Josh Luber

I mean, you know, Chanel has done Bear Bricks, right? But it was not so big that you have these monoliths in the space. In the collectible toy space, you have Funko, you have Medicom, which makes Bearbrick, and that's kind of it. And both of those are relatively small companies. Hasbro and Mattel and Lego, that's different, right?

I mean, you know, Chanel has done Bear Bricks, right? But it was not so big that you have these monoliths in the space. In the collectible toy space, you have Funko, you have Medicom, which makes Bearbrick, and that's kind of it. And both of those are relatively small companies. Hasbro and Mattel and Lego, that's different, right?

So it was really this sort of perfect place to go after this idea that we'd always had around the different ways that you could buy or sell these products, these sort of hype economy products. And so it really was this perfect transition for me to be able to do this.

So it was really this sort of perfect place to go after this idea that we'd always had around the different ways that you could buy or sell these products, these sort of hype economy products. And so it really was this perfect transition for me to be able to do this.

Look, today we have to make collectible toys, and it's a toy business, but underneath it, it's this idea of how the hype economy grows, these toys, collectibles that are our financial assets. So there's a lot to it, but the short version is it's actually the same idea for me as an entrepreneur, the same big idea that I've always wanted to go after, and now I get to do it on my own.

Look, today we have to make collectible toys, and it's a toy business, but underneath it, it's this idea of how the hype economy grows, these toys, collectibles that are our financial assets. So there's a lot to it, but the short version is it's actually the same idea for me as an entrepreneur, the same big idea that I've always wanted to go after, and now I get to do it on my own.

I don't have a billionaire MBA owner as a partner. That's good. Maybe that's bad. We'll find out. But anyway, I get to go after it. And most importantly, I get to work with exactly who I want to work with. It's me and 10 other people. They're all people that I've worked with before at one or both the other companies. And a business is just people, man, like that's it.

I don't have a billionaire MBA owner as a partner. That's good. Maybe that's bad. We'll find out. But anyway, I get to go after it. And most importantly, I get to work with exactly who I want to work with. It's me and 10 other people. They're all people that I've worked with before at one or both the other companies. And a business is just people, man, like that's it.

And so I get to work with the people I want to work with.

And so I get to work with the people I want to work with.

Well, I actually tried to buy Bearbrick. I tried to buy Medicom. I had heard they were a sale. Yeah, yeah. I really think that Bearbrick has this sort of perfect product that they've been making. Medicom, the Japanese company that makes Bearbrick, they've been making for 25 years. And, you know, Bearbrick, the whole rest of the collectible toy industry, it's all IP. It's characters.

Well, I actually tried to buy Bearbrick. I tried to buy Medicom. I had heard they were a sale. Yeah, yeah. I really think that Bearbrick has this sort of perfect product that they've been making. Medicom, the Japanese company that makes Bearbrick, they've been making for 25 years. And, you know, Bearbrick, the whole rest of the collectible toy industry, it's all IP. It's characters.

It's Spider-Man. It's Astro Boy. It's Cause. You know, it's Iron Man. But Bearbrick is just a shape. It's a blank canvas. It's a human body with a bear head. And so because of that, it gives them this much wider aperture to work with all the most important brands, right? You could put Iron Man on a Bearbrick or it could be a Warhol painting or the American flag or whatever.

It's Spider-Man. It's Astro Boy. It's Cause. You know, it's Iron Man. But Bearbrick is just a shape. It's a blank canvas. It's a human body with a bear head. And so because of that, it gives them this much wider aperture to work with all the most important brands, right? You could put Iron Man on a Bearbrick or it could be a Warhol painting or the American flag or whatever.

And so, you know, and by the way, that's what a trading card is. A trading card is a blank canvas. It can be Wemby or it could be the backup shortstop for the twins. And the value of that is dependent on who is on that blank canvas. So I always thought there was all this you could do with Bearbrick, but they are a very Japanese company. They've stayed very much in their ways.

And so, you know, and by the way, that's what a trading card is. A trading card is a blank canvas. It can be Wemby or it could be the backup shortstop for the twins. And the value of that is dependent on who is on that blank canvas. So I always thought there was all this you could do with Bearbrick, but they are a very Japanese company. They've stayed very much in their ways.

They've done the same thing for 25 years. And so I thought, I was like, you have this iconic brand, you know, maybe I could sort of, and you know what? They just really weren't interested in having that conversation. So great. So then we had to figure out how do we create our own blank canvas. I left Fanatics Collectibles in October of 22, and we spent eight months designing the shape.

They've done the same thing for 25 years. And so I thought, I was like, you have this iconic brand, you know, maybe I could sort of, and you know what? They just really weren't interested in having that conversation. So great. So then we had to figure out how do we create our own blank canvas. I left Fanatics Collectibles in October of 22, and we spent eight months designing the shape.

A ghost, like a bare brick, is a blank canvas. There's no face, there's no gender. The ghost itself is not a character. It's about how it takes to skins. And it took a while to get to a shape that wasn't too much of a character, but also really took well at the skin.

A ghost, like a bare brick, is a blank canvas. There's no face, there's no gender. The ghost itself is not a character. It's about how it takes to skins. And it took a while to get to a shape that wasn't too much of a character, but also really took well at the skin.