The First Toy for My Own Child – MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY

AkashiI believe we first met during a magazine interview. That’s when the idea of creating a BE@RBRICK came up, wasn't it?

ChiakiI was already a huge fan of BE@RBRICK, and since it was my first time meeting President Akashi, I think I expressed all my feelings and my desire to design one.

AkashiThat was after you had your child, wasn't it?

ChiakiYes, that’s right. I gave birth in 2003.

AkashiYou wanted to give your daughter a rattle, so you wanted to make it the first toy for your child,—MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY.

The title was decided at that stage. You created a wonderful concept. It’s been 12 years since then. It’s astonishing.

ChiakiI’m so happy it’s lasted this long!

AkashiThen you asked, “Are there any BE@RBRICKs with something inside?” I said, “No.” You asked, “Can you make one?” I replied, “Let’s try.” Then you said, “I want it in pastel colors.” I think that was the flow.




BE@RBRICKs were collected by boys, so I decided this would be for girls. For the Bear Bell, I also came up with a magical girl-style story.

AkashiWe were planning to do things like create a theme song, but while we were preparing for that, we received an offer from the Parisian select shop Colette for MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY.

ChiakiThat was a surprise.

AkashiSarah Andelman, who was the Creative Director at Colette at the time, insisted that she absolutely wanted this Colette version. When I asked Sarah if she knew Chiaki, she said, “I don’t know the details, but this design is wonderful.”

ChiakiThat makes me so happy!

AkashiAfter seeing Colette’s success, Isetan in Shinjuku approached us wanting to do MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY as well. We also produced 1000% versions for Colette and Isetan.

Then, in 2011, an anniversary white model was released to commemorate Medicom Toy’s 15th anniversary, and there was a gap of about five years after that.

BE@RBRICK TM & © 2001-2019 MEDICOM TOY CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Page.02I think that design is that appealing.

I think that design is that appealing.

AkashiThe staff at our flagship store, 1/6計画, told us, “Customers are constantly asking if MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY will be released again, so we’d really like to have a shop-exclusive model.”





AkashiAfter that, we released Chogokin, innersect Ver., NY@BRICK, and R@BBRICK, and the latest model isthe model to be released in Macau this summer.

From July 5th (Friday) to September 15th (Sunday), it will be the main icon at the Galaxy Macau shopping mall. Other participating brands include prestigious names like Neil Barrett and MARNI.

ChiakiYou’re right. Sergio Rossi is there too.

AkashiAgain, this wasn't something we initiated; they approached us wanting to feature MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY as the main icon.

Honestly, I was surprised. I’m incredibly honored, and I’m sure Chiaki will be delighted, but I did ask if the other designers were okay with it. They all agreed.

It’s truly gratifying that we continue to receive offers from around the world to create MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY.

ChiakiI wonder why?

AkashiI think that design is that appealing. And this is what will be released at this year’s MEDICOM TOY EXHIBITION.

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MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY SPACE Ver. 100% & 400% / 1000%

Scheduled for release in July 2019 in limited quantities at MEDICOM TOY PLUS.
100% & 400%: ¥12,000 (excluding tax). 1000%: ¥48,000 (excluding tax)
Inquiries: MEDICOM TOY PLUS Tel. 03-3479-5555

Designed by CHIAKI (CIROL & Co.)

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AkashiThis year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. To commemorate this, we wondered if we could combine MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY with official space photography, and asked Chiaki to look at it.

ChiakiI might be good at this kind of thing.

AkashiThis is also a FIRST STEP, a giant leap for mankind.

BE@RBRICK TM & © 2001-2019 MEDICOM TOY CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Page.03Perhaps a mother's perspective could bring originality.

Perhaps a mother's perspective could bring originality.

ChiakiI agonized over what to put inside the rattle at first.

AkashiLooking at the first rough sketch Chiaki drew, I thought necklace beads might work.

ChiakiThe size of the beads had to be just right for the rattle to sound.

AkashiAnd the quantity too. We found that the best sound came when the amount filled the head completely when turned upside down. We tried many things. Even after all this, I’m sure more designs will emerge.

What Chiaki said that pleased me was when she expressed her desire to create MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY using every color imaginable from around the world.

ChiakiI felt like it could become anything. Whether in three colors, two colors, or a single color. I also like solid green or solid purple. When I’m asked my favorite color, I always reply, “All of them.” I like so many colors, so I can keep going.

AkashiFor many artists and creators, MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY seems to be a kind of ultimate goal. They often say they want to create designs that allow for ongoing BE@RBRICK collaborations, just like Chiaki.

ChiakiThat’s probably because I loved BE@RBRICK from the start. If I had been asked without knowing about it, the design might have been completely different. I had been thinking about what I would do if I were asked, even before the offer came, so I thought a toy with something inside that makes noise didn't exist yet.



ChiakiThere were already many designs I liked. The national flag design is straightforward, and the one with the text by San-dai-me Uo-bu Hamada Shigeo was brilliant. I wanted fluorescent colors, and they started appearing one after another. Initially, I wanted to do something with a strawberry motif, but that already existed, so I thought about how I could do it differently. Just printing it wouldn't be enough. After giving birth, I thought that perhaps a mother's perspective could bring a unique originality that others wouldn't have.


AkashiIt was a completely new perspective.

ChiakiIf the concept is for ages 0 and up, it absolutely must rattle, but putting something inside felt taboo, so I thought it might not be possible. If it hadn't been possible, perhaps it would have become a pastel-colored BE@RBRICK without a rattle. Then it might have just been ordinary.

AkashiYour daughter must have been about three or four years old then. Did she actually play with MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY?

ChiakiShe did. Adults would probably cherish it as a display piece, but when I gave it to her, she treated it quite roughly, as if asking, “What is this?” So I figured it was okay if it got worn out. But that’s what MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY is all about.

AkashiShe’s 16 now, isn’t she?

ChiakiYes. First year of high school.

AkashiShe’s grown so much. What kind of toys did she play with when she was little?



she’d create a place for a stylus, fold the paper to make it springy so the buttons could be pressed. That’s how she’d get closer and closer, and then finally receive the real thing on her birthday or Christmas. That’s why she cherishes them so much.

AkashiThat’s why she’d cherish them. It feels like the right way to raise a child.

ChiakiEventually, she started making clothes out of paper too. I thought clothes aren’t made of paper, but I didn’t say anything. Then, when she ran into trouble because they were too thick to wear or tore, I finally introduced her to fabric, saying, “This is called cloth.” That’s when she said, “I want to make things with this!”

AkashiHave discussions about her future career path started yet?

ChiakiShe seems to still be undecided.

AkashiI personally think she’ll go into a creative field. If she designs a BE@RBRICK someday, we could have a parent-child 2-pack, couldn’t we?

ChiakiThat’s an interesting idea. A child who grew up with MY FIRST BE@RBRICK B@BY designing a BE@RBRICK.

AkashiI feel that customers are increasingly willing to pay for the story behind a product, not just the product itself. It’s wonderful that you create things together with your daughter. Would you consider designing something, even if it’s just a long shot?

ChiakiReally?

AkashiLet’s definitely do it!