Rumors of a Soda wind-down

[RedRoo]

So some friends told me that funko may be winding down on soda's, I then checked with some people in the backend likes stores and they noticed some changes so it seems it might be true.

One of the main reasons it seems is that people cant afford a lot of soda's. Speaking from a international view they cost $30+ down here because of the shipping weight ect make them very unaffordable.

Another reason people think and i think could be a strong contender is because bitty's are outselling them. There cheaper, ezyer to display and also strike the minature market.

If this ends up being true how does it make you feel?

[CaseyJones14]

When did the first Soda release? I want to say Dorbz lasted around 4 years so Soda may be creeping up on the end time as well.

[RedRoo]

When did the first Soda release? I want to say Dorbz lasted around 4 years so Soda may be creeping up on the end time as well.

does that mean your gonna collect all soda's now? :P

[Ohlordypops]

I hope not, but could understand if they're trying to cut down on production. I really like the Freddy sodas they have been putting out and I really want them to finish the Scooby Doo sodas. I think they went wrong with the no piece counts (although some of those sodas had really awesome chases). I would hope they would just scale down instead of being done completely. Keep the piece counts low and maybe not release as many (do them for cons and events like Fundays and Fright Night).

[kmandude92]

Honestly, I'm fine with Sodas fading away and out of production. They're not as unique (to me) as the Funko Pop look and they oversaturated the market by releasing the non-numbered ones. Unless these become more limited, shut them down

[scullysdad]

It's surprising to me that Soda has lost so much of the hype. If they are retired, they had a good run but I think that releasing non-limited versions at retail was a mistake and could have a lot to do with this.

[mongoose12]

i'm still a soda guy

[emoagogo]

All good things must come to an end. I think the major problem with it is price, it's just too expensive to chase the chase now. I'm not usually a number guy but do think the enormous LE numbers as well as the open-ended ones just made them not feel special anymore. Wave 1 was like Funko DNA, all the staple licenses they usually have as well as the limited quantities. The hunt was fun back then, but now most sodas are just funko shop sitters. But it's okay, I'm sure funko will introduce something just as fun soon to take its place.

[Wiselordship]

I mean, I can see this. And I would hope they just thin it out, but it wouldn't be a surprise. They have not sold well since the no piece count lines. And really the price going up makes it harder to buy 6 for the chase and cheaper to wait till people have saturated the resell market to get it. It will lock in the multolme lines not completed like Kiss, Teen Titans, Scooby, etc.

But I wouldn't mind them going back to just con exclusives and small count runs. But they will probably try something else. We shall see.

[Wiselordship]

It's surprising to me that Soda has lost so much of the hype. If they are retired, they had a good run but I think that releasing non-limited versions at retail was a mistake and could have a lot to do with this.

Oh yea. That stopped a lot of soda collectors. Specially when you cound get the chase at retail on the resell market. And not to mention the massive amount of opened cans at the stores.

[supertoygiant]

I thought they were going to make itty bitty sodas. I remember seeing a mini fridge with some inside. Or is it my imagination?

[Sarcasticguy]

I'd be sad if soda died completely. I thought they fit a good unique space as a sister item to Pop. As usual though it seems like instead of taking things slow, they really pushed Soda to see if it would have the same affect as Pop did.

[aprilyoufools]

I thought they were going to make itty bitty sodas. I remember seeing a mini fridge with some inside. Or is it my imagination?

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.
[/quote]

[Geescube]

Bittys are doing that well?

[Katers]

So some friends told me that funko may be winding down on soda's, I then checked with some people in the backend likes stores and they noticed some changes so it seems it might be true.

One of the main reasons it seems is that people cant afford a lot of soda's. Speaking from a international view they cost $30+ down here because of the shipping weight ect make them very unaffordable.

Another reason people think and i think could be a strong contender is because bitty's are outselling them. There cheaper, ezyer to display and also strike the minature market.

If this ends up being true how does it make you feel?

If this were true, I'd be really torn.

On the one hand, I really like the concept of the sodas. They have some really impressive molds for them, and the chase possibility really makes it fun to open them. I've made some good friends trading soda chases, which wasn't an option with pops. On the flip side though -

Sodas started out as an affordable option, and the price has gone up significantly since they started. When I started with them, I swore I'd be one and done, but got pulled in pretty easily to buying multiple sodas trying for chases. With the price increases I've stopped doing that, and gone back (started??) to my one and done mentality. There are also way too many sodas coming out too quickly. It wasn't so bad when it was 2-3 every month or two, but lately it seems like all I'm seeing are soda announcements. And those announcements are often for a full line of characters, and I don't necessarily care about all those characters. And for some of the older sodas that should've had full lines, we're still missing characters, so that's disappointing.

