I bought my first Deddy Bears bag clip at a market stall in November. It was one of those purchases that takes about four seconds — I saw it, I picked it up, I looked at the tiny gothic bear with its bag clip attachment, I handed over the money. No deliberation. No research. Just immediate recognition that this was something I wanted.
I didn't know it was part of a series. I didn't know there were eight characters to collect. I didn't know that the mystery format meant you didn't know which character you were getting until you opened the bag. I found all of this out later, when I went looking for more, which I did approximately two days after the market.
What a Bag Clip Actually Does
I want to explain why a bag clip is a different kind of collectible from a shelf figure, because I think it's worth understanding before you buy one. A shelf figure lives in a specific place and you see it when you're in that place. A bag clip goes everywhere with you. It's on your bag when you're on the train, when you're at work, when you're in a coffee shop, when you're at a gig. It's part of your daily carry in a way that a shelf figure isn't, and that changes the relationship you have with it.
My Deddy Bears clip is on my backpack. I see it every time I pick up my bag. Other people see it when I'm out. It's a small, constant presence in my day in a way that a figure on a shelf at home isn't, and I find that I like that. I like having a tiny gothic bear with me. It makes me happy in a small, consistent way that I didn't anticipate when I bought it.
The Mystery Format
The Deddy Bears Series 1 Mystery Bag Clip comes in a mystery pack — one of eight unique characters, chosen at random. You don't know which one you're getting until you open it. This is, I've discovered, a very effective way to make collecting genuinely exciting rather than just acquisitive.
When you choose a character, you get the character. When you open a mystery pack, you get an experience. The anticipation of not knowing, the moment of opening, the reveal — it's a different kind of satisfaction from simply selecting what you want. I've opened six mystery packs now and each one has been its own small event, even when I got a character I already had (which happened once, and which I gave to a friend, who now also has a Deddy Bears clip on her bag).
The 10cm size is the right scale for a bag clip — substantial enough to be visible and to have proper character detail, compact enough not to be unwieldy on a bag. The integrated clip is secure; none of my clips have come loose in eight months of daily use, which matters when you're attaching something to a bag that gets thrown around.
The Conversations They Start
I want to mention this specifically because it's been one of the unexpected pleasures of having a Deddy Bears clip on my bag. People notice them. Not everyone — but the people who notice them are always the right people. The ones who appreciate the gothic-cute aesthetic, who know the Deddy Bears range, who have their own collections or who are immediately interested in starting one.
I've had more conversations about my bag clip than about any other accessory I own. Most of them start with someone pointing at the clip and saying "what is that?" in a tone that's somewhere between delighted and confused, which is exactly the right response to a tiny gothic bear with a bag clip. I've sent the product link to four people who asked. Two of them have since bought their own.
The friend I gave the duplicate to has since bought three more mystery packs. She texts me when she gets a new one. We compare characters. This is a friendship activity I did not anticipate when I bought a bag clip at a market stall in November, but here we are.
Eight Months and Six Clips Later
I have six Deddy Bears clips. Two are on my backpack — the original and my favourite of the subsequent ones. Two are on my tote bag. One is on my keys. One is on my camera strap, which is where it lives permanently and which I think is its correct home.
I'm still missing two of the eight Series 1 characters. I'm not in a hurry. The mystery format means the search is part of the pleasure, and I'd rather open mystery packs and see what arrives than simply order the specific characters I'm missing. The uncertainty is the point.
My Verdict
If you want a collectible that goes with you rather than staying on a shelf, that starts conversations, that makes your daily carry feel like yours — the Deddy Bears Series 1 Mystery Bag Clip is the one. Find it in our Toys collection and our wider Toys & Games collection. Open the mystery pack slowly. See who's inside. Clip them to your bag. Take them everywhere.
— Zoe Pemberton
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