Halloween - BE@RBRICK
Halloween is possibly the most famously fun holiday in the world. Many cultures still celebrate the holiday's origins related to honoring the dead. Others take the day as an opportunity to dress up and have a creepy, horror-themed party. Medicom Toy has been celebrating Halloween with BE@RBRICK figures for over 15 years. These fun and festive figures represent the company's best celebratory efforts: "Halloween BE@RBRICK 100%" and "Halloween BE@RBRICK 2016 400%."
Halloween and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
While not a classic collaboration, Medicom Toy began celebrating Halloween with BE@BRICK figures starting in 2005. The last figure in this line celebrated Halloween of 2017.
Collaboration Planning and Launch History
BE@RBRICK's first Halloween figure, released in 2005, featured a black and glow-in-the-dark jack-o-lantern motif. 2009 marked the first year collectors had two BE@RBRICK figure options for the holiday. The biggest year in Halloween BE@RBRICK production was 2014. That year, Medicom Toy released a massive collection of Halloween-themed Disney figures as well as a unique holiday BE@RBRICK. In 2017, Medicom Toy made the last Halloween celebratory BE@RBRICK on record. However, the company's partner storefront, project 1/6, continues to create a Halloween-themed display every October. The display incorporates that year's BE@RBRICKs decorated for Halloween, previous Halloween figures, and other products from Medicom Toy.
Halloween BE@RBRICK 100%
Medicom Toy's most recent Halloween BE@RBRICK takes its design from Halloween's most popular candy selection. The figure's head resembles an open, smirking jack-o-lantern. Inside, the lantern is filled with wrapped hard candies and candy corn, much like a trick-or-treat bucket. Each limb has been painted to resemble a different Halloween candy as well. The left arm is vertically striped red and white like a peppermint stick. The right arm has horizontal backs of color like a pack of lifesavers. A frosted and sprinkled chocolate cupcake forms the figure's rotund middle. Above the belly, a pink and yellow "Happy Halloween" adorns the bear's chest. The legs are sticks of chocolate decorated with a skull, spooky spider, and "Trick-or-Treat" logo. The ears resemble a peppermint candy and lollipop respectively, completing the sweet design.
- Product Name: Halloween BE@RBRICK 100%
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Painted & articulated plastic figure
- Height (Approx.): 70mm | 2.8"
Halloween BE@RBRICK 2016 400%
This creepy kitty Halloween BE@RBRICK from 2016 makes a unique addition to any figure collection. The main motif takes inspiration from stories surrounding black cats on Halloween. The face has been painted in cat style, with large eyes, a triangular nose, and whiskers. All the facial features glow in the dark, giving the figure an eerie effect. The ears take advantage of the glow-in-the-dark feature. Cat-like, pointed ears have been painted on the figure's round ear model. The glow in the dark paint surrounds the ear outline, giving the appearance of a shadow against a full moon. A glow in the dark cat tail curls up the figure's back. On top of the tail is a witch's hat with "2016" written on the band.
- Product Name: Halloween BE@RBRICK 2016 400%
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Painted & articulated plastic figure
- Height (Approx.): 280mm | 11"
Halloween Background
Halloween is a popular holiday celebrated in most countries on October 31st. The holiday has its roots in the Irish festival Samhain and related Western Christian practices. Today, it is a largely secular celebration related to horror media.
Halloween Background: History
Most folklorists believe practices associated with Halloween can be traced back to pagan festivals in Celtic-speaking countries. These festivals marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year. Many believed at this time the boundary between the regular world and Otherworld, home to spirits and faeries, was weakened during this time. As a result, practices such as fortune-telling and divination became widespread, especially regarding death and marriage. After the introduction of Christianity, the festival merged with the liturgical Allhallowtide, a three-day holiday honoring the dead. On the first day of Allhallowtide, All Hallow's Eve became synonymous with both the dead and evil spirits entering the realm of the living.
Halloween Background: Celebration
Many celebratory customs related to Halloween can be traced back to early Gaelic and Christian traditions. The childhood game of bobbing for apples relates to divination practices related to marriage. Jack-o-lanterns reference the lanterns carried on All Hallow's Eve to frighten evil spirits from dwelling amongst the living. Notably, the custom of trick-or-treating has its origins in Gaelic guising. Originally, people would dress in costumes representing the recently departed spirits. They would go around town asking for donations on behalf of the spirit, much like the modern practice of children asking for candy.
Other Notable Brand Collaborations
Medicom Toy's largest Halloween figure celebration was in 2014 in collaboration with Disney
2014 Wow! BE@RBRICK Disney Halloween Collaboration
In 2014, Medicom Toy released a multi-figure collection of Halloween-inspired Disney BE@RBRICKs. This collaboration included three distinct collections depicting classic Disney characters in Halloween-related designs. The first set featured Disney's Sensational Six and Chip and Dale in ghost costumes with painted milky white sheets draped over their heads. The second was a set of similarly popular characters wearing traditionally popular Halloween costumes, such as witches and vampires. Finally, five of the main Disney characters received brightly colored "Trick or Tre@t" themed figures. The collaboration was a limited event released with only the seasonal stock available for sale.
Links
Halloween BE@RBRICK 100%
Halloween BE@RBRICK 2016 400%
BE@RBRICK Series
BE@BRICK Label