400% Bearbrick (Karimoku Wood)

Work Summary & Collector Notes

A 400% BE@RBRICK produced in collaboration with Medicom Toy and the Japanese furniture maker Karimoku, rendered in finely crafted wood rather than the standard plastic. BE@RBRICK is Medicom's iconic bear-shaped collectible platform, and the 400% size is a substantial display object. The Karimoku wood edition elevates the format into a refined, artisanal piece that foregrounds material and craftsmanship. KAWS's involvement applies his iconography and design sensibility to this prestige collaboration, merging his pop vocabulary with the heritage woodworking of a respected Japanese manufacturer.

Collector notes: Edition label was not stated, and total quantity was not documented in the saved record. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.

Why It Matters

The BE@RBRICK platform is one of the most important canvases in designer-toy culture, and collaborations on it sit at the heart of the Japanese art-toy ecosystem that launched KAWS to international prominence. A Karimoku wood edition represents the high-craft, premium end of that world, where a mass-produced silhouette is reborn as a handcrafted object using traditional joinery and fine timber. Such pieces matter because they demonstrate how KAWS and his peers pushed the collectible figure toward genuine luxury and art-object status, blurring the line between toy, design, and sculpture. For collectors, the wood material commands a premium over standard vinyl BE@RBRICKs and signals connoisseurship, attracting both KAWS devotees and dedicated BE@RBRICK and Karimoku collectors. The piece exemplifies the collaboration-driven, materially ambitious strand of KAWS's output and the broader cross-pollination between art, fashion, and Japanese craft that defines his cultural footprint.

Collector Perspective

This appeals to crossover collectors, BE@RBRICK enthusiasts, KAWS fans, and admirers of Japanese craft, who value the premium wood construction. Its display appeal is considerable: the natural grain and substantial 400% scale make it a tactile, design-forward centerpiece that reads as fine craft rather than plastic toy. Within a collection it documents KAWS's place in the high-end designer-toy scene and pairs naturally with other wood and collaboration objects. Original packaging, certification, and pristine wood surfaces are decisive value factors at this tier, and the artisanal material gives it standout presence among more common vinyl editions.

Historical Context

The work belongs to the collaboration-rich designer-toy world centered in Japan, where Medicom's BE@RBRICK became a shared platform for artists and brands. KAWS's deep ties to that scene, from Bounty Hunter to Original Fake, made such partnerships a natural extension of his practice. The Karimoku wood edition reflects the maturation of the art toy into a premium craft object, a strand running parallel to KAWS's fine-art and monumental work and demonstrating how material experimentation elevated the collectible.

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned print or object

Release date

2017

Release-date note

Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.

Series

Collaboration

Medium and materials

Medium and materials were not documented in the saved record.

Edition details

Edition label was not stated, and total quantity was not documented in the saved record.

Signature and marks

Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.

Documented History and Meaning

History note: This page treats KAWS's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.

Meaning / interpretation: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.

Release context: The saved catalog lists 2017. It is grouped under Collaboration in the saved record.

Authentication, Presentation and Provenance

Original presentation

Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.

Authentication note

Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.

Provenance note

Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to the release source named in the saved record. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.

Sources and Verification

Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added

1. KAWSONE — official site — KAWS studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
2. KAWS — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
3. KAWS (Q3194367) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.

FAQ

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