Two Japanese Institutions That Were Always Going to Find Each Other

A Bathing Ape was founded by Tomoaki Nagao — known to everyone as Nigo — in 1993, in the backstreets of Harajuku, Tokyo. The store was called NOWHERE. The name came from a Beatles song. Nigo produced about 50 T-shirts a week in the early days, sold half of them, and gave the rest away to people who mattered in Tokyo’s creative scene. This was not a marketing strategy at first. It was a budget constraint. But the scarcity it created — accidental, then deliberate — became BAPE’s entire identity. SideshoweBay

Medicom Toy launched Bearbrick in 2001, eight years after BAPE opened its doors. Same city, similar logic: make things in small numbers, work with people who have their own audience, let the object carry the collaboration’s energy. Nigo understood this instinctively. He’d been doing it with T-shirts since 1993.

The first BAPE Bearbrick came out in the early 2000s. It made sense immediately. Both brands were Japanese, both were running on scarcity and cultural credibility, and both had communities that collected obsessively. The only question was what they’d do together — and they’ve been answering that question ever since.

This is the full story of the BAPE Bearbrick collaboration: the figures, the history, the prices, and what makes this particular partnership different from every other Bearbrick release.

Who Built BAPE and Why It Matters to This Story

You can’t really understand what a BAPE Bearbrick is without knowing what BAPE is — not the brand in the abstract, but the specific thing Nigo built in Harajuku and what made it unusual.

Nigo was born Tomoaki Nagao in 1970. He studied at Bunka Fashion College and worked as an editor and stylist for Popeye magazine before opening NOWHERE with Jun Takahashi of Undercover in 1993. He was not from a fashion family. His parents were indifferent to what he was doing. What he had was taste, and a network — specifically, access to Hiroshi Fujiwara, the person most credited with bringing hip-hop culture to Japan, who became his mentor and gave the store early credibility.

The BAPE name came from a graphic designer named SK8THING, who suggested the concept after a five-hour marathon of Planet of the Apes films. The name references a Japanese idiom about bathing in lukewarm water — an ironic jab at the overindulged young people who would become BAPE’s core customers. There’s something deliberately self-aware about that. Nigo was building a brand that charged high prices and produced low quantities, and he named it after the people who would pay those prices.

By 1998, BAPE was selling through 40 stores across Japan. Nigo pulled it from all of them and concentrated everything back into one location in Shibuya. Sales stayed roughly the same. That decision — one store, controlled access, deliberate friction — became the formula that Supreme and every other scarcity-driven streetwear brand would follow for the next twenty years.

Nigo met KAWS in 1996 and became an early supporter of his work. In 2005, he commissioned him a painting — which became the KAWS Album, eventually sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for $14.8 million in 2019. Nigo understood early that the interesting collision was between streetwear, art, and collectible culture. The BAPE Bearbrick is a direct expression of that understanding.

In 2011, Nigo sold BAPE to Hong Kong fashion conglomerate I.T Group, staying on as creative director until 2013 before leaving entirely. He went on to build Human Made, then became artistic director at Kenzo. BAPE continued without him. The Bearbrick collaboration continued too — it’s been running consistently since 2009 regardless of who’s running the brand.

The BAPE Bearbrick: What Makes It Instantly Recognisable

There’s a specific visual language to BAPE Bearbricks that you’d recognise in a lineup of fifty figures. It’s not complicated — it’s BAPE’s own language, applied to the Bearbrick format with enough specificity that the bear clearly belongs to both parties simultaneously.

The dominant element is camo. BAPE’s 1st Camo pattern — the one with the Ape Head hidden inside the camouflage — has appeared across essentially every BAPE Bearbrick release in some form. It works on the format because the Bearbrick’s smooth, rounded surface is close to a blank canvas, and the camo pattern reads clearly against it. You don’t need to see the BAPE logo to know what you’re looking at.

The second signature element is the Shark Hoodie. In clothing form, BAPE’s shark hoodie is the piece the brand is most associated with globally — the one where the zipper pulls up over the face to reveal teeth printed on the hood. In Bearbrick form, Medicom and BAPE have done something genuinely clever with this: the 400% and 1000% figures can wear a miniature functional version of the hoodie, sewn from fabric with the same camo details as the clothing version. The 1000% variant often comes with felt eyes and teeth to complete the effect.

