In the beginning, Brian Donnelly was just a kid from Jersey City, New Jersey, who got into the graffiti thing. KAWS was his tag, chosen simply because he liked the way it looked. Today, KAWS creates all kinds of art — there are KAWS figures and toys, sculptures and colorful drawings, paintings and prints that appropriate pop phenomena like the Smurfs, the Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants.
In the late 1990s, the artist, a 1996 graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts, was making a living as an illustrator for the animation studio Jumbo Pictures. Like young Hansel and Gretel with their trail of crumbs, KAWS would mark the morning route to his downtown Manhattan office with “subvertising,” “interrupting” fashion advertisements by adding his colorful character Bendy, its sinuous length sliding playfully around the likes of a Calvin Klein perfume bottle or supermodel Christy Turlington.
These creations gained a following, to the point where work posted in the morning would disappear by lunchtime. Even in those early days, KAWS was hot on the resale market.
“When I was doing graffiti,” he once explained, “it meant nothing to me to make paintings if I wasn’t reaching people.”
Instead of seeking entrée to the elite New York art world (which, frankly, wasn’t looking for a street artist anyway), KAWS moved to Japan, where a flourishing youth culture welcomed visionaries like him.
In 1999, he partnered with Bounty Hunter, a Japanese toy and streetwear brand, to release his first toy. Companion — an eight-inch-tall vinyl reimagining of Mickey Mouse, with a skull-and-crossbones head and trademark XX eyes — debuted with a limited run of 500. It sold out quickly.
Companion was the first of more than 130 toy designs, which came to include such characters as Chum, Blitz, Be@rbrick, BFF and Milo, each immediately recognizable as KAWS figures by their XX eyes. Fans have proved insatiable. In 2017, MoMA’s online store announced the availability of a limited supply of KAWS Companion figures; as avid collectors logged on to stake their claim, the website crashed — multiple times.
Companion is the most visible of the KAWS posse, appearing over the past decade in new postures and combinations in monumental KAWS statues and other works. These include Along the Way (2013), an 18-foot-tall wooden sculpture of two Companions leaning on each other for support; Together (2016), two Companions in a friendly embrace, which debuted during an exhibition of KAWS’s work at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, in Texas; and KAWS:HOLIDAY (2018), a 92-foot-long inflatable Companion floating on its back in Seoul’s Seokchon Lake. The sculptures were re-created as toys, blurring the lines between art and commerce.
KAWS’s visual language may be drawn from cartoons, but his work doesn’t necessarily evoke childlike joy.
“My figures are not always reflecting the idealistic cartoon view that I grew up on,” he explains in the catalogue for the Fort Worth exhibition. “Companion is more real in dealing with contemporary human circumstances . . . . I think when I’m making work it also often mirrors what’s going on with me at that time.”
KAWS's résumé reads like a record of major 21st-century pop-culture moments. It includes his work with streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape and Supreme; his design for the cover of Kanye West’s 2008 album, 808s & Heartbreak; and his collaboration with designer Kim Jones on the Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2019 collection, Jones’s debut as the fashion brand’s creative director.
Learn how to spot a fake KAWS art toy, and browse authentic KAWS figures, prints, sculptures and mixed media works on 1stDibs.
KAWS SEPARATED complete set of 3 works (KAWS Separated Companion set)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED (Complete Set of 3 Works): each new & unopened in original packaging: This highly collectible KAWS SEPARATED set is derived from the Broo...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS The Promise set of 2 works (KAWS Companion set)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS The Promise (set of 2 works): A unique KAWS Companion set in the artist’s signature brown & grey color ways. KAWS The Promise features a blue &...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Taipei & KAWS Singapore (KAWS Holiday Taipei KAWS Holiday Singapore)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore: A curated set of 2 KAWS Holiday figures featuring KAWS Companion in two distinctive positions. Each piece was published by the artist to...
Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY companion (KAWS Companion 2020)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY (yellow): KAWS yellow WHAT PARTY Companion featuring KAWS' CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural v...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS What Party KAWS Chum (2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS What Party & Chum (2 works): Two individual KAWS Companions featuring the classic KAWS CHUM character. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural versio...
Resin, Vinyl
Accomplice (pink) by KAWS
By KAWS
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Accomplice (pink) By KAWS 2002 Signed in plate Vinyl, paint 23 x 7 x 6 cm Edition of 1000
Vinyl
KAWS CHUM black (KAWS Chum Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (black): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and shipping the first CHUM...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Passing Through Companion 2018 (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Grey Passing Through Companion 2018. New and sealed in its original packaging. The most iconic of the KAWS Companions, this passing through piece was published by KAWS One Med...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore (2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Black Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore: A curated set of 2 KAWS Holiday figures featuring KAWS Companion in two distinctive positions. Each piece was published by the art...
Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore (2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore: A curated set of 2 KAWS Holiday figures featuring KAWS Companion in two distinctive positions. Each piece was published by the artist to...
Vinyl
KAWS Hand Signed Book Contemporary Street Art
By KAWS
Located in Draper, UT
The definitive study of the work of KAWS, one of the most influential and much-loved forces in contemporary art and culture. This edition has been signed by KAWS. KAWS is one of the...
Archival Paper
KAWS Holiday Japan (KAWS Mount Fuji Japan)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Grey Holiday Companion Japan (KAWS Mount Fuji Japan): This sold out KAWS figurative piece features KAWS' signature character COMPANION in a resting position. Published by All Ri...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY pink (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY (pink): KAWS pink WHAT PARTY Companion featuring KAWS' CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural versi...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY Companion (KAWS black what party)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY Black: This KAWS Companion vinyl sculpture features KAWS' signature CHUM character in a sloping position. Published to commemora...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Clean Slate Companion (KAWS brown clean slate)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Clean Slate (Brown), new & unopened in its original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale Clean Slate sculpture - a key ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Passing Through Companion Set (complete set of three 2018)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Companion Passing Through Complete Set of 3 (2018). Each new and sealed in their original packaging. The most iconic of the KAWS C...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Companion Japan (KAWS black companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Black Holiday Companion (KAWS Mount Fuji Japan): This figurative vinyl sculpture features KAWS' signature character COMPANION in a resting position. Published by All Rights Res...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS The Promise set of 2 works (KAWS Companion set)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS The Promise (set of 2 works): A unique KAWS Companion set in the artist’s signature black & brown color-ways. KAWS The Promise features a blue ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SEPARATED Companion (KAWS black Separated Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED COMPANION: New & unopened in its original packaging: This highly collectible black KAWS SEPARATED figure is derived from the Brooklyn based artist’s larger scale sculpture of same (originally constructed in 2019), and is a key highlight of the major 2021 KAWS Brooklyn...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CHUM pink (KAWS Chum Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (pink): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Gone Grey Figure, Pop Art Vinyl & Resin, Unsigned, 14in, 2010+
By KAWS
Located in Dallas, TX
KAWS Gone- Grey version New on its original packaging. Medium: Vinyl & Cast Resin Open unknown edition Unsigned
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Japan (set of 2 KAWS Companion works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Grey Holiday Companion: 2 works (KAWS Taipei & KAWS Japan): A set of two KAWS Holiday figures featuring, KAWS' signature character, COMPANION in relaxed positions. Each work was respectively published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger sculptures...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Indonesia: set of 2 works (KAWS Indonesia)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Indonesia: complete set of 2 works (KAWS Indonesia): These figurative vinyl sculptures feature KAWS' Accomplice character in a resting position; published on the occasio...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS What Party KAWS Chum (KAWS companion set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS What Party & Chum (set of 2 works): Two individual KAWS Companions featuring the classic KAWS CHUM character. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptura...
Resin, Vinyl
$1,020Sale Price|20% Off
KAWS - Companion Blush (Flayed), 2017 - Painted Cast Vinyl
By KAWS
Located in Dallas, TX
KAWS's cartoonish style—including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes—has its roots in his early career as a street artist, when he began replacing advertisements with his o...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS TIME OFF set of 3 works (KAWS Time Off companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS TIME OFF (complete set of 3 works): A highly decorative KAWS Companion set featuring KAWS’ much popularized BFF Companion in a resting position. These brightly colored, highly collectible KAWS Companion art toys were published ahead of the exhibition: KAWS: TIME OFF at Skarstedt gallery, Paris (2023) and offer a meditative & playful interpretation of time. Each presented new in original packaging. Medium: Vinyl. Set of 3 individual works. Year: 2023. Dimensions: 7 × 11 x 5.9 inches inches (applies to each individual work). Each new and accompanied by original packaging. Never displayed. Stamped on the underside (applies to each individual work). From a sold out edition of unknown. KAWS is an American graffiti artist and designer known for his toys, paintings, and prints. Born Brian Donnelly on November 4, 1974 in Jersey City, NJ, KAWS graduated with a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York and went on to work in animation. “When your whole art is based on the lettering you choose, you kinda figure out what ones work together. I just liked the shapes of the k, a, w, s,” he explained of his moniker. Having started as a graffiti artist in New York in the early 1990s, KAWS began reworking advertisements in his distinctive style. Pop Art and culture permeate his cartoonish Companion series of figurines, which bear a resemblance to the works of Takashi Murakami. KAWS worked together with Nike in 2017 to produce an Air Jordan 4...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS What Party & Chum (set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS What Party & Chum (set of 2 works): Two individual KAWS Companions featuring the classic KAWS CHUM character. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CLEAN SLATE set of 2 works (KAWS clean slate black & grey)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Clean Slate Set of 2 (Black & Grey), new & unopened in their original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale...
