The Curious Case of the Funko Pop
Reflections on America’s fastest-growing toy line
You see them at Hot Topic, Barnes and Noble, and even Michaels. They adorn kiosks at major theme parks. They’re stuffed into Christmas stockings. Go to any geeky convention and you’ll see dozens of vendors peddling them, and potentially, two die-hard collectors fighting over them.
They are Funko Pops, and they are a frighteningly powerful cultural movement.
I bought the Daenerys [with] Drogon Pop for my wife to put on her desk at work because she was kicking ass as the new boss at work and she was newly obsessed with [Game of Thrones]. She wasn’t interested so I kept it and now she hates the Pop abyss I’ve fallen into. So I blame her. — SA_Bert_Macklin, Reddit
You’re probably familiar with the adorable vinyl figures, which, despite their oversized heads, all-black eyes and often, no mouth, aren’t as terrifying as they sound. They’re tremendously important to merchandising, and indeed, whoever your favorite character is, Funko likely has a whimsical rendition of it.
I bought Spock at Barnes and Noble back in…2013? I think? Because I also collect Star Trek action figures and he was too cute to pass up. I wasn’t planning on getting any others, but then they released the TNG ones so I needed Data too. I…
