricks differ from their predecessor Kubricks, in that each series includes 18 figures in 10 different themes, which are constant from series to series:

Basic, a solid-color figure with a letter in a second color on its chest
Chest

The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the thorax....
; when all nine figures are placed in a row, they spell the word Be@rbrick.

Jellybean, a solid-color figure molded in translucent plastic.

Pattern, a figure with a patterned deco that may range from polka dots to patterns designed by artist and designer Charles Eames.

Flag, a figure painted as a nation
Nation

A nation is a cultural and social community. In as much as most members never meet each other, yet feel a common bond, it may be considered an imagined community....
's flag
Flag

A flag is a piece of cloth, often flown from a pole or Mast , generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium....
.

Horror, a figure with a theme based upon a well-known horror film
Horror film

Horror films are movies that strive to elicit responses of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of the supernatural....
, or other source in the horror genre
Genre

A genre is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other Art#Art forms or utterance....
.

SF (an abbreviation of science fiction
Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media....
), a figure with a theme based upon a science fiction source, often a film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
.

Cute, a figure which visually represents the concept of cuteness
Cuteness

Cuteness is a kind of Physical attractiveness commonly associated with youth and Human physical appearance, as well as a scientific concept and analytical model in ethology, first introduced by Konrad Lorenz....
.

Animal, a figure which depicts an actual animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
.

Artist: two figures, each designed by a visual artist
Visual arts

The visual arts are Art#Art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily visual in nature, such as drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and filmmaking....
.

Be@rbricks are most often sold individually in "blind box" assortments, in which figures are packed in small boxes, and the only way to know which particular figure is inside a particular box is to purchase and open the box. The box states the frequency of each figure in percentages: Basic, 14.58 percent; Jellybean, 11.45 percent; Pattern, 11.45 percent; Flag 9.37 percent; Horror, 9.37 percent; SF, 10.41 percent; Cute, 13.54 percent; Animal, 8.33 percent; first Artist, 4.16 percent; and second Artist, 1.04 percent. While many retailers sell Be@rbricks in blind boxes, each for the same price, other retailers calculate the frequency of the figures, and sell them at prices that vary accordingly; in this instance, the Basic figure would be the least expensive, as it occurs most often in a case, and the second of the two Artist figures would be the most expensive, as it occurs least often in a case. The figures most valued by collectors are "chase" figures, which are unannounced and not shown in advertisements or on the box alongside other figures in the series.

Within these pre-determined ratios, Be@rbricks are produced in limited numbers, and not re-released. They are highly collectible

Collectible

A collectable or collectible is typically a manufactured item designed for people to collect. In this respect, they are distinguishable from other subjects of collections, which may also include natural objects and objects manufactured for purposes other than collecting ....
, and predominantly collected by adults. Their packaging states that the figures are adult collectibles, not toys, and recommends them to collectors 15 years or older.

Many contemporary artists and designers from Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, and North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
have designed figures. Designing a Be@rbrick figure means creating a design scheme, or deco, for the standard mold. Contributors range from visual artists such as H. R. Giger

H. R. Giger

Hans Ruedi Giger is an Academy Award-winning Switzerland painter, sculptor, and set designer best known for his design work on the film Alien ....
to illustrator

Illustrator

An illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text....
s such as Pushead

Pushead

Pushead is an artist, record label owner and writer within the hardcore punk and Heavy metal music field. He has created artwork for Metallica, and Misfits , and designed a pair of Nike SB Dunks....
, graffiti

Graffiti

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is sometimes regarded as a form of art and other times regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted....
artists such as Stash, and fashion design

Fashion design

Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time....
ers including Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld is a German-born fashion designer and artist based in Paris, France. He has collaborated with on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as designer at fashion house Chanel....
and Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood

Dame Vivienne Westwood, Order of the British Empire, Royal Designers for Industry is a British fashion designer largely responsible for bringing modern Punk fashion and New Wave music fashions into the mainstream....
. As a result of their limited production, and the participation of artists, Be@rbricks are generally considered designer toys

Designer toys

Designer toys is a term used to describe toys and other collectibles that are produced in limited editions and created by artists and designers....
.

MediCom also produces Be@rbricks outside the regular release schedule of the basic figures. For example, a Kill Bill

Kill Bill

Kill Bill is the fourth film by writer-Film director Quentin Tarantino. Originally conceived as one film, it was released in two separate volumes due to its running time of approximately four hours....
Be@rbrick was created in 2003 as a promotional piece for customers who purchased pre-sale tickets to see the film Kill Bill Volume 2 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. Another Kill Bill Be@rbrick, called Murder Bride, was included in the packaging for the Japanese DVD

DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
release of Kill Bill Volume 1, released in April 2004. Exclusive pieces such as these are highly-sought after and difficult to obtain for collectors outside of Japan; they are often purchased on the secondary market, especially online auctions.

Be@rbrick

Releases

Image gallery

External links