This is different from most character Bearbricks, where the “costume” is painted directly onto the vinyl. A BAPE Shark Hoodie Bearbrick is wearing actual fabric. That’s a manufacturing choice that costs more and takes longer, and it’s why certain BAPE Bearbricks sit at a different price point from standard releases.

The third signature is Baby Milo — BAPE’s cartoon monkey character, used across their more playful releases. Baby Milo Bearbricks tend to be smaller (100% and 400%) and skew toward the lifestyle side of the market rather than the serious collector end. They’re more approachable entry points into the BAPE Bearbrick catalogue.

The Releases: A Timeline of BAPE × Medicom Toy

Early 2000s — The First Wave

BAPE and Medicom Toy have been collaborating on Bearbricks since 2009 as an annual anniversary item. Before that, earlier releases existed but were less formalised. The very early BAPE Bearbricks from the 2003-2005 period — including the Play Camo versions — are now genuinely difficult to source. A 2003 BAPE Play Camo 400% in good condition with original packaging commands serious secondary market interest, not because it was produced in tiny numbers, but because two decades of handling, storage variation, and collector turnover have winnowed the supply of clean examples.

These early figures established the visual template that every subsequent release would build on: the 1st Camo pattern, the Ape Head, the specific BAPE colourways. They’re reference points more than just collectibles.

The Anniversary Series (2009 Onwards)

Starting in 2009, BAPE formalised its Bearbrick collaboration as an annual anniversary release. Each year, they produce figures tied to the brand’s founding year — 28 colourways for the 28th anniversary, for example. These releases are structured as series, with multiple waves throughout the year, and they cover 100% and 400% sizes in the standard anniversary format.

The anniversary series is where casual BAPE fans enter the Bearbrick world. The figures are produced in larger quantities than the flagship shark hoodie versions, retail at accessible price points, and represent clean, wearable BAPE design applied to the bear format. They’re not the rarest BAPE Bearbricks — but they’re the most consistent.

The Shark Hoodie Versions — Core of the Collection

These are the figures serious collectors focus on. In 2016, BAPE released a full collection of 1st Camo Shark Hoodie Bearbricks in 100%, 400%, and 1000% sizes, in red, black, and blue colourways. The drop hit BAPE stores, Project 1/6, Medicom Store Skytree Soramachi, and Medicom’s online store simultaneously.

The Shark Hoodie 1000% is the figure that sits at the centre of the BAPE Bearbrick market. At 70 centimetres tall, wearing a fabric shark hoodie with functioning zipper and camo detailing, it’s a display piece that communicates BAPE’s identity clearly even to people who don’t know the brand well. The shark face hood pulled up over the Bearbrick’s head reads as a costume — which is essentially what it is.

Multiple colourways have been released across different years. Grey, navy, red, black — each with slightly different camo pattern applications and hoodie detailing. Collectors who focus on BAPE Bearbricks often pursue specific colourways rather than just one of everything.

The Mastermind Japan Triple Collaboration (2021 and 2024)

In 2021 and again in 2024, BAPE collaborated with both Medicom Toy and Mastermind Japan on a triple collaboration 1000% Bearbrick. The figure carries Mastermind’s skull and crossbones alongside BAPE’s shark motif, applied to BAPE’s 1st Camo pattern in a special edition that combines the visual identity of all three parties.

This is a figure that appeals to collectors across three communities simultaneously: BAPE collectors, Mastermind Japan collectors, and Bearbrick collectors. The overlap between those three groups is not enormous, which is part of what makes the figures interesting. You’re not buying something with universal recognition — you’re buying something specific to a particular intersection of taste.

The 2024 version also appeared in Chogokin form — a die-cast alloy version produced in collaboration with Bandai, available in green and yellow colourways. The alloy construction means no visible screws or joints, just a clean weighted form in metal rather than vinyl. This is not something Medicom Toy does often. The material is completely different from standard Bearbrick production, and the result is an object that feels more like sculpture than toy.

The BAPE Flyer Pattern / Legacy Camo Shark (2025)

In 2025, BAPE and Medicom released the “Legacy Camo Shark” collection — a full set of 100%, 400%, and 1000% figures using BAPE’s Flyer Pattern as the main design. The 400% and 1000% versions come with a special Shark Hoodie, with the 1000% including felt eyes and teeth.

