The OriginalFake Tokyo Era: Why 2006–2013 KAWS Pieces Are Premium Collectibles
There is a before and after in the KAWS market.
The before is the OriginalFake era. The after is everything else.
From 2006 to 2013, KAWS operated a flagship retail space in Tokyo's Aoyama neighborhood under the OriginalFake label — a joint venture with the Japanese distribution powerhouse BAPE's parent infrastructure and the cultural credibility of a city that understood designer toys before the rest of the world caught up. What came out of that window is now among the most sought-after material in the entire KAWS secondary market.
If you're building a serious KAWS collection and you're not paying close attention to OriginalFake provenance, you're leaving money and meaning on the table.
Here's why that era matters, what to look for, and how to protect yourself when you go to buy it.
What OriginalFake Actually Was
OriginalFake was not a side project. It was the primary retail vehicle for KAWS — Brian Donnelly — during the period when he transitioned from graffiti-world cult figure to internationally recognized artist with a full commercial infrastructure behind him.
The Tokyo flagship opened in 2006 and closed in 2013. During those seven years, it functioned as something rare in the collectibles world: a single-channel, geographically specific distribution point that gave every piece released through it a defined provenance story from day one.
You bought it at OriginalFake Tokyo, or you bought it from someone who did. That chain is short, traceable, and meaningful.
The label produced apparel, accessories, and crucially, vinyl figures — many in collaboration with Medicom Toy, which was already the gold standard for designer vinyl production in Japan. The BE@RBRICK collaborations released during this window are some of the most premium pieces in either the KAWS or the BE@RBRICK collecting universe.
Where else in the market can you point to a seven-year run of consistent, limited, geographically anchored production and say: every single piece has an origin story?
Why Tokyo in 2006 Was the Right Place at the Right Time
Context matters in collectibles. It always does.
By 2006, Tokyo's Aoyama and Omotesando districts had already established themselves as the global epicenter of the designer toy and streetwear premium market. Medicom Toy was producing BE@RBRICKs that serious collectors were treating like fine art. BAPE had turned limited-drop retail into a cultural event. Pushead, Futura, and a wave of Western artists with graf roots were finding serious Japanese collector bases.
KAWS walked into that ecosystem at precisely the right moment — already credentialed by years of advertising subversions and gallery shows, but not yet so mainstream that the work felt diluted.
The OriginalFake store operated in that sweet spot: exclusive enough to have genuine scarcity, legitimate enough to have institutional backing, and culturally specific enough that pieces carried the weight of that moment in Tokyo's creative culture.
That context doesn't disappear when a piece leaves the shelf. It travels with it. It's part of the value.
The Vinyl Output: What Was Actually Released
Companion Variants
The Companion figure is KAWS's signature character — the skull-headed, X-eyed descendant of Mickey Mouse that became the artist's primary commercial avatar. The OriginalFake era produced Companion variants that are now benchmarks in the secondary market.
These pieces were released in strictly limited colorways, often with Japan-exclusive distribution. The production runs were small by contemporary KAWS standards. The packaging was specific to the OriginalFake label. And critically, the Medicom Toy production quality of that period was exceptional — consistent, tight tolerances, vibrant colorways that have held up over nearly two decades.
Pieces from this window in original packaging command significant premiums over later-era equivalents, even in the same character line.
BE@RBRICK Collaborations
The KAWS x BE@RBRICK collaborations from the OriginalFake window are a category unto themselves.
Medicom's BE@RBRICK format gave KAWS a canvas for the Companion aesthetic within a collecting format that already had its own deep secondary market. The result: pieces that sit at the intersection of two collector bases and carry provenance from both.
The 100% and 400% scale pieces from this era — particularly those with OriginalFake-specific packaging and the joint KAWS/Medicom release documentation — are among the most price-resilient entries in the designer toy market. Market corrections that hit other segments of the BE@RBRICK universe have historically been less severe for KAWS-era OF pieces.
Other Figure Releases and Apparel-Adjacent Collectibles
Beyond the core Companion and BE@RBRICK lines, OriginalFake released a range of supporting figure work, plush variants, and accessories that are now collectible precisely because the label no longer exists. There's no reissue risk. The store is gone. The label is closed. What was made is what exists.
That finality is a pricing floor. It doesn't guarantee appreciation, but it does set a baseline that ongoing brands can't match.
Authentication for OriginalFake KAWS Pieces: The Framework
This is where collectors get hurt if they're not careful.
