Bearbrick
The figure is a bear with a simplified form and a pot belly. Each plastic figure features nine parts: head, torso, hips, arms, hands, and leg.
The standard size is seven centimeters high, which is referred to as 100% Be@rbricks. Other Be@rbricks are named for their size relative to the standard: 50% are four centimeters high, 70% are five centimeters high, 400% are 28 centimeters high, and 1000% are 70 centimeters high.
Be@rbricks series includes 18 figures in 10 themes:
Basic, a solid-color figure with a letter in a second color on its chest; when all nine figures are placed in a row, they spell the word Be@rbrick.
Jellybean, a solid-color figure molded in translucent plastic.
Pattern, a figure with a patterned deco that may range from polka dots to patterns
Flag, painted as a nation's flag.
Horror, a figure based upon a horror film
SF (an abbreviation of science fiction), a figure with a theme based upon a science fiction source, often a film.
Cute, a figure which visually represents the concept of cuteness.
Animal, a figure which depicts an actual animal.
Artist: two figures, each designed by a visual artist.
Be@rbricks are most often sold individually in a "blind box" (the figures are packed in small boxes, and the only way to know which particular figure is inside a particular box is to purchase and open the box).
While many retailers sell Be@rbricks in blind boxes, each for the same price, other retailers calculate the frequency of the figures, and sell them at prices that vary accordingly. The Basic figure would be the least expensive, as it occurs most often in a case, and the second of the two Artist figures would be the most expensive, as it occurs least often in a case. The figures most valued by collectors are "chase" figures, which are unannounced and not shown in advertisements or on the box alongside other figures in the series.
Within these pre-determined ratios, Be@rbricks are produced in limited numbers, and not re-released. They are highly collectible, and predominantly collected by adults.
As a result of their limited production, and the participation of artists, Be@rbricks are generally considered designer toys.