We had considered reviewing this set individually, but looking at these all together is extremely vivid. This set is well known within collecting circles as the only complete prototype set of the Hong Kong teddies. There may be a few others that come to light in future posts, but most examples, so far, only have one surviving prototype that has come to life. All of these are quite extraordinary. A few are UNBELIEVABLE. This is a set of 8 bears, covering each of the released Hong Kong exclusive pieces: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 teddies, 2017 tan and pink examples, 2018 Hong Kong dog, and 2019 Hong Kong flippable pigs. Each of these examples are complete with pax tags (sample tush, and rare rectangular ty inc. prototype tag. All are signed by Ty personally.
Hong Kong 2010: This bear has shaggy fuzzy fur and a gold nose! We know Ty rushed to throw a bear together for this original fair, and ended up using an ordinary red bear that was slated for another use. But this example, if Ty had had more time, could have very likely been the final design! Rarity Rank: -.5- 0. The Hong Kong 2010 bear is extremely rare, and still a bit of a sleeper. A prototype for this piece is extraordinary – and considered a full departure. Full prototype tags.
Hong Kong 2011: This is a very neat example with gold nose and gold collar. The 2011 Hong Kong Bear was actually discovered by the collecting community before the 2010 bear. Rarity Rank: 0. The Hong Kong 2011 bear is rare! Full prototype tags. Not a crazy wild departure, but the only known prototype for this bear. This piece makes it clear the 2011 bear had a bit more planning behind it, given this prototype is close to the eventual production example.
Hong Kong 2012: This is a very neat prototype – green eye brims, green ribbon, purple nose. Another bear indicating Ty was well intentioned with the bear for the 2012 fair. This example, like the 2011 prototype, is similar to eventual production. Rarity Rank: 0. The Hong Kong 2012 bear was made with similar quantities to regular billionaire bears! Full prototype tags. Not a crazy wild departure, but the only known prototype for this bear.
Hong Kong 2013: This is such a fun prototype. Little known fact – this bear was made very last second, and was the final bear produced until 2017. In this time period, Mr. Warner had a number of legal troubles. This is SUCH a cool prototype. We have the production pink chest with production embroidered and snake logo, but a blue ribbon and red head/arms/legs. Unclear if Ty was considering a return to the lucky red color. We have seen a few hybrid prototypes like this before, including the teal Coral Casino prototype bears. Rarity Rank: -.5-0. The Hong Kong 2013 bear was made with slightly slimmer quantities than regular billionaire bears, but this piece screams prototype! Fun/wild departure. All prototype tags.
Hong Kong 2017 Bears: THESE ARE COOL! The production Hong Kong 2017 bears are among the most difficult Hong Kong bears to locate. These pieces have all prototype tags, gold noses, production fabric and rooster embroidery, but each have a respective top hat/party hat, and padded feet – brown example with red, pink example with electric blue. Rarity Rank: -.5-0. The Hong Kong 2017 bear was made with slightly slimmer quantities than regular billionaire bears, but this piece screams prototype! Fun/wild departure. All prototype tags.
Hong Kong 2018 Bear: OOOO – THIS IS WICKED. We know Ty did a Beanie Baby (boo) dog as the 2018 Hong Kong Exclusive (was the year of the dog). But this prototype is clearly a teddy bear, in the hong kong production dog’s colors. We have seen Billionaire teddy prototypes for years where production pieces were other lines (Teeny Ty, Flippable, etc). This is another prime example of such an instance. Had Ty done a bear this year, this is what we may have ended up with. Rarity Rank: -.5 The Hong Kong 2018 dog is moderately difficult to secure. This piece, in teddy form, with all the detail, is astounding! All prototype tags.
Hong Kong 2019 Hybrid Pig/Cat/Teddy: ANOTHER WILD PROTOTYPE Creation! Like discussed above, this is an example of a pig/cat/teddy hybrid that is nowhere close to the flippable ty pig(s) Ty made for the 2019 hong kong fair (a single pig flippable, but two versions with different adornments and poem tag.). This creation is some sort of hybrid, with wicked embroidered, and 2019 pig fabric colors. Also seen are flippable sequins on its feet – another similarity connecting this incredible item to the production piece. Rarity Rank: -.5. The Hong Kong 2019 pig set is moderately/challenging to difficult to secure. This piece, in teddy/hybrid form, with all the detail, is also quite astounding, like the 2018 prototype! All prototype tags. Fantastic!
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