The OriginalFake era predates the OneCOA platform and the NFC chip pairing system that now accompanies newer KAWS releases. That means the authentication framework is different — and in some ways more complex — than what buyers expect if they've only engaged with contemporary KAWS drops.
Here's how to approach it.
OneCOA and NFC: The Contemporary Standard (and Its Limits Here)
For KAWS pieces released after the deployment of the OneCOA platform, the standard is clear: OneCOA authentication paired with the NFC chip embedded in the piece or packaging. The chip pairing gives you a verifiable, tamper-evident link between the physical object and the digital certificate.
For OriginalFake-era pieces, this infrastructure did not exist. You cannot run an OF Tokyo Companion through OneCOA and expect a native result. If someone is selling a 2008 OriginalFake piece and citing OneCOA as primary authentication, that's a flag worth examining carefully.
Original Packaging: The First Line of Evidence
For pre-OneCOA KAWS pieces, original packaging is the first and most important authentication indicator. OriginalFake pieces were released in branded boxes with specific design language: the OriginalFake logo treatment, the Medicom Toy co-branding where applicable, and edition-specific labeling that varied by release.
Packaging condition matters, but packaging presence matters more. A piece that has separated from its original box loses a significant layer of provenance documentation and, accordingly, a significant portion of its secondary market value.
Learn what the correct packaging looks like for specific releases. Reference collector communities, archived drop records, and established dealer inventories. The details matter: font weights, logo placement, barcode formats, and insert documentation all varied by release and year.
Medicom Release Records
For BE@RBRICK collaborations from the OriginalFake window, Medicom Toy's release record is a parallel authentication layer. Medicom maintained consistent production documentation, and the hologram sticker applied to BE@RBRICK packaging from this period is an established authentication marker.
The hologram alone is not sufficient — sophisticated counterfeits of high-value BE@RBRICKs have replicated hologram stickers. But the hologram in combination with correct packaging construction, insert documentation, and physical inspection of the figure itself creates a verification stack that's difficult to defeat.
PSA has expanded its grading and encapsulation services to cover vinyl collectibles including BE@RBRICK figures, and their verification database can be a useful secondary check. Be aware, however, that PSA's grading of vintage designer vinyl is newer than their trading card and memorabilia work — approach their population reports for this category with that context in mind.
Provenance Chain Documentation
For high-value OriginalFake pieces specifically, provenance documentation beyond the physical item itself is increasingly important. Purchase receipts from OriginalFake Tokyo, early secondary market sales records from verified Japanese resellers, and documentation of collection transfers all add layers to the story.
This is not academic. In the current market, a well-documented provenance chain on a rare OF-era piece can be the difference between a private sale at ask and a buyer who walks away uncertain.
Do you know where your piece was on the day OriginalFake Tokyo closed its doors in 2013?
Why the Market Prices OriginalFake Pieces at a Premium
Finite Supply, Zero Reissue Risk
OriginalFake is closed. The label will not reissue. KAWS has moved into a different phase of his commercial infrastructure, and the OF era is categorically behind him.
This matters enormously in the toy and collectibles market, where the spectre of reissue is a constant pricing suppressor. Collectors who paid premiums for what they believed were limited-run pieces have seen value erode when artists or brands revisited colorways, scales, or character designs under new releases.
That risk is eliminated for OriginalFake. The production window is closed and documented. Supply is fixed. That's a structural advantage that compounds over time as pieces leave the market into long-term collections.
Cultural Specificity and the Tokyo Premium
There is a collecting culture in Japan, particularly around designer toys and streetwear collectibles, that treats these objects with museum-level care. Pieces that spent years in Japanese collections before entering the international secondary market frequently arrive in exceptional condition — original packaging intact, minimal display wear, inserts present.
The Tokyo origin of OriginalFake pieces isn't just branding. It reflects a real cultural context that influenced how pieces were treated, stored, and transferred. That has downstream effects on condition, and condition drives value.
The Crossover Collector Base
OriginalFake KAWS pieces sit at the intersection of multiple serious collector communities: fine art collectors who follow KAWS's gallery and auction work, BE@RBRICK collectors who focus on Medicom's designer toy output, streetwear collectors who treat the OF label itself as a cultural artifact, and contemporary art investors who track the broader KAWS market.
Pieces with appeal across multiple collector bases have more demand support than niche items. That's basic market economics, and it's a real structural advantage for OriginalFake material.
