Summary
Companion (Five Years Later) in brown is a 2004 painted vinyl figure produced by Medicom Toy in Japan, standing roughly 15 inches tall. Released five years after the original 1999 Companion — hence the title — it is the first dissected Companion: one half of the body remains the familiar cartoon exterior, while the other half is cut away to reveal a stylized cross-section of skull, ribcage, organs, and musculature. The brown colorway pairs the Companion's natural brown exterior with brightly colored anatomy on the exposed side. It was a limited Medicom production run, widely cited at around 500 pieces per colorway, with stamped markings on the underside of the feet reading MEDICOM TOY 2004 and the KAWS copyright.
Why It Matters
The dissection motif introduced here became one of KAWS's defining moves — it later scaled up into the monumental sculpture and painting series and spread across nearly every character he makes. Five Years Later is where that idea first took physical form, which makes the 2004 figures foundational objects in his catalog rather than just early toys. It also dates from the Medicom era, before KAWSONE existed, when KAWS releases were genuinely scarce Japanese productions rather than open editions.
Collector Perspective
Interpret this one's market data carefully. WorthPoint logs 41 sales with a median of just $35 and a range of $6.90 to $1,512 — a spread that does not describe one market. The low end is dominated by keychain-scale items, damaged or partial lots, and almost certainly fakes; genuine, complete 2004 Medicom examples with the correct foot stamps transact toward the top of the range. Latest recorded sale was November 2025. For a figure this frequently copied, provenance and the stamped markings matter more than the asking price.
FAQ
What does Companion (Five Years Later) depict?
The Companion character with one half of its body dissected — the exterior cut away to expose a stylized skull, ribs, and organs. It was the first appearance of the dissection concept that now runs through KAWS's entire practice.
What is the edition size?
It was a limited Medicom Toy production run from 2004, widely cited at around 500 pieces per colorway, though the figures themselves are not numbered. Treat any seller claiming an exact numbered edition with caution.
Is the figure signed by KAWS?
No, it is not individually signed. Authentic examples carry stamped markings on the underside reading MEDICOM TOY 2004 CHINA with the KAWS copyright; some examples on the market were later hand-signed, but that requires separate documentation.
Why do sale prices for this figure vary so wildly?
Recorded sales run from under $10 to over $1,500 because the data mixes miniature and keychain versions, damaged pieces, and fakes with genuine full-size 2004 figures. Complete authentic examples trade near the top of that range, which is why buying from a trusted dealer matters here more than for most KAWS vinyl.
How does this relate to the original 1999 Companion?
The title marks five years since the first Companion figure, produced with Bounty Hunter in 1999. The 2004 release revisits the same character at larger scale and introduces the dissected treatment, effectively restarting the Companion as an evolving sculpture subject.