Grizzly Bear Figurine 4.7 Inch Hand Painted

Every one of these is painted by hand, one at a time, which on a bear under five inches long is the difference between a toy and a model. The coat is laid down in tones rather than a single flat brown, so the shoulder mound reads as muscle instead of a bump in the plastic, and that mound is the feature the whole sculpt is organized around.

• Individually hand painted. Tonal shading across the coat, so no two come out identical.
• 4.7 inches long. Just under 2 tall, which closes inside an adult fist.
• Solid, not hollow. Enough mass that it plants rather than skates on a desk.
• Rated three and up. Small enough to fall under the small parts warning.

Why the Hump Is Sculpted

A black bear's back runs almost straight from neck to rump; a grizzly's rises into a mound of muscle above the forelegs, and that muscle is what powers the digging. Get that shape wrong and the model is a generic bear, which is why it is the one detail worth checking before you buy any brown bear figure. Here it is cut deep enough to throw its own shadow.

What Hand Painting Buys

Machine printing lays flat color inside an outline. A hand painted piece gets a darker wash pressed into the recesses and a lighter tone left on the raised fur, which is what makes a four inch object look like it has depth. It also means small variation between pieces, so the one that arrives is not quite the one in the photograph.

Cleaning Without Losing Paint

Dust with a dry brush. For anything worse, the maker allows the top rack of a dishwasher with the heat drying switched off. What ruins these is abrasive: scouring sponges and gritty cleaners take the wash out of the recesses and flatten the whole figure back to one tone.

Questions About the Grizzly Figure

What is it made of? PVC, tested by outside laboratories and free of lead and phthalates.

How big is it in the hand? 4.7 inches long, 1.95 tall, about a deck of cards on its side.

What age is it suitable for? Three and over, since a piece this size falls under the small parts warning.

Does it come with anything? A hangtag printed in five languages, which is worth keeping if it is a gift.