Also, the switch to unnumbered soda releases took some of the fun out of soda chasing. And the sheer volume has created a display problem not unlike the eternal pop display problem...what do I do with all these sodas??

Ultimately, I wouldn't mind a slow down, but I'd be sad if it's more than that!

[Katers]

I thought they were going to make itty bitty sodas. I remember seeing a mini fridge with some inside. Or is it my imagination?

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.

[/quote]

I shudder to think how difficult bitty sodas would be to open, considering the trouble I often have with regular sodas!

[RedRoo]

Bittys are doing that well?

suprises me but they really are, i think its a combo of cost, stackabilty, Mini market (theres alot of people who like collecting small things) and weight. Its alot cheaper to ship large amounts of mini's compared to one soda.

[DrunkoPop]

i'm still a soda guy

Same here and if an out cry of soda fans happens, I can see them
Bringing them back.

[Quazimoto]

I can't sat that I'm surprised if this is true. Got to imagine Sodas are probably more expensive to produce and with retails prices creeping up every six month, it doesn't shock me that they aren't as popular anymore.

Personally, I love the Soda Figures. Don't care at all about the can or pog. I'd be totally cool if they pivoted and kept the soda style figure in a sort of Rock Candy style box to help on production cost. But, I'd also imagine that losing the can would probably kill a lot of people's interest in the line entirely, so we'd be right back where we were.

Hope they continue, because I'd love some more TMNT, Horror Icons, Simpsons, Jurassic Park, and am still holding out hope for King Of The Hill. But I'd expect that Soda probably won't survive past 2024.

[Ohlordypops]

I thought they were going to make itty bitty sodas. I remember seeing a mini fridge with some inside. Or is it my imagination?

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.

I shudder to think how difficult bitty sodas would be to open, considering the trouble I often have with regular sodas! [/quote]

Oh man! Some of those sodas are difficult to open, and I still don't think I've opened a 3L soda without a struggle.

[Wiselordship]

i'm still a soda guy

Same here and if an out cry of soda fans happens, I can see them
Bringing them back.

I am sure there would be a decent outcry.

[Mr Yac]

If this ends up being true how does it make you feel?

it sucks, but another in the long line of examples of Funko taking something successful and driving it so far into the ground with greed and mismanagement that it dies. they saw soda was popular so what did they do? jack up the price and quadruple the limited numbers (how they thought infinite was a good number for MCU crap is still insane to me) and then they scratch their head and wonder why they don't sell as well anymore. it is so depressing seeing a company you love continue to shoot itself in every foot and till they faceplant and can't get back up.

[Steelo99]

I hope they keep the line but lower counts.
I love the Freddy’s but they’ve definitely
overdone them a bit.

[supertoygiant]

I thought they were going to make itty bitty sodas. I remember seeing a mini fridge with some inside. Or is it my imagination?

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.

[/quote]

Thank goodness! thank you for posting this, I thought I may be losing my mind.

[Wiselordship]

If this ends up being true how does it make you feel?

it sucks, but another in the long line of examples of Funko taking something successful and driving it so far into the ground with greed and mismanagement that it dies. they saw soda was popular so what did they do? jack up the price and quadruple the limited numbers (how they thought infinite was a good number for MCU crap is still insane to me) and then they scratch their head and wonder why they don't sell as well anymore. it is so depressing seeing a company you love continue to shoot itself in every foot and till they faceplant and can't get back up.

Truth. Seems to be the pattern.

[FireEmblemZack]

This really bums me out, there's lots more possibilities that I know we had discussed here on the boards.
I will never forget the first announcement of them and the excitement I shared with everyone on here!

I hope they continue to do fun releases like Snagglepuss this year. Low count that was somewhat obtainable on the shop.
I will continue to be Hanna Barbera and MOTU complete for any sodas releasing though.

I hope I dont sound like a hater but I wasn't a fan of sodas that were of modern licenses. I liked the retro items the most

[FireEmblemZack]

All good things must come to an end. I think the major problem with it is price, it's just too expensive to chase the chase now. I'm not usually a number guy but do think the enormous LE numbers as well as the open-ended ones just made them not feel special anymore. Wave 1 was like Funko DNA, all the staple licenses they usually have as well as the limited quantities. The hunt was fun back then, but now most sodas are just funko shop sitters. But it's okay, I'm sure funko will introduce something just as fun soon to take its place.

I will forever cherish our excitement over sodas. Seeing you open them on stream and checking to see when preorders went up.
It's great memories I'll never forget!
Wondercon 2022 and SDCC 2022 were super high soda points.
I remember our PogChamps when at Fundays the gave out the Mike Becker soda!!

