What s up guys! It s Jason here and welcome to my YouTube channel, Toy Insight. Do you like playing
with toys? What about collecting toys? What about making money? What would you say if I told you
that you could make money by collecting toys? You might say, how? and sign me up! Well, you might
have already seen them... they look like a teddy bear and in fact, they are modeled after teddy
bears; simplified teddy bears with noticeable potbellies to be exact. The standard size,
marketed as 100%, is 7 centimeters tall. Other Bearbrick sizes include 1000% or 70 centimeters,
which is coincidentally also the most expensive usually, 400% at 28 centimeters, 200% at 14.5
centimeters, 70% at 5 centimeters, and 50% at 3.5 centimeters. So what are bearbricks? Why are
bearbricks so popular and why are they so special? The ever-hyped up, often expensive, considering
that they re plastic---they re Bearbricks! By the end of this video, you ll be a Bearbricks expert
and know the true story next time you see one! But before we start the show If you wouldn t mind
just tapping that LIKE button for the YouTube algorithm, I would really appreciate it. The
more engagement a video like this gets, the more likely the YouTube algorithm is to push it out to
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a million fold. In fact, I also respond to all comments and feedback! If you ve love classic toys
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Thanks for doing that and now let us continue on with what happened to Bearbricks.
Origins Officially stylized as BE@RBRICK,
the very first Bearbrick was released on May 27, 2001 as swag for attendees of the World Character
Convention in Tokyo, Japan. That very first bear was all white with the BE@RBRICK logo of a blue
bear silhouette with the @ symbol in red. Why the teddy bear? Because it was easy to make when
Medicom Toy s founder, Tatsuhiko Akashi, received a request from the World Character Convention
to include a toy in its swag bag for guests. Originally, they requested a different Medicom Toy
product called a Kubrick, which is a block style human figurine named after movie director Stanley
Kubrick. Since they wanted tens of thousands of toys in just a few months, Akashi couldn t offer
them the Kubrick because it required many parts. It was the accidental catalyst for BE@RBRICK as
Akashi brainstormed on a form that didn t need new parts for and could just change (the art).
Around that time, it just so happened to be teddy bear s 100th anniversary. It was the perfect
timing for Medicom Toy as streetwear was becoming more prominent and more valuable; the more
collectible and unusual the better. What could ve been better than a pot bellied teddy bear?
Despite fulfilling the World Character Convention order, the Japanese company,
Medicom Toy, that created Bearbrick had very humble beginnings. So humble that it didn t
even have its own unique space in Tokyo when it started in 1996. Akashi previously had a job in
a well-paying computer manufacturing job, but like many, was bored with the routine and monotony of
it. Medicom Toy came from the epiphany that Akashi had while walking into a toy shop in
the fashionable Shibuya district and thinking to himself that, it must be fun to work there,
in contrast to his boring 9-to-5. In other words, Medicom Toy was a passion-driven project.
With big dreams and little funding, Medicom Toy initially shared a location with a tonkatsu or
fried pork cutlet shop in Tokyo. With every release of different toys and other objects
in limited quantities, Medicom Toy was able to finally get its own office,
a far cry from its original 6 square meter space. It s a classic example of branding and marketing
being everything. If I told you that a teddy bear that is usually made of plastic could be
worth thousands of dollars, you would probably be skeptical, right? It goes to show you that hype,
especially hyped-up collaborations can translate into dollars, if you re lucky enough.
From the very start, Medicom Toy intended on being an atypical toy company in the sense
that they didn t just want to make and sell mass produced toys. Instead, much to the benefit of
their branding and profits, they wanted to make collectible art pieces. Creating that
sense of scarcity attracted an enthusiastic demographic that often has deep pockets:
collectors---they can range from sneakerheads to Supreme collectors to sports card collectors.
People looking to make a buck by being connoisseurs of the hyped and rare.