The 2006–2013 Timeline as Art Historical Marker
KAWS's trajectory as an artist is well documented, and the OriginalFake era maps directly onto the period of his most concentrated commercial and critical development. These pieces are not just collectibles — they are material artifacts of a specific chapter in the career of an artist who now commands significant auction results at major houses.
When the biography is written, and for artists of KAWS's stature it always is, the OriginalFake Tokyo store will be a chapter. Owning pieces from that chapter means owning something with art historical weight, not just market value.
Buying OriginalFake Pieces Today: What the Smart Collector Does
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Verify the packaging completely before committing.
- Compare against documented release records and collector archive resources.
- Check logo treatment, Medicom co-branding, edition labeling, and insert presence.
- Box seams, print quality, and barcode formats are all period-specific details that counterfeits frequently miss.
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For BE@RBRICK pieces, stack your verification.
- Medicom hologram sticker on packaging.
- Correct figure construction for the release period (Medicom's production details changed over time).
- PSA encapsulation as an optional additional layer, with the caveat that their vintage vinyl population is still developing.
- Original box construction matching documented Medicom production from the relevant year.
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Ask for provenance documentation beyond the physical piece.
- Purchase receipts, early resale records, and collection transfer documentation all strengthen the story.
- A seller who can't provide any provenance context for a significant piece is a seller worth scrutinizing.
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Understand the OneCOA limitation for this era.
- OneCOA + NFC chip pairing is the correct standard for contemporary KAWS drops.
- It is not a native authentication tool for pre-2013 OriginalFake pieces.
- Anyone citing OneCOA as primary authentication for an OF-era piece without explanation should prompt follow-up questions.
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Know the specific release you're buying.
- Not all OriginalFake pieces carry the same premium. Colorway rarity, collaboration tier, and condition all tier the market within the OF label.
- Core Companion variants in Japan-exclusive colorways with sealed original packaging sit at the top.
- More common releases in compromised packaging sit lower.
- Do the research specific to the piece, not just the era.
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Buy from sources with verifiable transaction history in this specific category.
- General streetwear resellers are not the same as specialists with documented KAWS and designer toy expertise.
- The OriginalFake market rewards specialist knowledge. Find dealers who have it.
Red Flags
The OriginalFake market has real counterfeit and misrepresentation risk. The FBI's Operation Bullpen demonstrated decades ago that collectibles markets attract sophisticated fraud, and the designer toy segment has not been immune. Here's what to watch for.
- Packaging that looks "almost right" but doesn't match documented releases. Counterfeit OriginalFake packaging exists. The details that separate real from fake are specific to individual releases — which means general visual inspection is not sufficient. You need to know what correct looks like for the exact piece you're evaluating.
- Missing inserts or internal packaging elements. Legitimate OriginalFake pieces typically shipped with specific insert cards, tissue wrapping, and sometimes additional documentation. Complete original packaging means all of these elements, not just the outer box.
- Provenance claims that can't be traced. "Bought it in Japan years ago" is not provenance. It's a story. Actual provenance is documented, specific, and verifiable. The vaguer the origin story, the more scrutiny the piece deserves.
- BE@RBRICK hologram stickers that don't match the production period. Medicom's hologram design evolved over the years. A hologram sticker that matches a later production period on a piece claimed to be from the early OF window is a discrepancy worth investigating.
- Prices significantly below market without explanation. OriginalFake premium pieces trade at premium prices. A deal that seems too good for the market tier usually has a reason. PSA certification-verification warnings have long flagged that unusually attractive pricing on certified collectibles should prompt additional scrutiny rather than fast action.
- OneCOA citations on clearly pre-2013 pieces without context. As noted, this doesn't necessarily indicate fraud — but it indicates either a seller who doesn't understand the authentication framework for what they're selling, or one who's hoping you don't.
- Figures that show "shelf display" aging inconsistent with claimed storage history. UV fading, dust accumulation patterns, and paint micro-cracking can all indicate that a piece was displayed rather than stored — not disqualifying, but worth reconciling with whatever condition claim the seller is making.
- Sellers who can't discuss release-specific details. A knowledgeable seller of OriginalFake material should be able to speak specifically about the release: when it dropped, the production context, the colorway's place in the lineup. Generic "it's a rare KAWS" without specifics is a flag.
Bottom Line
The OriginalFake Tokyo era is not nostalgia. It's not category marketing. It's a real, documented, historically specific production window that generated some of the most collectible KAWS material in existence — and it will never generate another piece.
The combination of fixed supply, Tokyo cultural provenance, Medicom production quality, and the art historical significance of the 2006–2013 window in KAWS's career creates a structural case for premium pricing that isn't going away.
