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

Small Lie — Grey

KAWS · 2017 · Vinyl Figure

Year2017

MediumVinyl Figure

ColorwayGrey

EditionOpen Edition

Height11 in

ProducerKAWSONE

Original Retail$220

EraContemporary Era

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Small Lie (Grey) is a 2017 open edition vinyl released through KAWS's KAWSONE webshop in December 2017 at $220 retail. Standing 11 inches tall, it depicts a Companion with an elongated, Pinocchio-like nose, head bowed and shoulders slumped in a posture of shame — and, unusually for the Companion series, wearing sculpted overalls. The grey colorway renders the figure in layered greys with black accents at the X eyes and hands. The composition derives from KAWS's monumental African hardwood sculpture of the same name, shown at roughly 10 meters tall at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2016. It released in three colorways — black, grey, and brown — as an unnumbered open edition.

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

Small Lie is one of the most emotionally legible objects KAWS has produced: the Pinocchio nose and hung head turn the Companion into a figure caught in its own dishonesty, borrowing a childhood story to stage adult guilt. It is also a design outlier — the overalls and the absence of any flayed variant set it apart from the standard Companion open editions. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park lineage gives the vinyl the same monument-to-shelf pedigree as Along the Way.

Collector Perspective

Trading is steady rather than hot, with the latest recorded sale in January 2026. Demand comes from collectors drawn to the figure's narrative sculpt and from those completing the 2017–2020 named-sculpture run in grey.

Documented Release Details

Object type: Editioned sculpture / object
Release date: 2017
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 2017.

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 Small Lie depict?

A Companion figure with a long Pinocchio-style nose, head bowed and shoulders slumped, wearing overalls. The pose and nose stage the character as caught in a lie — one of KAWS's most direct narrative sculpts.

What is the edition size of Small Lie (Grey)?

It is an unnumbered open edition released in December 2017. KAWS never disclosed the production quantity, and the figures carry no edition numbers.

Is Small Lie signed by KAWS?

No. Open edition vinyls are not individually signed. Authentic examples are identified by molded copyright and production markings on the underside of the feet.

How common are fakes of this figure?

Common — Small Lie's popularity and lower price point make it a frequent counterfeit target. Verify the foot stamps, the paint edges on the overalls and eyes, and the box printing, or buy from a trusted dealer who guarantees authenticity.

What is the connection to Yorkshire Sculpture Park?

KAWS exhibited a monumental African hardwood version of Small Lie, roughly 10 meters tall, at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the UK in 2016. The 2017 vinyl translates that sculpture to an 11-inch collectible scale.