Strategies to Win: Scarcity Sometimes success is by accident and
sometimes it s by design. In the case of Bearbrick s rise, it s a case of success by design for the
most part. One of the easiest ways to create hype around whatever it is you re selling is to create
that sense of urgency by instilling a sense of rarity. Many people would agree that human
nature is such that when you can t have something, you want it more. Medicom Toy s founder, Akashi,
leaned into that sentiment by selling Bearbricks in blind box assortments,
where Bearbricks are in small boxes that typically don t give away which type of Bearbrick is inside.
The marketing of the Bearbrick box is similar to those of collectible sports cards, which
often delineate how many of each card has been produced. It s an indicator of value. Bearbrick
boxes show-off just how rare each figurine is by %. For example, the Animal Bearbrick box would be
at 8.33%, Horror at 9.37%, Pattern at 11.45%, and Artist at 1.04%. The monikers Animal and Horror
are just 2 of the 9 categories of Bearbricks that Medicom Toy has released since day one.
The Basic refers to the solid colored Bearbrick with one letter on the chest. You guessed it---it
s coveted so collectors can spell out Bearbrick. Jellybean refers to Bearbricks that are solid
colored and translucent like jelly beans because they re made of translucent plastic.
Pattern features different patterns, such as polka dots and linear designs by artists Charles and Ray
Eames. Flag features a nation s flag, while horror features a design from a well-known horror film,
such as Stanley Kubrick s The Shining, while Science Fiction features science fiction movies,
Cute features a kawaii or cute concept, Animal showcasing an animal with one of the most popular
being the Japanese and Chinese cats waving money in their way, as well as Artist with two figures
designed by a notable visual artist such as modern and classic artists such as Van Gogh,
Andy Warhol, and Jackson Pollock. Often, retailers would price Bearbricks based
on its rarity according to Medicom Toy. The blind boxes also created the habit of wanting to get the
one. The one that would bring in the resell bucks or bragging rights to avid collectors.
For those in the know, perhaps one of the rarest and most valuable mainstream Bearbricks is the
Chanel collaboration of 2006, with only 1,000 of them made. The Chanel Bearbrick,
designed as Chanel s founder, Coco Chanel, with her Chanel jacket and pearls,
has rarely entered the market with most being displayed in select Chanel stores. For those of
you who are interested in buying, StockX has one for sale. The asking price is a cool $248K.
Strategies to Win: Collaborations Medicom Toy always made limited quantities of its
Bearbricks products. Collaborations with different icons in their respective fields helped to drive
more interest in the figurines. Some of the most notable higher-end and mainstream collaborations
were with Fendi, Comme des Garcons, Chanel, and streetwear brands Supreme and Japanese brand
BAPE or A Bathing Ape. This is in sharp contrast to its first collaborations ever, such as with
Tokyo-based record shop HMV, similar to the now-defunct record chain of stores called Tower
Records. Other initial collaborations were mostly toy-related with Toys R Us having released one,
as well as Halloween- and Christmas- limited editions, as well as a Winnie the Pooh edition,
that had a lot of mass market appeal. In May of 2002, Bearbrick s fortunes changed for
the better because it found a niche once surfwear brand Stussy released a dark blue Bearbrick with
its logo on the chest. It was a freebie for customers who spent a minimum amount in-stores.
For anyone tuned into outlets like HYPEBEAST, Stussy and Bearbrick became part of the streetwear
scene that focused on exclusivity and not showing off that you re humble, but that you re a baller.
Coincidentally, the same year that Stussy released its Bearbrick, Dutch brand Futura,
American artist KAWS, otherwise known as Brian Donnelly, who s one of the it street artists
known for his cartoonish art, as well as Nike, all released their own Bearbricks.
It was a case of watching the domino effect in action as Bearbrick gathered momentum.
