A review of Funko’s San Diego Comic-Con 2017 exclusives and a preview of the company’s exciting new products.
San Diego Comic-Con 2017 has come and gone, but Funko’s exclusives are still making the rounds with fans. It’s understandable why this isn’t a passing fad, as the toymaker’s designs are timeless and hit every corner of pop (pun intended) culture. Today, we have not only an exclusive peak at The Fanboy Review’s SDCC 2017 haul of Funko items, but an exciting preview of upcoming products from the company’s marketing manager—Cameron Deuel.
As we ventured to Funko’s booth—I think “booth” is an understatement—we could see fans of the company already lined up, hungry for Funko’s SDCC 2017 exclusives which include Pop!s, Dorbz, and a myriad of other creations. The Fanboy Review was fortunate enough to receive a coveted spot in purchasing a few of these items, so we’d like to share this treasure trove with our readers.
Starting from the bottom of this “Funko pyramid” we’ll work our way up to the top …
Dorbz Ridez Masters of the Universe #21 Skeletor with Panthor
I’m from that generation where the classic Filmation Masters of the Universe holds some nostalgic meaning. This Dorbz Rides Skeletor with Panthor is everything a He-Man fan could’ve asked for. The unique selling point of this figure is the flocked Panthor. Skeletor is also colorfully reproduced and the poses of both figures—Skeletor and Panthor—really bring this overall offering to life. It’s another great collectible that will warm the hearts of people who grew up in the ’80s.
Pop! Rides Supernatural #32 Baby with Dean
No, I’m not a girl. And no, I’m not fourteen. Yes, I know Supernatural has a huge following among that demographic. But I love this show and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’ve been following this awesome series for twelve years and know everything about this universe and its myth. So when Funko announced they were going to have a “Baby with Dean” Pop! Rides exclusive, I was already salivating.
Both Dean Winchester and his trusty not-so-rusty Chevy Impala are perfectly captured. The windows, the headlights, and every detail on Baby is beautifully Pop!-ified and reproduced. The Pop! Dean is also amazingly detailed, as shown with his signature semi-grown out Ivy League haircut.
Pop! Heroes DC Super Heroes Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins and Gleek have always been the butt of many jokes in the DC universe. Created specifically for the 1970s The All-New Super Friends Hour, the two … ahem … three characters were sort of … um … useless. And that was their whole charm. Okay, maybe they weren’t “useless,” but everything they did could’ve been done without transforming.
Let me give you an example: if there was a fire, the two would touch rings and say, “Wonder Twin powers activate!” Zan, who can transform into any form of water, would transform into a pail of water. Jayna, who can transform into any animal, would transform into a purple gorilla that takes that pail of water and throws it on the fire.
So was Jayna’s transformation even necessary? Besides those things, the two were just really strange. However, my childhood nostalgia overpowered any logic I had. That’s why you see this 3-pack among my Funko haul! I have to say, I’m quite impressed. Funko certainly captured everything fun about these three characters and the detailing is again on-point. I can tell you this offering is definitely no joke.
Pop! Television Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #497 Megazord
This is probably one of the largest Pop! figures out there. I initially got this mixed up with Voltron. I blame the hot weather and dehydration. However, I’m very happy that I purchased this figure. It’s amazingly colorful and just a great conversation piece. Granted, I’m not a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fan, but I can still appreciate the artistic nature of this Pop! The colors and various sculpted pieces make this a standout all on its own.
Pop! Harry Potter #31 Harry Potter on Broom
Venturing into another realm that has just as large a fandom as Funko, we have Harry Potter. The Harry Potter on Broom Pop! shows the boy wizard on a … well, broom. This is one of those Pop!s that is given an action pose which makes it quite unique. In usual Funko form, Harry’s glasses and famous scar are perfectly reproduced here.
Pop! Harry Potter #41 Luna Lovegood with Glasses
Staying within the Harry Potter arena, we have Luna Lovegood with Glasses. Being the “odd” one at Hogwarts, Luna’s wardrobe reflects her eccentric nature—and it works perfectly for a Pop! figure. The bright pink and vivid blue make this an extremely fun figure. The glasses being a separate piece form the Pop! is also a plus, as it gives everything a higher quality feeling.
Pop! Fantastic Beasts #12 Occamy
Taking a few steps backwards in the Harry Potter franchise timeline, we enter the realm of Fantastic Beasts. One of the “beasts” that stuck out in fans’ minds was the size-changing Occamy. The Pop! Occamy here has a beautiful paint job—with metallic hues of violet and blue. Under certain lighting, the colors seem to blend and shift into each other. This Pop! is also one of the larger ones offered by Funko.
Pop! South Park #07 The Coon
South Park fans will probably remember Cartman’s take on the Dark Knight. It’s rather amusing to see how a Pop!-ified Cartman is not that much different from the actual cartoon incarnation. The mask and suit are hilariously reproduced here.
