It is an American company responsible for various lines of collectible figures, taking advantage of hundreds of television, film and comics licenses, such diversity being one of the engines of its success. The so-called “pop” are the most internationally recognized.
The most characteristic features of Pops
These are anthropomorphic pieces, that is, with a human appearance, since they have two eyes, a head and two arms. Its height is about 9.5 cm, the body is made of vinyl and the head is bobble in most cases. Its most characteristic peculiarity is the exaggeration of some parts of the body, especially the size of the head. On the other hand, they have large, expressive eyes, short, slender limbs, and a normal body.
The development of a phenomenon
With the rise of audiovisual content and everything related to it, Funko Pops have positioned themselves at the forefront as far as merchandising is concerned. This company, with a business acumen that characterizes it, has a license with almost all film, television, comic, etc. production companies. In this way, they reproduce figures from large companies such as Marvel, Pixar or Disney.
The Funko firm is dedicated to all kinds of characters, taking reference from low-budget movies, going through the entire Marvel saga such as DC, to the figure of V for Vendetta. This wide variety of content has sparked interest among collectors and has created a whole Funko pop culture. Thousands of fans purchase their figures in order to enlarge their personal collections and display them on social networks.
Exclusive market and unscrupulous sellers who take advantage of the collector’s passion
Collectors run after, as if it were the Holy Grail, those with the highest age and lowest serial number. These pieces are highly valued due to their low number and the difficulty in obtaining them.
The Funko company promotes proximity to consumers. In this sense, they launch campaigns so that the fans themselves propose new figures to be manufactured in future series.
In the funko world, the heads of their characters are known as bobble-heads, or just big heads.
When pops are sold out, big collectors are willing to pay double, triple, or even twenty times their original price.
There are numerous lines, and levels of exclusivity. One finds limited pieces released for events like San Diego Comic Con, as well as on Funko’s own site, or at specific retailers. Depending on the amount released for each figure, and the demand, the resale value is built, and the average price within the community itself is identified in the PopPriceGuide space, based on eBay operations.
Most of the “exclusives” are variants of the original, such that a metallic version appears, or that glows in the dark, or that simply has some difference in the color of the clothing or detail that differentiates it.
Unfortunately, there is a growing problem regarding the overvaluation of the limited figures, as well as the scam of manipulated Pops to reproduce a metallic painting or another aspect typical of that more expensive version.
Other Funko Own Brands
Other products besides Pop can be seen, such as the “Dorbz”, which represent a variant of the Pop in terms of design and which divided the followers of the manufacturer, or the “Hikari”, older figures with a Japanese manga style, among other. Also, the Vynl line stands out, which is more in tune with the Pops, and poses a good way to start over without the pressure and difficulty involved in collecting the Funko flag.