If streetwear needed a toy for its mostly male consumers, then Bearbrick was and is the
undisputed champion. It s become so ingrained in the streetwear culture through its collaborations
in particular that companies that want to prove they re still relevant tend to release a Brickbear
every time they have a big product drop, with Nike for instance, releasing a Bearbrick that
corresponds in design to major sneaker releases. The big names in the corporate, art and fashion,
music, and other worlds have only lent further credibility to the brand and has made Bearbrick
a bucket list to-do for companies who want to cement their status with a Bearbrick of their own.
Herschel Supply co-founder, Jamie Cormack, alluded to that cool factor with Bearbrick, explaining
that Everybody that has a brand has that list of certain partnerships you want to do at some point.
And Bearbrick is on the top of that list. Bearbrick itself doesn t have any set criteria
in choosing collaborations according to its founder; rather it s an intuitive process where
Akashi asks himself if he thinks about whether it s a good fit, if it adds value to both brands,
and if his team would enjoy it. That ambiguity in criteria only adds to the Bearbrick mystique.
Strategies to Win: Influencers
James Clear, author of bestseller Atomic Habits noted what should be obvious to many:
people generally aspire to copy the behaviors of successful people, in addition to their own circle
of family and friends. That applies to the buying habits and hobbies of successful people, which is
how being an Influencer has now become a viable and profitable career. While there are full-time,
self-described influencers, celebrities and public figures who are highly visible in their respective
fields are intrinsically influencers. One of the most famous unsponsored influencers for Bearbricks
is famed celebrity jeweler and Renaissance man, Ben Baller whose real name is Ben Yang.
With 1.3 million Instagram followers, a Beverly Hills-based jewelry store that services
clients including Drake, Floyd Mayweather, Sean Kingston, and many other figures in pop culture,
Ben Baller is also known for having amassed Bearbricks over twenty years. GQ describes Yang
as probably the best-known Bearbricks collector on this planet. Yang has made his hobby high-profile
by collaborating with NTWRK, a video shopping platform known for selling unique, rare items.
He s also widely publicized that collecting Bearbricks started as a one-off that slowly
became more addictive. That collector-friendly aspect of Bearbricks saw Yang having to convert
several walls in his mancave into a display area for his toys. Considering that the majority of
Yang s exclusive collaborations in his own line of cannabis, limited edition gold mini fridges,
and gold plated Kingston BBQ grilling set all sell out within minutes, it shouldn t be hard
to imagine that he s driving the hype that leads to many Bearbricks selling out ASAP.
In addition to Yang s large and highly engaged fanbase, other notable Bearbrick collectors
include Pharrell Williams, Seth Rogen, and Asian celebrities such as Jay Chou and Edison Chen.
Future of Bearbricks And that brings us to today. Supreme. Bape.
Kaws. These are all hot brands that, in addition to Bearbricks, are having a continuous heyday,
alongside the recent resurgence in trading cards from Pokemon and Yugioh to exclusive sports cards.
What they all have in common are the hype factor and real scarcity given that they
re produced in small batches with few or no reruns, and a community of avid collectors.
The value of those brands and Bearbricks is based on their perceived coolness among collectors.
After all, Bearbricks are mostly made of plastic with select collectibles featuring other materials
such as velvet. There s no intrinsic value to them, so it really is as Medicom intended - it
s a work of art that it s advisable to buy if you like it personally, even if you can t
resell it. As of now, Bearbricks still hold their resale value, especially if rare. Collecting art,
like cryptocurrencies or the stock market in general, is not for the faint of heart.
So with that said, thank you so much for watching my video. There was a significant
amount of research, production and Bearbricks buying that went into making this video possible.
As this is a brand-new YouTube channel I just started this year - if you enjoy videos like this,
please click the subscribe button and hit that notification bell! I respond to all comments! If
you haven t seen already, check out my Hamburger War YouTube Series covering topics like How Shake
Shack is Taking over the World or the In-N-Out Overnight Success Story. As always, stay happy
and healthy and stay tuned for another episode of Company Insight next week.