The Flyer Pattern is inspired by the visual of a wall covered in promotional flyers — applied across the entire surface of the bear, with the shark hoodie switching to the standard camo pattern on part of the hood. This is a 2025 release, which means it’s recent enough that secondary market prices haven’t fully settled yet. For collectors looking to enter the BAPE Bearbrick market at the high end without paying premium retrospective prices, the Legacy Camo Shark 1000% is the most logical current entry point.

Baby Milo Figures

Scattered through the BAPE Bearbrick history are Baby Milo releases — the brand’s cartoon monkey applied to the 100% and 400% format. These are lighter in tone than the shark hoodie and camo releases, aimed at a broader audience, and retail at more accessible prices. The early Baby Milo figures from the Pepsi NEX collaboration (produced with Medicom and Pepsi as a promotional item) are small and often appear in blind box format, which makes them collectible in a different way from the flagship figures.

Baby Milo figures are a good place to start if you’re new to BAPE Bearbricks and want to understand the aesthetic before committing to a 1000% shark hoodie version.

The Readymade Collaboration: The Most Extreme BAPE Bearbrick Ever Made

This one deserves its own section because it’s a different category from everything else.

In 2018, Medicom Toy produced a triple collaboration with BAPE and Readymade — the brand founded by Japanese designer Yuta Hosokawa, known for working with deconstructed military materials. The result was a 1000% Bearbrick dressed in a real, functional BAPE shark hoodie made from Readymade’s signature vintage military fabric. Functioning zipper. Real ribbed hems. Chenille patches. A tiny working pocket.

It retailed for around $2,700. On the secondary market, StockX has seen it reach $121,000.

The gap between those two numbers — roughly 4,400% — is one of the most dramatic resale premiums ever recorded for a Bearbrick. The reasons are specific: the triple collaboration was produced in genuinely small numbers; the Readymade involvement gave it appeal beyond the standard BAPE and Bearbrick collector bases; and the physical craftsmanship of the hoodie is legitimately unusual for a toy. This figure is not primarily a Bearbrick — it’s a wearable garment on a Bearbrick chassis, and the garment was made by a serious designer with a serious material commitment.

Most collectors who know the BAPE Bearbrick market rank the Readymade collaboration as the single most significant figure in the catalogue. Finding one with verified provenance and original packaging is not easy. When they appear, the prices reflect that.

Prices: What the BAPE Bearbrick Market Actually Looks Like

The BAPE Bearbrick market is tiered, and the tiers are distinct.

At the entry level — recent anniversary series figures in 100% and 400% — prices run from $30 to $250 on the secondary market depending on colourway and condition. These are accessible. They’re not particularly scarce. They represent the aesthetic clearly and work as shelf pieces.

For standard shark hoodie figures in 400% from the 2016-2021 releases, secondary market prices generally sit between $200 and $600 depending on colourway. The rarer colourways (certain grey or special edition runs) push higher.

The shark hoodie 1000% versions are the core market. Clean examples from the 2016-2021 period trade between $600 and $2,000 depending on colourway, condition, and whether the original box is present. The Mastermind Japan triple collaboration versions sit at the higher end of this range or above it, given the three-way brand premium.

The Readymade collaboration is its own category. $10,000 minimum for a clean authenticated example; considerably more for exceptional provenance.

The Chogokin metal versions from 2024 are too recent for secondary market prices to have settled clearly, but initial secondary listings suggest a 200-300% premium over retail.

Early 2000s figures — the original Play Camo, Baby Milo Pepsi releases — sit in the $200-$500 range for clean examples in original packaging, which isn’t actually that expensive given their age. The BAPE collector base has grown significantly since those figures were produced, and the market hasn’t fully caught up with the historical significance of the earliest pieces.

BAPE Bearbrick vs. Other Major Collaborations

Where does BAPE sit in the broader Bearbrick collector hierarchy?

It’s not KAWS. The KAWS Bearbrick market is deeper, older, and more connected to the fine art world — figures like the Dissected Companion have a decade of auction house records behind them and collectors from completely separate communities competing for the same pieces. A rare KAWS 1000% Dissected will typically command more than any standard BAPE shark hoodie.

It’s not Chanel. The Chanel Bearbrick has 1,000 numbered pieces in existence total, a Karl Lagerfeld story attached to it, and a fashion collector community with different spending patterns from the streetwear world. The price floor on a Chanel Bearbrick is higher than almost any BAPE Bearbrick except the Readymade.

But BAPE has something neither of those collaborations has: an ongoing relationship with Medicom Toy that produces new figures regularly. KAWS and Chanel are largely historical — you’re buying the past. BAPE and Medicom are actively making new things, which means the market refreshes, new collector entry points appear, and the catalogue keeps growing.

