How'd you get started collecting Funko Pops?

[JordanAtSyfy]

Hi! I'm a journalist — the features editor at Syfy! — working on a story about the Funko Pops craze. One part of the story is how people initially got hooked on Funko Pops, and how many they have now.

Would you mind telling me how you got started collecting them, how many you have now, and how much you'd estimate you've spent on them?

I'll go first: I started buying them for my girlfriend after seeing them at various conventions. We only have a few so far, but there's a Funko pop store in NYC that we will visit soon!

If you'd rather do it over email, I'm at Jordan.Zakarin at NBCUni dot com.

Thanks!

[jayncoke]

Welcome to the boards, Jordan! That's so cool that you're doing a story on Funko!

My sister got me my first Funko Pops for Christmas a while ago. They were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Metallic SDCC variants. She knew I loved TMNT. From there I got a few pieces from Game of Thrones and other lines here and there. Once I started learning more about exclusives and other licenses that Funko had, I was hooked! I probably have about 900 Pops now? Gosh... how much spent? I haven't paid more than retail so it'd have to be at least 900 x the average of $11 so at LEAST $9900 over 4 years. And that's not factoring in the 6" or Pop! Rides!

Looking forward to seeing the article!

[HouseNoettestad]

I initially didn't like them. The chibi anime style was weird to me. But one-day I was selling an old Xbox to gamestop and I saw final form frieza and I caved.

From there I quickly spiraled into dbz, game of thrones, dc, movies and tv.

I'm now over 300 pops, but I also heavily collect pint size heroes, dorbz and other funko items.

I have no clue how much I've spent on my collection, but pretty close to retail. With handfuls of online purchases over 50 bucks.

[throneofgames]

I remember seeing pops and thinking to myself, nahhhhh these aren't realistic looking at all! Then a few weeks later I was shopping online again and saw the TWD and GOT pops and fell in love. It's weird how you get hooked on them, but once you are it's dangerous .

[Libertyroxx]

Hi Jordan, I sent you an email. Also, welcome to the Forum!!

[throneofgames]

I initially didn't like them. The chibi anime style was weird to me. But one-day I was selling an old Xbox to gamestop and I saw final form frieza and I caved.

From there I quickly spiraled into dbz, game of thrones, dc, movies and tv.

I'm now over 300 pops, but I also heavily collect pint size heroes, dorbz and other funko items.

I have no clue how much I've spent on my collection, but pretty close to retail. With handfuls of online purchases over 50 bucks.

Same thing happened with me . Didn't initially like them and then fell in love! Now I'm at about 1500 or so! Not counting minis or Dorbz!

[Fawny]

I first started buying them for my 11 yo sons as Christmas presents. For Q, I was looking for anything DBZ and stumbled on the first wave. Then I found a couple for P.

The next spring, Funko introduced the Doctor Who Pops and I was hooked. I'm a Whovian and I loved the Pops! My sons' fandoms also expanded although Q still sticks with DBZ, P likes all things Deadpool.

As a family, we are now at 190 Funko items in our household.

[turgsaysno]

I stumbled across Pops at the Pasadena Flea Market at the Rose Bowl. This was back in 2013, I believe. I saw them every time we went, and every time I would buy z couple here or there. Nothing major. Then my son was born. So I started thinking ahead a bit. For me, I thought, 'What would be more awesome than learning to collect and show appreciation for things at a young age?' So I started to buy the stuff that I liked, hoping one day my son would grow to like that stuff as well. So I kept collecting and over the past four years I have probably amassed over 250 Pops that are limited to the MCU and Star Wars (with a few rogue misfit pieces in there).

The cool thing is, now every time a Pop comes in via mail or when I pick one up in stores, I save it for when my son gets home. He absolutely loves shelving these things. We've been doing it since he was old enough to hold the toys (without squeezing the life out of the box ~1ish). The Pops are all displayed in his room, so he keeps tabs on them. If he sees a new toy in there that he didn't shelve himself, he will get upset and demand I take it down so he can put it up on the shelf.

He has definitely grown to love and respect these toys. He knows that they are not to be played with and remain untouched in the boxes, unless we have duplicates that we can take OOB. I am hoping he can learn life long lessons from this experience while also enjoying the toys for what they are and growing to like his own lines of toys down the line. Hopefully, this stays the course. Time will tell. He is 3.5 years old now so I think time is on my side - at least for now.

[emoagogo]

I STARTED SEEING THEM EVERYWHERE. In 2013 was when I really started taking notice of pops, they were in every store I went to looking for nerdy things like comic stores and Barns and noble. I really liked the design of them and thought they would look great on my desk, but most of the ones I saw at retail stores we're just DC, which Im not a fan of. I was determined at comic con that year to find a unique one that would feel special in my collection. That was the year Headless Ned Stark came out as a comic con exclusive. I was in love. It was like the stars aligned, it was so unique and from such an important part of the show, I knew I had to have it. I was able to get one, he sat on my desk and looked a bit lonely. The rest is history, and the flood gates opened, I was hooked.
BY then I was able to find pops in just about every fandom I was in. I was just so cool to collect things from franchises that dont really have merch. I liked that they all matched in some way too, the more I got the greater they looked all together!!
I love Funko and everything they make now, truly a company for fans (and funatics )

[jkcohen626]

I had kind of seen them places before. They had started showing up at Barnes & Nobles and online. Then in December 2014, My Mom and I were walking through Barnes & Nobles. She asked me if there was anything I wanted for Hanukah (not even from Barnes and Noble) and I jokingly picked up a Deadpool POP and said this! My Mom asked me if I was serious and after taking a long look at the POP, I said yes. After that I bought a few online and some in stores. I think I really got hooked when Funko announced Marvel Collector Corps in early 2015 and I signed up for the founders program. The Funko Funatic forums have definitely increased my involvement with the community as well as the world of Funko Instagrams.

