Kubrick often come in what is known as a "blind" or random assortment. Assortment rates are on the side of the box, explaining the distribution rate. When purchasing kubricks, it's good to check the description to find out if it's for a specific figure, or one of an assortment.

What exactly are Kubricks, and where did the name “Kubricks” originate? Is this tied to Stanley Kubrick?

Kubricks are a line of limited edition collectible toys that have limited distribution in Japan and Hong Kong. The company that created Kubricks is called Medicom and is based in Shibuya, Tokyo. The body style is different and specific for each series of toys, such as Muppets, Lupin the III, Aliens, GI Joe, etc. The boxes are generally sealed and unmarked. On the side of each box is the assortment rate and chances for picking certain characters that might be inside.

People often wonder why these collectible toys are called Kubricks. When looking at the toys, there seems to be no connection at all to Stanley Kubrick. So where did the name come from?

We found one of the possible answers: the owner of Medicom is a huge Stanley Kubrick fan. The font used on the Kubrick boxes is the same as the font used for the words “Clockwork Orange” in both the book and the film. Medicom also produces a line of Pez-like candy dispensers that are called “Nadsats”; the same word is the name of the language spoken by Alex and his Droogs in the novel “A Clockwork Orange”. A doctor in the book explains it as "odd bits of old rhyming slang [and a] bit of gypsy talk, too. But most of the roots are Slav. Propaganda. Subliminal penetration."

Another explanation is that the word “Kubrick” can be broken down as “Ku – Brick”. The word “ku” in Japanese can represent the number nine. Most Kubrick figures are made up of nine separate pieces or blocks. One can see where this leads – “nine bricks”, which just may be convenient enough to tie to the meaning.

This unofficial FAQ brought to you by the Wootini Research Department - 2004.