collector's profile: the boy behind bare

This letter B stands for...

... the handsome Bill Psonis (below), the brains behind Bare (barenomore.com), an online toy shop based in Greece. He's the one who took the pic of the Series 16 'B' Bearbrick (above) against the famous White Tower of Thessaloniki.

Bill told me that his love for Bearbricks inspired him to start his own web-based shop in 2006. Today, he sells a good variety of toy brands such as Medicom, Toy2r, Kidrobot, Amos Toys, Strangeco, Crazylabel and creations from known designers like Kaws, Michael Lau, Patrick Chow, Kennyswork, Devilrobots and upcoming ones like Michael Kwong and T9G.

His blog (which you can access from barenomore.com) highlights new toy releases, as well as news about designers that he personally likes.

That's a 1000% Mastermind Bearbrick he is holding in the pic above. (I love his dotted Nike Dunk shoes designed by Japanese musician/trendsetter Hiroshi Fujiwara.)


(Above) His shop's official business card. You can tell he's a very creative guy.

(Below) Bill with his 1000% (0r 28-inch) Bearbricks and other toys from his collection.

(Left to right) Sex Pistols "Never mind the Bollocks", Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen", Rolling Stone, and Mastermind. FYI, the 16-inch bear on the extreme right is not a Bearbrick – it's a Qee Toyer Bear.

As you can see, Bill (in black Converse x Fujiwara sneakers) has a simple but sharp sense of style. He wears Sophnet, Visvim, Originalfake & Head Porter Plus, all trendy street fashion brands from Japan.

He has around one hundred eighty 100% Bearbricks...

...and twenty-five 400%s (or 10-inch) bears.

Aside from Bearbricks, Bill also collects Kubricks and Hasbro Star Wars 4-inch figures. His favorite Asian toy designer is Michael Lau. He told me that he even managed to get Lau's latest CSBOOTH16 figures in his shop – at very reasonable prices!

Part of his vision was to provide toy collectors an alternative to today's outrageous eBay prices. Boy, do we need more guys like Bill! :-)

Bare Shopping Tip: Enjoy FREE shipping via registered airmail for all purchases above 70euro. Happy shopping!

All pics by Bill Psonis / Nike X Fujiwara pic from www.tierze.ro

who's afraid of the number 13?

In the condominium where I live, there is no 13th floor, just like in most of the buildings that I've been to.

Likewise, you won't find 'row 13' in the majority of airplanes.

In Formula One racing, no car is numbered 13.

It is reported that in Scotland, all airports have no gate 13, only 12B.

After Wordperfect Office 12, Corel named their succeeding software Wordperfect Office X3, conspicuously avoiding the number 13.

Despite this widespread triskaidekaphobia (or fear of the number 13), there are those who have achieved huge success and fame by wearing the number on their uniforms: Basketball greats Wilt Chamberlain of the L.A. Lakers and Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns. Football superstar Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins. And power-hitter Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.

It seems that the fierce and the fearless can conquer the curse.

(Top, left) Gallery 1950, a design/lifestyle retailer in Tokyo, bravely celebrates its 13th anniversary with this polka-dotted Bearbrick. This bear is available in 100% and 400% sizes.

Info from wikipedia / www.g1950.com

where can i find be@rbricks?

Guys, can you help me – Carrie, Dominique, Sunny, Fiona, Jake, Stu, Johny, Lil Lam, Erueti, Littleoslo... everyone out there!

People have been e-mailing me, wanting to know where to buy Bearbricks in Asia, the US, Europe, Middle East, South America, etcetera.

If you know any store that sells Bearbricks, kindly give me the store name, complete address (city and country), and telephone number (if any). You may event want to include a review of these stores if you like – that can be very helpful for others. I'd like to make list of all Bearbrick retailers around the world, courtesy of all the readers of this blog. :-)

E-mail me at acomia@pldtdsl.net or simply comment on this entry – thank you very much!

Monster Bearbrick: The bear at the top is designed by the Japanese toy retailer Monster Japan, in celebration of its 15th Anniversary. The store is located at Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0021 Ebisunishi 1-6-1 / Telephone: (03) 3463-3555