Which signature or marks are documented?

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. 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.

Is original packaging or presentation documented?

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

How certain are the release details?

The year, edition, dimensions, and medium come from a saved secondary catalog record. Artist-level context is added from general references, but not every release-level field is independently confirmed.

Gauntlet Gallery — Complete KAWS Index

Chum (2022) — Pink

KAWS · 2022 · Vinyl Figure

Year2022

MediumVinyl Figure

ColorwayPink

EditionOpen Edition

Height11.6 in

ProducerKAWSONE

Original Retail$280

EraContemporary Era

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Chum (Pink) is a 2022 open edition vinyl figure produced through KAWS's own KAWSONE platform, standing 11.6 inches tall and retailing at $280. Chum is KAWS's inflated, Michelin Man-derived character — a puffed, segmented body with X-ed out eyes — first released as a signed vinyl edition of 1,000 in 2002. To mark the character's 20th anniversary, KAWS reissued Chum on August 9, 2022 in five colorways: black, white, pink, orange, and yellow. The pink version renders the entire figure in a single flat pink, with the sculpt's stacked, tire-like segments carrying the form. Each figure ships in a color-coded KAWS-branded box. As an open edition, pieces are unnumbered; production ran for the release window rather than to a fixed count.

Collector notes: Legacy catalog label: Open Edition; 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

Chum is one of the few KAWS characters lifted directly from a corporate mascot, which puts it at the center of his appropriation practice — the same move that drove his early bus-shelter ad interventions. The 2022 reissue matters because it made a character previously locked behind a 1,000-piece 2002 edition broadly accessible, and it marked KAWS formalizing anniversary re-releases through KAWSONE. For collectors mapping the character canon, Chum sits alongside Companion and BFF as a core figure rather than a one-off.

Collector Perspective

Pink and yellow trade thinner than black and white, so pricing is less settled sale to sale.

Documented Release Details

Object type: Editioned sculpture / object
Release date: 2022
Release-date note: Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
Medium and materials: Vinyl Figure.
Edition details: Legacy catalog label: Open Edition; 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 2022.

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

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

FAQ

What does the KAWS Chum figure depict?

Chum is KAWS's take on the Michelin Man — an inflated, segmented body topped with his signature skull-and-crossbones head and X-ed out eyes. The character first appeared in KAWS's paintings and became a vinyl figure in 2002.

What is the edition size of the 2022 pink Chum?

It is an open edition, so figures are unnumbered and no fixed edition size was published. KAWS produced the figure for the August 2022 release window through KAWSONE rather than capping it at a set count.

Is the pink Chum signed by KAWS?

No, open edition figures are not individually signed. Authentic examples carry molded copyright markings from the production run; the original 2002 Chum was the signed release, issued in an edition of 1,000.

How do I avoid fake Chum figures?

Counterfeits of KAWSONE open editions are common, and paint quality alone is not a reliable tell. Check the molded markings, the color-coded KAWS box, and buy from a dealer who documents sourcing and stands behind authenticity.

How is the 2022 Chum different from the 2002 original?

The 2002 Chum was a signed, limited edition of 1,000 in black only. The 2022 release is an unsigned open edition issued in five colorways — black, white, pink, orange, and yellow — as a 20th-anniversary tribute to the original.