Inside the Happy Feet BE@RBRICK That Pepsi Japan Made

Mumble from Happy Feet as a Medicom BE@RBRICK, Made for Pepsi NEX Japan

A Block-Form Penguin and the Character Behind It

This is a 70% BE@RBRICK figure produced by Medicom Toy, designed around Mumble — the tap-dancing emperor penguin who is the central character of the 2006 animated film Happy Feet. The figure carries Mumble’s most recognizable design elements: a gray body, white chest panel, yellow beak, and the yellow bow tie that functions as his signature accessory throughout the film. Medicom’s BE@RBRICK format translates any character into a blocky, rounded humanoid body with small bear ears, and even within that fixed visual vocabulary, the Mumble figure reads clearly as its source material.

The 70% size places it at the smaller end of the BE@RBRICK range — roughly 4.9 to 5 centimeters tall. A loop and strap at the top of the head allow it to be worn as a keychain or charm, which is standard for this size tier. BE@RBRICK sizes use percentage notation relative to a 100% standard (approximately 7 centimeters), so the 70% is built for portability rather than shelf display.

Pepsi NEX and Japan’s Era of Drink-Campaign Collectibles

This figure was not sold in stores. It was produced as a promotional item tied to Pepsi NEX, the zero-calorie cola that the Suntory-distributed Pepsi brand launched in Japan around 2007. Throughout the 2000s, Japanese soft-drink companies ran extensive collectible campaigns in which purchasing a product or entering a promotional draw was the only route to obtaining the item. Pepsi Japan ran multiple rounds of BE@RBRICK collaborations during this period, pairing Medicom’s format with a range of licensed characters across different campaigns.

Given that Happy Feet was released in 2006 and its sequel followed in 2011, this figure most likely corresponds to a promotional window aligned with one of those releases or a home-video release in between — though the exact campaign date has not been confirmed. What is established is that it belongs to a distinct category of Japanese consumer goods known as campaign premiums, items that existed entirely outside conventional retail channels and are now found almost exclusively through the secondary market.

Two Collector Worlds Meeting in One Figure

Happy Feet, directed by George Miller, earned approximately $384 million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2006. Mumble’s story — an emperor penguin chick born without the ability to sing, who finds his identity through tap dance — resonated across age groups and markets. The film’s global reach, particularly in English-speaking territories, is one reason this figure holds genuine interest for collectors who encountered the character growing up.

BE@RBRICK, meanwhile, has built a substantial collector following since Medicom launched the line in 2001. Enthusiasts in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia have long tracked Medicom’s licensed collaborations, many of which are tied to specific markets or events. A figure available only through a Japanese drink promotion — never through international retail — represents exactly the kind of regional distribution that draws collectors to Japanese promo items. The combination of a globally recognized animated character and a Japan-specific campaign format makes this a natural point of overlap for people collecting in either direction.