Bad Taste Bears – Buy Back : The Ripper

One of the most popular promotions is back and this time a bit of history is taking shape. However, is this going to be a successful promotion or just one that is running out of ideas? For those you do not know how the buy-back bear promotion works let me quickly explain.

You purchase the bear as per normal; however it is sealed to the prying eyes. Within the box you can have either a standard bear, a rare or ultra-rare version. The rare and ultra-rare versions can be returned back to OddCo who will pay you for the bears. Hence the title…buy-back. Hope that has cleared everything out for you.

The Ripper is based on…yep you have guessed it, Jack the Ripper and the bears design sets the scene where he is butchering one of his victims.

The Ripper – Standard Variation

There are a few things that I am not a fan of when it comes to Bad Taste Bears. Firstly, when they have tacky add-ons (e.g. stuck-on movable eyes); secondly, when the bears has something which is not attached to the figurine (e.g. a head block) and finally when they figurine is attach to a display unit such as this bear. I don’t know what it is, but it just reminds me of ornaments that my mum used to have in the 80s.

Apart from that, this is probably my favourite out of all the bears. Although it has the sadistic look about it, which is just fitting for Halloween, it still has that little bit of comical value with the victim sticking her tongue out.

So it’s quite thankful then, that this is the bear that I got when I purchased the bear. Saying that I wouldn’t really moan about getting one of the others; instead I would probably just of bought another figurine.

The Ripper – Blood and Guts Variation

There are only 100 of this figurine made, and if you were to win this, then you could return to OddCo and receive a nice neat sum of £100. Personally, I would try your chances on the world of eBay as you would most likely get a little bit more.

Unlike the first victim, this bear is a little darker with more mutilation and her blood and guts on display. This is probably more in line with the actual murders, which is something that Pete would have researched to make sure.

The Ripper – Monochrome Variation

There are only 5 of this bear produced, and the amount you can win would be £250 if returned to OddCo. Again, you may have more luck on the second-hand market than using the buy-back promotion.

Personally, I think this is a weak bear compared to the ‘blood and guts’ change. Granted I understand why this has been done, as producing a new bear for just 5 ultra-rares is not financial feasible. However, to have a different bear produced for the rare version and then just a variation of that for the ultra-rare makes me feel that they winners will be cheated of a proper prize. Plus, I am not even going to mention the monochrome look!!!

So that is my view of the bear. Let me know what you think. Which one is your favourite?