What the Heck is a Funko Pop?

"Funko.”

“Funko Pop!”

At first they seem like nonsensical, Dr. Seuss-type words. But stick around Milltown and you’ll be hearing them more and more.

Funko, Everett-based toy manufacturer, has a wildly devoted fanbase. The company recently threw a party and there were 8,000 people on the waitlist. Funko sales are up 300% in Wal-Mart stores, and the toy makers plan to become a billion dollar company in five years.

Billion with a B.

Collect them all! You might need to get a second mortgage.

In many ways, what’s good for Funko is what’s good for Everett. You know some of that fan money is going to ultimately trickle into our community.

You’ve seen Funko Pops! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the name). If you’ve walked past the new Funko offices in downtown Everett you’ve noticed Mickey Mouse, Chewbacca, and other big bobblehead-looking guys with round black eyes.

How can someone so evil look so cute?

I recently bought two Funko Pops, supposedly for my toddler daughters. But really I wanted to see what the hype was about.

My kids and I were bussing past the Funko building when my three year old saw the “big toys” on the awning. We got off the bus at the corner of Wetmore & Hewitt. Everett Comics was right across the street.

We crossed and went in to the comic shop.

My daughters chose two Funko Pops!: Blueberry Muffin (friend of cartoon character Strawberry Cheesecake) and a Raphael TMNT Funko Pop!, complete with realistic mini daggers.

This is the key to Funko’s success, by the way. They hold licenses not only to popular franchises like Disney, and DC Comics, they also cater to smaller diehard fandoms. At Everett Comics I saw Boss Baby, Walking Dead, and Gremlins Pops! The characters get weirdly specific, like the Dark Crystal Kira and Fizzgig Pop!

You don't need to have a neck beard and coke bottle glasses to get into the scene. Research shows that over half of Pops! collectors are women. Most of them are in their 30s.

Funko rolls out limited edition Pops! so there is a collectability factor. The price of the average Pop! is around ten bucks—I can see how it would be easy to impulse-buy them and line your shelves with quirky little vinyl characters.

"The origin of Raphael's anger is not always fully explored, but in some incarnations appears to stem partly from the realization that [the TMNT] are the only creatures of their kind and ultimately alone." -Wikipedia

Here’s the other thing. When I bought the Funko Pops! a little light went off in my head.

I think it has something to do with local pride. I think it also has something to do with raising children in this city, a city that in recent years has not been the most kid-friendly. To suddenly have toys on a building downtown…that seems somehow important to me. To bring unexpected pleasure to passers-by—this is a good thing, no?

I now have my own TMNT Funko Pop! on my work desk.

A talisman, to be sure, but a positive one. Feeling optimistic in “tweakerville.”

Funko Grand Opening

FYI: Funko HQ is opening next Saturday, August 19. Time to don your Sailor Moon cosplay: this is going to be the nerd culture celebration of the decade.

The plan is to close down a two-block radius and have a big party with food trucks (no, not that food truck party). The grand opening features brand new products, games, and special giveaways.

This looks to be an exciting event, both for diehard “Funatics" and for members of the community who want to welcome a big new employer to town. 

Ribbon cutting starts at 9:30. 2802 Wetmore Avenue. 

Richard Porter is a musician and Live in Everett's content magician. He lives in North Everett and enjoys running, bicycling, and endless cups of coffee.

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