The Funko Pop Phenomenon
Like with every hobby, having fun is the most important thing and Funko Pop provides fun in easily attainable, affordable, small dosages. What more can you ask for?
It all started rather innocently and you thought to yourself, "Hey, what's the harm in trying? It’s just one time, right?" After all, you have seen people buying these for years and they seem okay. So you made your very own purchase and you liked the feeling. “This is pretty cool and not that expensive. I think I'll try another one.”
So you kept coming back, a bit timid at first, then more and more confident like a true veteran who knows what he’s doing, spending more and more money to get your hands on the goods. You try different vendors, try to buy online and one time you even traveled to another city and stood in line. In the meantime your friends start to give you funny looks when they come over and look around your place. Then, one day, you realize you have a problem and you tell yourself: “I need more space.”
Believe it or not, that’s the typical journey of a Funko Pop collector. What has started as an insider activity for ‘weirdos’ has grown into quite the hype and can now be called a full-blown pop culture phenomenon.
But what’s so special about these little figurines that makes people lose their minds? Collectible figures are hardly a new aspect of merchandising. They have been around almost as long as merchandising itself. Barbie doll, G.I. Joe, Beanie Babies, … they all came and sort of left. None of them have or had collector’s go as crazy as the Funko Pops.
Let’s get into the basics. A typical Funko Pop Vinyl Figurine stands 3.75 inches (9,53 cm) tall in a neutral pose. It has a square-shaped head – large enough to account for almost half the piece’s height, a disproportionately small body, pupil-free, button-like black eyes, a small nose and no mouth. Each and every character follows that same distinctive visual blueprint.
Most importantly though, they are all affordable.
In fact, it is the comparatively low price that makes its fans call it the 'gateway drug for collectibles'. Meant as a compliment, of course.
Although limited editions, custom-made Pops and 'Chase' variants (more about those in a bit) can fetch high prices on the aftermarket, basic Pops and all new releases run about €12 to €16. That’s where the “what’s the harm in trying” comes in.
And there’s plenty of characters to choose from. Funko now has more than 1.000 licensed properties from all sorts of genres. Are you a fan of something? Anything? Chances are good that Funko has a Pop Figure of him or her or it. From the Avengers to the Golden Girls, Fortnite to DC Comics, Stranger Things to Modern Family. The choices are endless. And where Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Disney make up nearly half of all Funko Pop sales, the company is constantly securing new, popular and sometimes obscure licenses, from drag queens to food mascots to NASCAR drivers. Overall there are now over 8.000 different figures and the number is rising by the day it seems.
Of course the NBA and its biggest stars – both past and present – are part of Funko’s ever growing line-up. Michael Jordan wearing ‘45’? No problem. Anthony Davis with that unibrow? Got it. Dennis Rodman with multi-colored hair? Of course! You would have no problem compiling your very own NBA All-Time Starting Five made just out of Funko Pops.
Funko is counting on it even. To turn one-time buyers into enthusiastic collectors, the Washington based company uses many tried-and-tested market tricks, like releasing characters or whole line-ups exclusively to certain vendors and producing limited-edition runs like the 480 holographic Star Wars Darth Maul figurines that were released at San Diego Comic-Con in 2012. Each of which is now fetching EBay asking prices ranging from $6.500 to $25.000.
Limited editions that are far easier to get are the so-called ‘Chase’ variant editions.
A ‘Chase’ variant is any Funko product within a series that is a rare variation on the original mold. The ratio of these variants compared to the regular model used to be 1/36 but has increased to 1/6 now. To spell it out: One in six models looks different than the other five.
Differences can be as simple as color change, or as complex as a totally new mold. Sometimes the character pose differs from the regular stance, and other times the material boasts a flocked or fuzzy finish, metallic paint, glitter or even translucence. As you can imagine, these Chase variants are highly sought after by collectors and are resold for much higher prices.
But even without these limited editions the Funko Pop market is booming. In 2018, the company’s net sales increased by 33 percent to $686.1 million, with figurines accounting for 82 percent of all sales. And anyone arguing that this is just a fad made for children should take note that the average Funko Pop customer is 35 years old.
Yeah, this train ain’t stopping anytime soon.
One of the biggest indicators that the Funko Pop phenomenon has entered full-on cray-cray territory was the 2020 post that went viral on Reddit. In the post, a man explains to the internet how he allegedly had begun spending $500 a month on Funko Pops.
His wife – understandably – began to express concern over this behavior and the debt that was building up. She asked him to cut down to buying just 3 Funko Pops a month, which he called "ridiculous considering how limited he would be in choice of Funko Pops."
Tensions escalated to the point where the ultimate ultimatum was given: it was either their marriage or his Funko Pop collection. Take a wild guess which one he chose.
And in a surprise to absolutely no one, a full-on brawl took place in 2018 at a Florida (of course) Target when a man attacked a 41-year-old customer and his 64-year-old mother (no kidding) for taking the last Funko Pop of the Hostess Twinkie mascot. This Pop apparently retailed for just $10 but can be sold online for up to $150. The aggravator initially fled the scene but was captured on Target surveillance, arrested, and eventually charged with burglary and two counts of battery.
These are the horror stories of course and you can find them in any hobby if you dig deep enough. There are always outliers and people who don’t know their limits.
But when done in a sane and healthy manner collecting Funko Pops is an extremely rewarding pastime with never ending opportunities to either start or grow your collection. Taking a deep dive into pop culture nostalgia and reacquainting yourself with characters from your childhood has never been so easy.
Like with every hobby, having fun is the most important thing and Funko Pop provides fun in easily attainable, affordable, small dosages. What more can you ask for?