The trademark for these dolls is properly labeled as Berbrick with the "@" specifically used on its name. MediCom Toy Incorporated of Japan had designed and manufactured the bear figures just like a cartoon representation which also looks like it has robotic legs and arms. The figures were initially launched in May 27, 2001 at the World Character Convention 12 in Tokyo, Japan. The bears have nine body parts in which can swivel in eight sections. These sections are on the waist, neck, ball joint arms, wrists, and the legs.
The Bearbrick dolls are highly collectible and some of these have editions that are in collaboration with different artists in different industries such as in animation industry, fashion industry, and even with graffiti artists. Some known visual artists and illustrators who have worked with Medicom for their designs are Vivienne Westwood, Stash, H.R. Giger, and Karl Lagerfield. Bearbrick have even released special edition dolls such as the characters in the movie Kill Bill.
The unique release of these dolls is attributed to its packaging. These dolls are sold in assortments and are packaged in what they called as "blind box". The buyer may not really know what is inside the box only that the label states the frequency of the Bearbrick's patterns or themes. The patters or designs in their series could include the following:
1) Basic - The figure has a solid color which can spell Bearbrick if they are laid out in a row.
2) Pattern - The body parts have a decorative pattern such as a zebra print.
3) Jellybean - The bear's parts come in translucent molded plastic.
4) Horror - The figures are based on a horror film or even well known horror characters from books.
5) Flag - The painted pattern on the bear is based on a country's national flag.
6) Animal - The bears are patterned after animal characters of cartoonish quality.
7) SF (Science Fiction) - The bears' figures are patterned after a science genre or film.
8) Cute - Each figure is patterned after anything that is cute may it be a cute cartoon character or a comic book figure.
9) Artist - The figures that belong to this category are designed by visual artists, designers, or illustrators.
No one can really tell what is inside the box or what they will be getting. This is where the fun comes and the rarest category is what they call as "Chase" figures since these are typically unadvertised. Generally, the frequency of each category is: Basic = 14.58%, Cute = 13.54%, Pattern = 11.45%, Jellybean = 11.45%, SF = 10.41%, Flag = 9.37%, Horror = 9.37%, Animal = 8.33%, First Artist = 4.16%, Second Artist = 1.04%.
If you would like to get started in collecting dolls, or introduce a loved one to the tradition of doll collecting it might be a good idea to start with dolls that interest them and are of relatively low cost. Our Generation Dolls are great for younger girls while Monster High Dolls might be better aimed at pre-teen and teenage young ladies.