Resin, Vinyl
$2,595Sale Price|25% Off
KAWS Bendy (Red)
By KAWS
Located in BRUCE, ACT
KAWS Bendy (Red) 2003 Painted Vinyl 35.6 x 7.6 cm Stamped to the reverse Limited edition of 500 Coming in its original box
Vinyl
KAWS CHUM yellow (KAWS Chum Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (yellow): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and shipping the first CHU...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS GONE set of 2 (KAWS Gone companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS GONE: Set of 2 (Grey & Brown), new & unopened in their original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale GONE sculpture - a ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Brown GONE (KAWS GONE brown & blue)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS GONE (Brown), new & unopened in its original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale GONE sculpture - a key highlight of KAWS’ recent exhibition, 'KAWS: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CHUM & KAWS What Party (set of 6 KAWS Companions)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM & What Party: a curated set of 6 works: This KAWS CHUM & What Party Companion grouping features KAWS' CHUM character in a confident and slouched position in 3 mirroring col...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Black Companions: set of 10 (KAWS Companion 2018-2021)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Companion 2018-2021: A curated set of 10 individual Black KAWS Companions new & unopened in original packaging. KAWS Clean Slate, 2018: 14.25 x 8 inches. KAWS Along The Way 2019: 10.5 x 9 inches. KAWS Holiday Space 2020: 11.5 inches in height. KAWS What Party: 11 x 5 inches. KAWS Holiday Taipei: 5.5 x 7 inches. KAWS Share: 12.4 x 6.3 inches. KAWS Separated 2021: 7.75 x 6 inches. KAWS BFF: 13 x 5.7 inches KAWS 2020...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SHARE brown (KAWS brown companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SHARE (Brown), new & unopened in its original packaging. KAWS SHARE first appeared in 'BLACKOUT' – the first London solo exhibition by KAWS (Skarstedt London 2019). In SHAR...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Taipei Holiday Companion Set (set of 3 KAWS companions)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Companion, Complete Set of 3 (KAWS Taipei): KAWS' signature character COMPANION presented in a resting seated position. 3 individual pieces (black, brown, & grey). Each...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SEPARATED KAWS Changbai (KAWS companion set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED & KAWS Holiday Changbai (set of 2 works): These highly collectible KAWS SEPARATED and KAWS HOLIDAY Changbai figures are derived from the Brooklyn based artist’s larger...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS UK Holiday Companion set of 2 works (KAWS United Kingdom)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS: HOLIDAY United Kingdom: Set of 2 works (KAWS UK): KAWS' signature character COMPANION presented in an upright standing position with its eyes covered. 2 individual works - eac...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SEPARATED (set of 2 works; KAWS Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED (Set of 2 works): each new & unopened in original packaging: These highly collectible KAWS SEPARATED works are derived from the Brooklyn based artist’s larger scale sculpture of same (originally constructed in 2019), and is a key highlight of the major 2021 KAWS Brooklyn...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS HOLIDAY Changbai black (KAWS black chanbgai)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Changbai Mountain (KAWS black Changbai): A beautifully composed KAWS COMPANION published to commemorate KAWS' larger-scale sculpture...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS HOLIDAY Changbai: set of 2 works (KAWS chanbgai)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Changbai Mountain: set of 2 works (Black & White Changbai): A beautifully composed KAWS COMPANION set published to commemorate KAWS'...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Clean Slate Set of 2 (KAWS clean slate brown & grey)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Clean Slate set of 2 (Grey & Brown), new & unopened in original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale Clean Slate s...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Along The Way: complete set of 3 (KAWS Companion Along The Way set)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Along The Way: Complete Set of 3 works: new and unopened in original packaging. The KAWS Along The Way figurine is a rendition of the artist's 2013 18 foot wood sculpture origin...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Taipei Holiday Companion set of 2 (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Taipei Holiday Companion, Set of 2 (KAWS Brown & Grey Companion): KAWS' signature character COMPANION presented in a resting seated position. 2 individual pieces (brown, & grey...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY (set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY; Set of 2 works (pink & black): Two individual KAWS Companions featuring KAWS' CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ large...