The collectors who understand this are already building positions in the best examples. The authentication framework for this era is different from the OneCOA + NFC standard that governs contemporary drops, which means the learning curve is real. But so is the reward for getting it right.
Do the work. Know the specific releases. Verify the packaging. Understand the provenance. Buy from people who can have the detailed conversation, not just quote you a price.
The OriginalFake era was a specific, unrepeatable moment in the intersection of Tokyo street culture, designer toy production, and KAWS's developing market identity. The pieces from that window carry all of it with them.
That's what premium actually means.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the OriginalFake Tokyo store location matter for pricing?
The Tokyo flagship was the primary, often exclusive, retail distribution point for OriginalFake releases. This means every piece sold through the store has a traceable, single-point origin — which is rare in the collectibles market. That geographic and institutional specificity creates a provenance story that adds both documentation value and cultural weight. Tokyo's collector culture also meant these pieces were frequently preserved in exceptional condition, which has downstream effects on the secondary market.
Can OriginalFake KAWS pieces be authenticated through OneCOA?
Not natively. The OneCOA platform and NFC chip pairing system were deployed after the OriginalFake era closed in 2013. Authentication for OF pieces relies on original packaging integrity, Medicom Toy release documentation and hologram verification for BE@RBRICK collaborations, provenance chain documentation, and physical inspection by knowledgeable specialists. Any seller presenting OneCOA as the primary authentication for a pre-2013 piece should be able to explain that claim specifically.
What makes OriginalFake BE@RBRICK pieces particularly valuable?
KAWS x Medicom BE@RBRICK pieces from the OriginalFake window sit at the intersection of two serious collector bases: the KAWS market and the broader BE@RBRICK collecting universe. They carry Medicom's production quality and documentation framework alongside KAWS's art market credibility. The fixed production window and Japan-exclusive distribution of many releases creates scarcity that neither brand alone necessarily generates. The best examples — correct scale, rare colorways, original sealed packaging with Medicom hologram intact — are benchmarks in both markets.
How do I verify that OriginalFake packaging is genuine?
Verification requires release-specific knowledge. OriginalFake packaging design varied by release, year, and collaboration partner. Key elements to examine include the OriginalFake logo treatment and typography, Medicom Toy co-branding placement where applicable, edition labeling and numbering, barcode format, box construction and print quality, and the presence of all internal packaging elements including inserts and tissue. Compare against documented release archives and established collector resources. General visual inspection is not sufficient — you need to know what correct looks like for the specific release in question.
Is there reissue risk for OriginalFake pieces?
No. OriginalFake as a label closed in 2013 and has not reopened. KAWS operates under different commercial infrastructure now, and the specific OriginalFake branding, the Tokyo retail context, and the joint production framework with that era's collaborators cannot be replicated. This eliminates the reissue risk that suppresses pricing in other areas of the collectibles market. The production window is closed, documented, and final. What was made is what exists.
Should I buy OriginalFake pieces in sealed or opened condition?
Sealed original packaging commands the highest premiums in the OriginalFake secondary market, as it does across most of the designer toy segment. However, opened pieces in complete original packaging — all inserts present, box in strong condition, figure in excellent condition — remain highly valuable. The key is completeness and integrity. A piece that has been separated from its original packaging loses significant provenance documentation and market value. Opened without box is a fundamentally different tier from opened with full original packaging intact.
How does OriginalFake era pricing compare to contemporary KAWS drops?
Generally, the rarest OriginalFake pieces in the best condition carry premiums over comparable contemporary KAWS releases, driven by the factors outlined above: fixed supply, no reissue risk, Tokyo cultural provenance, and art historical significance. However, the market is not monolithic. Common OF releases in compromised condition may trade at or below recent KAWS drops that have their own scarcity drivers. The premium is real but it's specific — it attaches to the best examples, not to the OriginalFake label alone.
What should I prioritize when building an OriginalFake collection?
Condition and completeness first, always. In a fixed-supply market, condition is the primary differentiator between otherwise equivalent pieces, and that differential compounds over time. After condition, prioritize release rarity — Japan-exclusive colorways, limited production runs, and collaboration tiers within the OF lineup. Then provenance documentation: pieces with traceable ownership history from the Tokyo store through to today carry a story that enhances both cultural value and liquidity when you eventually sell. And buy from specialists who know this specific market. The difference between a knowledgeable dealer and a general reseller is the difference between understanding what you're buying and hoping for the best.