Pop! Heroes Batman: The Animated Series #189 Man Bat
I always thought that when things are given the Pop! treatment, they’ll suddenly become cute. Well, I think Funko has met its match. Man Bat still looks as terrifying as ever—even in Pop! form. Aside from the figure’s intimidating features, the Pop! is actually well-made and nicely detailed. The paint job and the sculpting of the character’s ears and wings really make it a great display item.
Pop! Heroes Suicide Squad #188 Batman
The Joker Batman from Suicide Squad can’t be missed. The clash of colors and stark white skin right below the cowl is basically making an announcement of “look at me!” One of the details I liked the most about the figure are the teeth. If you look close enough, Funko has reproduced the grill that the DCEU Joker wears throughout the film.
Pop! Marvel #06 Captain America
Straightforward and simple. The classic Captain America from the comics is shown with his iconic shield and bright American-flag-inspired suit. Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Avenger, this Cap has the protruding wings on his mask. The paint has a nice matte finish. There’s no flash here. It’s just pure and direct patriotism.
Pop! Spider-Man: Homecoming #225 Tony Stark
The Tony Stark Pop! may not be assumed to look very impressive because he’s not in his Iron Man suit. However, this may be one of the more complex Pop! figures. The sculpt has a pair of glasses which require a different material in order to mimic the billionaire’s stylish shades. And to remind people that he is the Golden Avenger, the figure holds a small Iron Man helmet which is also nicely detailed.
Pop! Heroes DC Super Heroes #144 Batman
And here is the piece de resistance of the overall haul—the chrome blue Batman. The chrome metallic blue is definitely what caught my eye—and the fact that it’s Batman! In all seriousness, I thought this was an attractive figure and I had no idea it would be this coveted. Mind you, I’m not a Pop! flipper. I collect them because I love them. However, knowing that it’s growing in price (due to its rarity) is not a bad incentive. This Pop! is currently valued at $280. That’s an example of Funko’s brand power and a testament to the status of its convention exclusives!
Funko’s Future Plans
Funko Marketing Manager Cameron Deuel also walked us through the company’s plans for future products and items. Subscription boxes are just the tip of the iceberg. With numerous licenses and major blockbuster films on the horizon, Funko has a myriad of products for hungry fans. So check out our exclusive interview and get a taste of what’s to come!
The Fanboy Review: Tell us about some of your new upcoming products. What’s in store for Funko fans?
Cameron Deuel: In terms of exclusive licenses, we currently have Marvel Collector Corps, DC Legion of Collectors, Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty, and Disney Treasures. We also have Funko-Shop and exclusives that are only through Funko-Shop. Every Wednesday we have a new item. We also just introduced Pop! Monsters which is 100% our own creation. There are also big movies coming out—Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Thor: Ragnarok, Justice League … all those big movies … we have stuff for that. I could go all day!
TFR: Funko recently made some acquisitions like Dorbz and Mystery Minis, just to name a few. Can you tell us more about what’s in the works?
CD: Yeah, we’re constantly trying to rework our line. We know Pop! is king. We know people love to collect Pop!s and Mystery Minis. Dorbz has been out for a couple of years now, and I feel they’re starting to really pick up steam.
The newest thing we’ve released is our Vynl. series. The idea is that it’s a more stylized vinyl, it has more personality. For the foreseeable future, it’s two figures per pack. So you can kind of play off of the personalities and relationships of the characters in a pack. It’s a really cool thing for our artists—a new challenge!
TFR: Any special edition Pop!s that fans should be looking out for?
CD: I feel like we’re appealing to all sorts of collectors. We have limited edition Dorbz going into Hot Topic. We have limited edition figures—numbered figures—going into the Funko-Shop. Just for our SDCC booth we have a ton of stuff that might be numbered and shared, might be not numbered and still shared … we’re really trying to please everyone.
TFR: So, basically, the tip for fans is “half the fun is hunting them down.” It’s not always advertised, so that’s what makes them rare and collectible.
CD: Yes! We reintroduced chases in a big way last year. We’re starting to add them to major lines. We have a Star Wars chase for the first time coming later this year. There’s a lot of reasons to hunt around and look around. More importantly, make friends and create a community around collectors. That’s what it’s all about.
TFR: Fans are certainly looking forward to more things coming out of Funko. Will the company be going in new directions?
CD: We’re just starting to break out of the mold of the things we’ve done before. This year, for the first time, we had Pop! Sodas at our Pop!-Up Shop. We’re doing all sorts of apparel—we introduced socks in one of our subscription boxes. Definitely keep an eye out on our subscription boxes and their contents, just because we like to introduce new lines or new formats of our products through those. We feel that the subscribers are oftentimes Funko fans first, so we’d like to really focus on them.
A special thanks to Funko’s marketing managers Cameron Deuel, Hilary Gray, and Yoko McCann for accommodating The Fanboy Review and making this interview and preview possible.
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