Resin, Vinyl
$2,595Sale Price|25% Off
KAWS -- Bendy (Green)
By KAWS
Located in BRUCE, ACT
KAWS Bendy (Green) 2003 Painted vinyl 35.6 x 7.6 cm Stamped to the reverse Limited edition of 500 Coming in its original box
Vinyl
What Party - Yellow Resin Sculpture, Contemporary, Open Edition, 2010+
By KAWS
Located in London, GB
Vinyl and cast resin sculpture Stamped signature Presented in original box, and accompanied by unique hologram authenticity number 11 3/8 × 5 1/8 × 3 3/4 in 28.9 × 13 × 9.5 cm Ope...
Resin
KAWS SHARE brown (KAWS brown companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SHARE (Brown), new & unopened in its original packaging. KAWS SHARE first appeared in 'BLACKOUT' – the first London solo exhibition by KAWS (Skarstedt London 2019). In SHAR...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS TIME OFF set of 2 works (KAWS Time Off companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS TIME OFF (set of 2 works): A highly decorative KAWS Companion set featuring KAWS’ much popularized BFF Companion in a resting position. These bright...
Resin, Vinyl
2019 "Along the Way" Brown Set of Two Vinyl KAWS Figures from Medicom Toy Corp.
By KAWS
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Set of two brown painted vinyl figures from KAWS' (a.k.a. Brian Donnelly's) 2019 open edition "Along the Way" release. In original box from Medicom Toy Corp. Unsigned.
Vinyl
KAWS Flayed Companion 2016: set of 2 works (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Companion 2016: Set of 2 KAWS Flayed Companions (Brown & Red). Each, new and sealed in original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition, KAWS: W...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY KAWS BFF (set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY White & Blue BFF Companion, set of 2 works: This set features KAWS Companion vinyl sculpture with KAWS' CHUM character in a hunc...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Pink Bunny Rabbit Comes With NFC Chip Contemporary Street Art
By KAWS
Located in Draper, UT
Kaws: Holiday Edition Figure (Pink) Open unknown edition Unsigned KAWS is one of the most popular and recognizable contemporary artists, whose reach extends far beyond the art world...
Resin
$1,880Sale Price|34% Off
KAWS Clean Slate Vinyl Figure, Grey Version, Pop Art, 2010s, Unsigned
By KAWS
Located in Dallas, TX
KAWS Clean Slate (Grey), new & unopened in its original packaging. Sold Out after the artist's retrospect exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Medium: Vinyl & Cast Res...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Thailand: set of 3 works (KAWS Thailand)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Thailand: set of 2 works: A set of 3 KAWS Holiday Companions new in their original packaging. KAWS Thailand was published in 2025 to commemorate the debut of KAWS’’ lar...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Fellows Blue (blue KAWS Fellows companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Fellows (Blue): This standout KAWS art toy features KAWS' signature character COMPANION in a uniquely severed position. Published on occasion of KAWS’ 2026 exhibition at Space K...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS - Companion - Black, 2017 - Painted Cast Vinyl
By KAWS
Located in Dallas, TX
KAWS's cartoonish style—including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes—has its roots in his early career as a street artist, when he began replacing advertisements with his o...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS X Pushead Companion (Green)
By KAWS
Located in BRUCE, ACT
KAWS KAWS X Pushead Companion (Green), 2005 Painted cast vinyl Stamped on the underside of the feet This work is from an edition of 500 Size 27.3 × 14 × 7.6 cm Fabricated by Medicom ...
Vinyl
Five Years Later Companion (Brown) Vinyl Sculpture, Edition of 500
By KAWS
Located in Bristol, GB
Painted cast vinyl Edition of 500 (reported) Stamped 'MEDICOM TOY 2004 CHINA © KAWS..04' on the underside Pristine, some minor imperfections may exist given the nature of the materia...
Vinyl, Plastic
KAWS Companion Flayed Edition & Companion Edition Vinyl Figure Blush Set Sealed
By KAWS
Located in Draper, UT
Yuz Museum, Shanghai proudly announces a major survey exhibition of the work of Brooklyn-based artist KAWS (American, born 1974) on view at Yuz Museum, from March 28 to August 13, 20...
Vinyl