If you follow the KAWS vinyl figure market, you already know what the Dissected Milo is. If you’re just getting started, this is the piece that experienced collectors point to when they want to explain why KAWS matters beyond hype. The KAWS x BAPE Dissected Milo 2011 brings together two of the most significant names in streetwear and contemporary art, KAWS and A Bathing Ape, in a vinyl sculpture limited to 500 units per colorway. At Rare Inventory, we carry both the Brown and the White versions, each original, with box and hologram.
Who is KAWS and why does it matter
In the beginning, Brian Donnelly was just a kid from Jersey City, New Jersey, who got into graffiti. KAWS was his tag, chosen simply because he liked the way it looked. What followed was one of the most significant careers in contemporary art and collectible culture of the last three decades.
In 1999, he partnered with Bounty Hunter, a Japanese toy and streetwear brand, to release his first toy. Companion, an eight-inch-tall vinyl figure, debuted with a limited run of 500 and sold out quickly. It was the first of more than 130 toy designs.
Furthermore, KAWS’ résumé reads like a record of major 21st-century pop-culture moments, his work with streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape and Supreme, his design for the cover of Kanye West’s 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak, and his collaboration with Kim Jones on the Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2019 collection.
Consequently, when KAWS and BAPE collaborated in 2011 to produce the Dissected Milo, they brought two of the most documented creative histories in contemporary culture together in a single object.
The collaboration: KAWS meets Baby Milo
The Dissected Milo is a collaboration between A Bathing Ape (BAPE) and KAWS that combines both enterprises’ signature figures into one: Baby Milo and the Dissected Companion.
Baby Milo is BAPE’s iconic character, a cartoon monkey that became one of the most recognized symbols in Japanese streetwear. The Dissected Companion is one of KAWS’ most conceptually charged figures: a character split open to reveal its interior anatomy. Together, they produce something neither could have created alone.
The work depicts BAPE’s Baby Milo divided into two halves, each side expressive of KAWS’ notable anatomy aesthetic. The figure combines several ideas in a relatively simple form: the temporality of life, the relationship between a brand and its creator, and an inner divide.
Additionally, the collaboration carries a specific historical weight. The Dissected Milo came from a scarce 2011 collaboration between KAWS and Nigo — the early and influential KAWS collector who founded A Bathing Ape. In other words, this piece connects two people who had a personal creative relationship long before this figure existed.
The two colorways at Rare Inventory
KAWS Dissected Milo 2011 – Brown | Limited Edition 500
The Brown colorway uses a complementary color scheme where exterior and interior exist concurrently in a way that plays with the figure’s dissected composition. The warm tones of the Brown version give Dissected Milo a more organic presence on a shelf.
KAWS Dissected Milo 2011 – White | Limited Edition 500
The White version takes the opposite approach: a clean, minimal colorway that puts the sculptural form of the Dissected Milo front and center. The contrast between the white exterior and the interior anatomy reads more sharply than in the warmer colorways, making it the most visually immediate of the three.
Both versions ship with their original box and authentication hologram, the two elements that serious collectors and secondary market buyers look for first.
Specifications
- Artist: KAWS (Brian Donnelly)
- Collaboration: KAWS x A Bathing Ape (BAPE) x OriginalFake x Medicom Toy
- Character: Baby Milo (Dissected)
- Medium: Painted cast vinyl
- Dimensions: 7.5 × 6.5 × 4.25 inches (approx.)
- Edition size: 500 per colorway
- Available colorways at Rare Inventory: Brown, White
- Year: 2011
- Includes: Original box, authentication hologram
- Stamped: Underside of feet — © KAWS..11 / © 2011 NOWHERE Co., Ltd / Medicom Toy
Why the KAWS Dissected Milo holds serious collector value
Three factors explain why this specific KAWS figure trades at $1,000+ on the secondary market more than a decade after its release.
First, the edition size. 500 units per colorway is a hard limit. Each colorway, Black, Brown, and Grey, was produced in an edition of exactly 500. No reprints. No re-releases. Consequently, every unit that leaves the market reduces the available supply permanently.
Second, the collaboration depth. This is not a licensed product. It’s a genuine creative meeting between KAWS and Nigo, two figures who shaped contemporary streetwear and art collectible culture from the inside. The piece combines both enterprises’ signature figures into one object that carries the visual language of both creators simultaneously.
Third, the documentation. Each piece is stamped on the underside of the feet and produced by Medicom Toy, A Bathing Ape, and OriginalFake. Furthermore, the authentication hologram on the box provides immediate provenance verification, something that matters significantly in a market where KAWS fakes are common.
How to spot a genuine KAWS Dissected Milo
The KAWS collectible market has a significant counterfeit problem. Knowing what to look for protects your investment.
A genuine Dissected Milo has the KAWS stamp on the underside of both feet, reads: © KAWS..11 / © 2011 NOWHERE Co., Ltd / Medicom Toy / 2011 / China. Additionally, the original box carries a silver foil hologram on the back panel, the primary authentication marker for this release. Paint application on genuine pieces is clean and even, with no bleeding between the interior and exterior color zones. Finally, the weight and rigidity of the cast vinyl feels distinctly different from the softer, lighter material used in counterfeits.
At Rare Inventory, every KAWS vinyl figure we carry ships verified and original. Both the Brown and White Dissected Milo come with their original boxes and holograms intact.
Brown or White: which one should you buy?
Both colorways trade at identical prices on the secondary market. As a result, the decision comes down to display preference. The Brown version reads warmer and integrates more naturally into mixed displays. The White version reads sharper and works best as a standalone centerpiece. For collectors who want both sides of the same figure’s story, owning one of each is the most complete statement and one of the stronger display pairings in the entire KAWS catalog.
Available now at Rare Inventory
Browse both colorways at Rare Inventory:
- KAWS Dissected Milo 2011 – Brown | Limited Edition 500
- KAWS Dissected Milo 2011 – White | Limited Edition 500
Every piece ships original, with box and hologram. Stock is extremely limited, 2011 editions don’t come back.
