Gauntlet Gallery — Complete KAWS Index
Holiday UK — Grey
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Holiday UK is a 10-inch vinyl Companion released on May 17, 2021 through DDT Store, the retail arm of Hong Kong producer AllRightsReserved, to accompany the United Kingdom stop of the KAWS:HOLIDAY world tour. For that stop KAWS launched a 42-meter Companion-shaped hot-air balloon — among the largest sculptural balloons ever flown — over the English countryside near Bristol. The figure stands upright with both hands covering its eyes, a pose carried over from the HOLIDAY Space design. It was issued in grey, brown, and black colorways at $250 each; the grey version is molded in KAWS's familiar mid-grey with darker grey detailing on the gloves, shorts, and skull-and-crossbones head.
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
Each KAWS:HOLIDAY figure is the permanent artifact of a temporary event — the giant installations in Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, at Mount Fuji, and in near space all came down, but the vinyl releases remain. The UK stop stands apart because it was airborne: a Companion balloon rather than a grounded inflatable. The eyes-covered pose ties it visually to the HOLIDAY Space figure, and collectors assembling the full HOLIDAY run treat the UK release as essential to completing the tour.
Collector Perspective
WorthPoint sold-listing data records 47 sales of the grey Holiday UK, with a median of $350 against $250 retail. The range runs from $70 — typically loose figures or listings with condition problems — up to $549.98 for sealed examples, with the latest recorded sale in December 2025. Demand is driven by HOLIDAY set completists, and grey has historically been the most popular of KAWS's three core colorways. The box and untouched paint on the eye-covering hands matter most to price.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned sculpture / object
- Release date
- 2021
- 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 2021.
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.
Market Context
- Estimated value. The median of recorded public sale prices for this piece, matched by title and colorway. We use the median (not the average) because it resists outliers.
- Min / max sale. The lowest and highest individual recorded sale prices; the range shows dispersion, not a guaranteed band.
- Recorded comps. The number of independent comparable sales; reliability rises with sample size (1–2 sales are indicative only).
- Liquidity & sales volume. Our liquidity rating reflects sales velocity — the number of recorded comparable sales and how recent the latest sale is. More frequent and more recent sales rate as more liquid (Highly Liquid → Liquid → Moderate → Thin → Very Thin); a piece with no recorded public sales is Extremely Rare.
- Product-level estimate. This colorway has few or no recorded sales of its own, so the figure is pooled from sales across all colorways of the same product (median, with the 25th–75th percentile as the range). Indicative; specific colorways can trade above or below.
- Estimate confidence. A traffic-light read on how well the data supports the estimate: green high, yellow medium, red low / indicative.
- Data source & currency. Compiled from recorded public marketplace and auction sales of US$200 or more, in US dollars, as of the latest recorded sale shown. Coverage is not exhaustive.
- Not financial or investment advice. For collector reference only — not an appraisal, offer, or guarantee of resale value. Art is volatile and illiquid; do your own research. Use is subject to our Terms & Conditions.
FAQ
What does the Holiday UK figure depict?
It depicts Companion standing upright with both hands covering its eyes, as if too shy — or too overwhelmed — to look. The pose riffs on the HOLIDAY Space figure and was released to commemorate KAWS's 42-meter Companion hot-air balloon flying over the countryside near Bristol in 2021.
What is the edition size of Holiday UK?
It is an unnumbered open edition. AllRightsReserved and KAWS did not publish a quantity, and no figure carries an edition number. Availability was limited to the DDT Store ordering window in May 2021, which set the effective supply.
Is the Holiday UK figure signed?
No. Like all HOLIDAY vinyl releases, it is not individually signed. Authentication rests on molded copyright markings, the production stamp, and the original AllRightsReserved/DDT packaging rather than a signature.
How common are fake Holiday UK figures?
Very common — the HOLIDAY series is among the most counterfeited KAWS product lines. Weak points on fakes include mushy stamping on the figure, incorrect grey tones, and low-resolution box printing. Buy from a dealer who stands behind authenticity, and be skeptical of prices well under the established market.
How is Holiday UK different from the other HOLIDAY figures?
It is the only HOLIDAY release tied to a flying installation — a hot-air balloon rather than a reclining or floating inflatable. It is also one of two figures in the series with the hands-over-eyes pose, the other being HOLIDAY Space, which makes the pair natural companions on a shelf.
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