Whether it's gigantic wearable felt cat heads, lifelike animal heads, super realistic replicas of your pet's head, or full body reproductions of shiba inus or corgis in felt, we have consistently seen some remarkable artistry here in Japan when it comes to producing very realistic models of animals.

However, if you'd like to bring a polar bear home (or a mother and cub pair), and you won't settle for anything less than real size, you may be interested in a truly remarkable work of art so lifelike and accurate to the last detail that you'd swear they were real. This masterpiece is arguably even more lifelike than museum pieces, so it is surprising that workmanship of such quality is even available on the commercial market.

ANIMALS AS ART: Polar Bear

This unique work is the first in film-oriented creative studio Blast, Inc.'s ANIMALS AS ART product line. Blast, Inc.'s producer Junya Okabe got the idea after he had the misfortune of seeing a taxidermy specimen of a once living polar bear set up in a storefront during a visit abroad. Although deeply saddened to know that such as majestic creature had been killed and exploited for human entertainment, he was inspired to make animals which looked incredibly realistic and alive, so that people would no longer kill and use animals in this way. Furthermore, he later decided that a percentage of the cost (1%) would be donated to the WWF. This was the origin of the ANIMALS AS ART project.

Thanks to his longtime friend Shuichi Miwaki, who helms Kaiyodo, Japan's premier figure maker, Okabe was able to find Shinobu Matsumura, an expert animal sculptor working on Kaiyodo's animal products and tasked him to make a zoologically correct base model of a polar bear sleeping peacefully with its cub. Once the model was complete, Blast, Inc.'s art studio Zeppet Workshop, lead by chief model creator, Yuya Takahashi, set about producing the life sized models, marshaling a team of top industry talents with a 30-year track record of unmatched craftsmanship. The result is a work of art of unrivaled quality and realism.

Tap or click on the images below to see them in their original size:

Body Fur

The synthetic, animal-free fur is provided by a manufacturer whose products can be seen in blockbuster Hollywood films. Each hair is painstakingly and precisely implanted into the body to recreate an authentic look and feel.

Details

Through extensive research, fine details such as the texture of paw pads and sharpness of claws have been captured.

The attention to detail extends to the mouth and its row of teeth, reminding you that it is not only cute and cuddly but also a carnivore by nature.

Body Feel

Of course, if you are going to live with polar bears, you'll want to cuddle and snuggle up with them too. That's why the astonishing verisimilitude of this artwork extends to the way it feels to the touch. Through a patent-pending process, they are reproduced with correct anatomical and skeletal placement of mass and density throughout the body, carefully mimicking the feel of muscles, soft tissue, and bone structure of a real life polar bear.

Clearly, this product is not available to everyone due its size and its price which is understandably commensurate with the excellent quality of materials, the expert workmanship, the caliber of the artists and the time and effort required to make it. For those who have the room and the budget for it, however, this is truly an astonishing work of art to treasure for a lifetime. As they say on their website: "[You'll] feel the overwhelming excitement towards art and love for animals that no other conventional art, interior decor, or taxidermy can ever provide."

Details

You can either buy the adult polar bear or the bear and cub pair.

Polar Bear (Adult)

• Weight: Approx. 110 kg (243 lbs.)
• Length: 2850 mm (9' 4 3/16"), Width: 1420 mm (4' 7 7/8"), Height (lying down): 720 mm (2' 4 3/8")
• Materials: See website here for details.
• Price: 8,900,000 JPY (excl. tax). 1% is donated to the WWF.
• International shipping fees are listed here.
• To order: purchasing page.

Polar Bear Adult and Cub Set

• Adult Weight: Approx. 110 kg (243 lbs.)
• Adult Length: 2850 mm (9' 4 3/16"), Width: 1420 mm (4' 7 7/8"), Height (lying down): 720 mm (2' 4 3/8")
• Cub Weight: Approx. 20 kg (44 lbs.)
• Cub Length: 1000 mm (3' 3 3/8"), Width: 700 mm (2' 3 9/16"), Height (lying down): 350 mm (1' 1 3/4")
• Materials: See website here for details.
• Price: 13,400,000 JPY (excl. tax). 1% is donated to the WWF.
• International shipping fees are listed here.
• To order: purchasing page.

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Zeppet Workshop

Throughout the past 30 years, specialized modeling studio Zeppet Workshop and its previous incarnation Buildup Studio have created everything from models, mechanically-enabled animal or creature suits and animatronic robots for film, television and commercials. You can see some of their handiwork in the fictional trailer ZVP: Zatoichi vs. Predator, which we reported on before.

Ultimate Panda Suit

Recently, Zeppet Workshop have launched a crowdfunding campaign on Campfire for the 究極のパンダ着ぐるみ (which translates as "The Ultimate Panda Suit"). If they reach their funding goal, it will probably the most lifelike mechanically-enabled panda suit ever made. You can learn more about the project here.