The BAPE Bearbrick also has a specific cultural context that the art collaborations don’t: it exists inside the streetwear world. Buyers are often people who also own BAPE clothing, who follow Bearbrick drops the same way they follow sneaker releases, who understand the BAPE camo as a cultural reference rather than just a design. That specificity makes the collector community cohesive and invested.

How to Collect BAPE Bearbricks Without Making Expensive Mistakes

The BAPE Bearbrick market has fakes. Not crude ones — the prices justify quality counterfeiting at the shark hoodie and Readymade end of the market. Here’s what separates authentic from fake.

The fabric on shark hoodie versions is the first test. Authentic BAPE Bearbrick hoodies use specific materials with consistent stitching quality, proper zipper movement, and camo patterns that align correctly at the seams. Cheap reproductions get the general look right but the stitching density wrong.

The vinyl quality on the figure itself matters. BAPE and Medicom’s authentic figures have a specific surface finish — matte where it should be matte, with clean paint application on the camo pattern. Fakes often show paint bleed at pattern edges or a slightly off finish on the vinyl surface.

The packaging is documentation, not decoration. BAPE Bearbrick boxes have specific construction — material weight, printing quality, the way the Medicom and BAPE logos are reproduced. An authentic figure in a reproduction box is worth considerably less than the same figure in an original box. A reproduction box next to a reproduction figure is a problem.

For the Readymade collaboration specifically: provenance documentation is essential. At these prices, you need to know where the figure came from and be able to verify it. Established dealers, auction houses with authentication processes, or direct purchase from original owners with documentation are the only safe options.

Buy from people with track records. The BAPE community — on Reddit, on Discord, on platforms like StockX — is well-connected and has seen enough fakes to know what to look for. New sellers with no history and prices that seem low for what they’re offering are sellers to avoid.

Display and Care

A 1000% BAPE Bearbrick in a shark hoodie needs space and consideration. The vinyl responds to temperature variation and direct sunlight the same way all Bearbricks do — gradual yellowing, potential paint fading, stress on the joint areas if the figure is moved repeatedly. The fabric hoodie adds complexity: it accumulates dust, and on rare figures, even dust is a problem because cleaning requires care.

Most serious collectors keep shark hoodie figures in their original boxes when not displayed, and display smaller sizes out of box. The box isn’t just packaging — it’s part of the object, and the secondary market reflects this clearly. A 1000% Readymade collaboration without its original box is worth significantly less than the same figure with everything intact.

If you’re going to display out of box: stable temperature, no direct light, a surface that won’t scratch the base. These figures are not fragile in normal handling, but they’re also not toys in the everyday sense. Treat them like the objects they are.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the BAPE Bearbrick collaboration start?

The formal annual anniversary collaboration with Medicom Toy started in 2009, though earlier BAPE Bearbrick figures were produced in the early 2000s. The relationship has been continuous since.

What is the rarest BAPE Bearbrick?

The 2018 BAPE x Readymade 1000% is the rarest and most valuable, with secondary market prices reaching $121,000. Among standard shark hoodie figures, early colourways from the 2016 release and the Mastermind Japan triple collaboration versions are the hardest to find in clean condition.

What sizes do BAPE Bearbricks come in?

100% (7cm), 400% (28cm), and 1000% (70cm) are the main sizes. Some BAPE Bearbrick releases also include 70% novelty figures bundled with clothing purchases. The Chogokin metal versions also exist in 1000% scale.

How do I know if a BAPE Bearbrick is authentic?

Check fabric quality on shark hoodie versions, paint application on the camo pattern, vinyl surface finish, and original packaging. Buy from sellers with documented track records and, for high-value pieces, ask for provenance documentation.

Are BAPE Bearbricks a good investment?

The Readymade collaboration has appreciated dramatically. Standard shark hoodie releases have held value and shown moderate appreciation. Anniversary series figures are accessible and liquid but don’t show significant appreciation. As with any collector market: buy what you find genuinely interesting, not what you hope will appreciate.

What’s the difference between a BAPE Bearbrick and a regular Bearbrick?

Beyond the design, the main difference on shark hoodie and higher-end releases is the fabric hoodie — an actual sewn garment rather than painted-on design. This makes certain BAPE Bearbricks more technically complex to produce than standard vinyl figures.