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A pantless Teddy Bear being sold for the 60th anniversary of the cinematic James Bond
It’s well known that the 007 Store sells expensive items. While hardly the most expensive, one of the quirkiest items went on sale today:
A hand-made teddy bear (no pants) with a tuxedo jacket. Also, the lower regions of the teddy bear have been dyed black to match his tuxedo jacket. Finally, said teddy bear has no obvious connection to any of the James Bond films made by Eon Productions.
The price: 275 British pounds. In the U.S. $349. It’s a limited edition. Only 1,962 (same year Dr. 007 was released, get it?) will be made. I suppose that makes it a rare item.
The work week began with two No Time to Die promotions emphasizing the Noh mask that appears in the film.
The social media accounts of Eon Production put out a short video featuring costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb talking about the mask. Below is the Twitter version but it also appeared on Instagram.
NO TIME TO DIE Costume Designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb on the inspiration behind villain Safin’s mask. pic.twitter.com/k42RtcOlRY
The replicas “were crafted using the original digital 3D model files used to create the film props,” according to the 007 Store listings.
The 007 Store listings for the masks contain this plot summary for the movie:
In No Time To Die Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when old friend Felix Leiter turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of Safin, a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. But who is this mysterious adversary and why is he always wearing a Noh-style mask?
No Time to Die, the 25th James Bond film, is scheduled to be released Sept. 30 in the U.K. and Oct. 8 in the U.S.
UPDATE (Aug. 17): The two single masks (unbroken and broken) cost 295 British pounds (almost $406). The twin set was priced at 695 British pounds (about $956) but is sold out, according to the 007 Store site. At the U.S. version of the 007 Store, the price is $349.99 for the single masks. The sold-out twin set was priced at $699.99.
At this point, complaining about expensive James Bond merchandise is almost beyond the point. It’s clear that Eon Productions has a bias toward expensive licensed merch — outrageously priced backgammon sets, replica Aston Martin DB cars that can’t be driven on the street, etc.
Nevertheless, on social media today, a new Moonraker hoodie (price of 150 British pounds, or more than $205) caught some attention.
The hoodie includes an image of a Moonraker publicity still of Roger Moore in a space suit (never seen in the film). The image includes a garish typeface apparently meant to resemble handwriting. “Am I properly dressed for the occasion?”
Still, the entry on the 007 Store has the usual hype.
Introducing an exclusive 007 collaboration with luxury Italian streetwear brand Throwback.
The 007 x Throwback collection features hoodies and t-shirts paying tribute to iconic moments from Bond on-screen. Each design features original artwork by Italian digital artist Gianpiero, who has reimagined and enhanced classic images from the Bond Archive using iconic movie quotes from the series. A production anecdote from each film is printed on the back of each garment, giving further insight into the 007 world.
If that’s higher than you care to pay, you may want to buy six pencils with Bond film quotes for just 14.95 British pounds (roughly $20.50). Of course, if you actually write with the pencils, you’ll grind the quotes away as you sharpen them.
The Spy Command 