[DrunkoPop]

i'm still a soda guy

Same here and if an out cry of soda fans happens, I can see them
Bringing them back.

I am sure there would be a decent outcry.

Agreed but to the point they bring them back and perhaps with a different count number.

[Scotty]

Bittys are doing that well?

My thought exactly.

I really like the soda line and would be sad to see it go so soon. Especially if they don't make Drooper. You're killing me Funko! It's like Amy Farrah Fowler knocking on the table in front of Sheldon...tap, tap ta-tap-tap...

[sdcccrasher]

I thought they were going to make itty bitty sodas. I remember seeing a mini fridge with some inside. Or is it my imagination?

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.

Thank goodness! thank you for posting this, I thought I may be losing my mind. [/quote]

Bittys are my favorite Funko product line (except for Pops). Come on Bittys!!!

[Elviax]

Bittys are doing that well?

My thought exactly.

I really like the soda line and would be sad to see it go so soon. Especially if they don't make Drooper. You're killing me Funko! It's like Amy Farrah Fowler knocking on the table in front of Sheldon...tap, tap ta-tap-tap...

My thoughts! At least for the stores near me, sodas do way better than bittys

[FireEmblemZack]

My thought exactly.

I really like the soda line and would be sad to see it go so soon. Especially if they don't make Drooper. You're killing me Funko! It's like Amy Farrah Fowler knocking on the table in front of Sheldon...tap, tap ta-tap-tap...

If they leave out Drooper I'm gonna have to get the paint out and make one myself and learn how to flock figures to make a chase too

[Wiselordship]

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.

Thank goodness! thank you for posting this, I thought I may be losing my mind.

Bittys are my favorite Funko product line (except for Pops). Come on Bittys!!! [/quote]

Oh, I remember that image. Always wondered how they worked. Seemed too small to actually open. Lol

[Jade-Rex]

The Halloween Freddy's were my favorites and I really looked forward to them. But like everyone said, Funko went overboard. Personally it made it easier for me because I could pick and choose my favorites and lost all fomo because I expected another recolor/variant in the future. But I imagine that's bad for business.

So I'd hope to see them in a more limited capacity and of course if Funko could finish the sets they started, that would be great.

I'm surprised bittys are doing so well. The convenience I totally understand though. I like them but less so than Sodas so far. I just really like the details in larger figures even if space is an issue.

[NightStyle]

I'm ok with that, I stopped collecting sodas as the design wasn't unique from the pops. So hopefully they can focus on better designs

[ldela001]

I’d be bummed if they suddenly stopped making sodas and didn’t release Jet Black for the Cowboy Bebop line. I really enjoyed them for certain lines like TMNT and Cowboy Bebop. Now that I think about it, I don’t believe they released Master Splinter or April O’Neil for TMNT.

[Katers]

Nope, not your imagination. This was from Funko’s Press and Investors Event in September 2022. And I think the first SODAs were released sometime around ECCC 2020.

I shudder to think how difficult bitty sodas would be to open, considering the trouble I often have with regular sodas!

Oh man! Some of those sodas are difficult to open, and I still don't think I've opened a 3L soda without a struggle.[/quote]

There hasn't been a 3-liter yet that I needed desperately, but I know I'll be an utter failure when the time comes!

[Jmagic]

I’d be bummed if they suddenly stopped making sodas and didn’t release Jet Black for the Cowboy Bebop line. I really enjoyed them for certain lines like TMNT and Cowboy Bebop. Now that I think about it, I don’t believe they released Master Splinter or April O’Neil for TMNT.

I second this sentiment. Hope they continue and finish some of the lines they started.

[Caroborri]

So some friends told me that funko may be winding down on soda's, I then checked with some people in the backend likes stores and they noticed some changes so it seems it might be true.

One of the main reasons it seems is that people cant afford a lot of soda's. Speaking from a international view they cost $30+ down here because of the shipping weight ect make them very unaffordable.

Another reason people think and i think could be a strong contender is because bitty's are outselling them. There cheaper, ezyer to display and also strike the minature market.

If this ends up being true how does it make you feel?

I hope not. Sodas are pretty cool however it would definitely make sense to be more of a speciality event / comic con thing.

[Elviax]

I shudder to think how difficult bitty sodas would be to open, considering the trouble I often have with regular sodas!

Oh man! Some of those sodas are difficult to open, and I still don't think I've opened a 3L soda without a struggle.

There hasn't been a 3-liter yet that I needed desperately, but I know I'll be an utter failure when the time comes! [/quote]
Oh no.. I hadn't even thought of that and now my fingers hurt just picturing trying to open those