前幾天，看新聞時，提到近幾年只要到各大百貨、商圈走一圈，就能看到各式各樣的品牌快閃店，為什麼快閃店行銷在近年會如此的火熱呢？主要是消費者購物習慣的改變，消費族群越來越注重體驗，但是，開一間實體店的成本是非常高的，所以，快閃店這種短期駐點形式，能讓消費者體驗，且能測試市場反應的方式，就應運而生了，難怪，我最近閒逛時，常常逛一逛，就逛到某家快閃店了。
這家快閃店，就座落在信義區的某家百貨商場內，我一經過時，就被店內外所展示的 BE@RBRICK 公仔所吸引，BE@RBRICK 中文翻譯為庫柏力克熊，又被稱為「積木熊」和「暴力熊」，它由日本玩具公司 MEDICOM TOY 所推出的泰迪熊公仔，以紀念泰迪熊誕生100周年，名字來自 Bear（熊）與 Brick（積木）結合，它是我少數知道的潮流玩具，雖然它的造型非常簡單，就是一隻兩耳圓圓、像樂高人偶比例的泰迪熊，但是它卻擁有無限可能，不少明星如周杰倫、余文樂、G-Dragon 都是 BE@RBRICK 的收藏家。
快閃店店內用天空藍作為背景，非常大膽且特別，不虧是賣潮流玩具的，店內的各式潮流玩具，就是主角，而店內主要的潮流玩具，就是 BE@RBRICK，還有少數的潮流玩具，但是我不熟，而我也只想近距離的欣賞各式 BE@RBRIC 泰迪熊公仔，BE@RBRICK 比較常見的尺寸有 100%（約 7cm）、400%（約 28cm）及 1000%（約 70cm），通常尺寸越大越貴，但是，還是要看聯名合作的藝術家的熱門程度，所以價錢討論的空間很大，現場都有標價，一看到它捫的價錢，我想，我還是靜靜地欣賞就好。
最近 Labubu 這品牌很火熱，它也算是潮流玩具之一，連新聞都提到，有英國的粉絲為了爭搶 Labubu 公仔，大打出手，雖然我可以理解粉絲想要珍藏的心態，不過，打架就是不對的，Labubu 算是潮玩界的新選手，有個好的出道，不知道它是否能走的長久，至於我是否會想收集潮流玩具呢？假如我年輕時，可能會考慮，但是，現在我會想簡單過生活就好。
A few days ago, I was watching the news and saw a segment talking about how pop-up shops have become super popular in recent years. Apparently, if you just take a walk around any major department store or shopping district, you're bound to come across all kinds of pop-up stores. The main reason this type of marketing has become so hot is because of changes in consumer habits. People now care more about the experience when shopping. But opening a physical store can be really expensive, so pop-ups, which are short-term and cost less, let brands give customers a hands-on experience while testing out the market. No wonder I keep stumbling across pop-up shops whenever I’m out walking around these days.
One of the pop-up stores I came across was inside a department store in the Xinyi District. What immediately caught my eye were the BE@RBRICK figures on display, both inside and outside the shop. BE@RBRICK—also known as "Kubrick Bear" or "Brick Bear" in Chinese—is a teddy bear-style figure launched by the Japanese company MEDICOM TOY to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the teddy bear. The name comes from “Bear” and “Brick”. It’s actually one of the few designer toys I’m familiar with. Even though the design is super simple—just a teddy bear with round ears shaped like a LEGO minifigure—it’s full of creative potential. A lot of celebrities like Jay Chou, Shawn Yue, and G-Dragon are big collectors of BE@RBRICKs.
The pop-up store had a bold sky blue theme, which really stood out. It definitely fit the vibe of a shop selling trendy art toys. Inside, BE@RBRICKs were clearly the main focus, though they did have a few other toys I wasn’t familiar with. But honestly, I just wanted to admire the different BE@RBRICK bears up close. The most common sizes are 100% (about 7cm), 400% (about 28cm), and 1000% (about 70cm). The bigger the size, usually the higher the price, but it also depends a lot on how famous the collaborating artist is. Prices can vary a lot. Everything was labeled with prices, but once I saw how much they cost… I decided I’d just stick to window shopping.
Lately, another brand called Labubu has also been really popular. It’s considered a newer player in the designer toy world. I even saw a news story about fans in the UK getting into a physical fight just to get their hands on a Labubu figure. I get the excitement and the desire to collect, but fighting over toys? That’s taking it too far. Labubu seems to be off to a strong start in the designer toy scene, but who knows if it’ll have staying power in the long run. As for me, would I consider collecting designer toys? Maybe if I were younger. But right now, I just want to live a simpler life.