Funko Pop Toys & Figures

When the Funko creation myth is told around the digital campfire, it usually begins with a guy named Mike Becker, who, in 1998, reportedly balked at the prices of vintage Bob’s Big Boy still banks on eBay and decided to have one made in China. That led to Funko’s first line, the Wacky Wobblers, which included the mascot for the Burbank, California, burger joint, as well as subsequent characters such as Betty Boop, Austin Powers, and Funko’s own mascot, Freddy. By 2010, Funko was up to its ears in competition, particularly from a company called Kidrobot, whose Dunny (Devil Bunny) figures were all the rage. But 2010 was also the year that Funko introduced its Funko Force 2.0 figures, Batman and Batgirl among them. These smaller, static figures represented a break from the original line of Funko bobbleheads. As it would turn out, both the Wacky Wobblers and the Funko Force 2.0 figures were quickly eclipsed by Funko’s own Pop! line of vinyl figures, which launched at the New York Toy Fair in 2011. Measuring just under 4 inches tall, with square heads about equal to the size of the rest of their bodies, this simple format somehow lent itself to a dizzying array of licensed characters, from Marvel and “Star Wars” action heroes to Disney princesses to athletes and entertainers from the NBA, MLB, NHL, and WWE. At around $10 retail, Pop! figures are priced to be collected, and inventories are low enough to sell out. But “low enough” is not quite the same thing as “low,” which is why even “Vaulted,” or retired, Funko figures can often be had fairly reasonably. For example, it won’t cost you hundreds of dollars to buy a retired Jimi Hendrix Pop! figure of the guitarist lighting his Stratocaster on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, whereas a Funko figure of Leonidas from the 2006 film “300” will. Still, some of the rarest Funko Pop! figures—like the silver Batman from 2015 or the gold Dumbo from 2013—manage to top $1,000 at auction.