[kdmlvr]

My husband dragged me in.

[Bhofsted]

I got started by getting one of the subscrtion boxes and had chrome phasma and tie fighter pilot after that just spiraled out of control, I had almost 200 star wars, now just going for glow pops

[treswright]

My girlfriend was collecting Funko Mystery Minis for her daughter and had me on the lookout for some as well. But soon we were getting our own. Then we started looking at Pops, picked up a couple... next thing we knew we were driving around all over the place to see who had which ones and it was like a snowball rolling downhill gathering speed and size after that I think an interesting angle to the article would be to discuss how online forums feed into the frenzy. I think when people of like mind gather together in forums like this, it makes people collect even more ravenously I've mentioned before that this forum is like the Funko equivalent of an AA meeting where you walk in and everyone hands you drinks and slaps you on the back

[fortydegrees]

My first Pop was Vegeta... and it was just that one for a long while. I really didn't start going down the rabbit hole until I ordered the first MCC sub box, and now they've taken over my house (Dorbz more than Pops nowadays).

[Cephus]

I was a big action figure collector that had gotten disillusioned by their bait-and-switch ways. I had decided to just give up right before I went to Wondercon 2012 and had nothing to really look for in the dealer's room. So I looked at Pops, picked up about a dozen that first year and I've been hooked ever since.

[zaghawk]

Hi! I'm a journalist — the features editor at Syfy! — working on a story about the Funko Pops craze. One part of the story is how people initially got hooked on Funko Pops, and how many they have now.

Would you mind telling me how you got started collecting them, how many you have now, and how much you'd estimate you've spent on them?

I'll go first: I started buying them for my girlfriend after seeing them at various conventions. We only have a few so far, but there's a Funko pop store in NYC that we will visit soon!

If you'd rather do it over email, I'm at Jordan.Zakarin at NBCUniversal dot com.

Thanks!

- Initially I got two as a Christmas gift. A year or so later, I was at Emerald City Comic Con and a lot of vendors had buy combo deals and my wife and brother in law went crazy buying a bunch. I did as well. And the collection started from there. I have maybe 500-600 Funko pieces, maybe 400+ Pops. How much I've spent...thousands.

[mactds]

I got a Funko Pop Spock for my dad one christmas not knowing much about Funko, and just seeing a cool and affordable figure. Then, I got the Joker Batman in Loot crate, and decided to pick up Daryl and Daenerys. That was about all I had for a couple of years.

It wasn't until Force Awakens came out that I got into full on collecting mode. The FN-2187 pop is an absolute gem that I just had to have. Then it was Rey & Kylo, then the OT pops, and it snowballed into Marvel, Disney, Movies, TV shows, and then Freddys. I have close to 300 pops, and have tried to get them all for retail, so about $3000, though some of the Freddys, SDCC, and HQ exclusives come with the added trips/special event costs, and worth every penny

[gyrofx]

I initially saw them in Hot Topic around 2012 when the first round of Invader Zim Gir came out. but didn't buy anything till around Christmas of that year. My first pop was a Chococat I had ordered online. Then ordered a set of NBC, then the horror set, then... I stopped counting after i reached around 700 and that was over a year ago. I'm sure i have over 1000 now, easy. I've probably spent more than 15k for sure... I'd rather not look too closely.

[Teresahbach]

Honest truth.
I did not care at the time. One good friend had a huge collection and once I saw that. It was all about Funko!

[hailmary25]

I have been collecting for a little over 2 years. The first Pop I ever bought was for my wife. We are both fans of Sons of Anarchy so when I saw a Jax teller I knew I had to get it for her not even knowing what they were.

After this I started doing research on Funko and this was around the time they announced Harry Potter and Doctor Who at he 2015 toy Fair. I was ready to be hooked just needed them to be released. The first Pop I bought for myself was an Iron Man.

I have at this point around 180 pop, maybe 60 minis and a few pint size heros.

I have spent close to retail thanks to trades and selling of past collections. The biggest extra expense is I like to get the pops signed by the actors/actress. I have a little over 30 of those.

[jimma]

Would you mind telling me how you got started collecting them : Around 2013 I saw these cool little figures on a co worker's desk and i had to know what they were because they looked so awesome. As soon as i saw the game of thrones line i was completely owned

How many you have now : 149

How much you'd estimate you've spent on them? $2-3000 easy

[JordanAtSyfy]

Hi Jordan, I sent you an email. Also, welcome to the Forum!!

Hi! I'm sorry I gave the wrong email before, it's actually Jordan.Zakarin at NBCUni dot com.

Thanks!

[Jade-Rex]

I'm a new collector (just since April) but I got my first pop 2 years ago so I could get free shipping on Amazon. I'd seen them around and thought they were cool but didn't feel a real need to get them. I'd always check out the displays but pass. Then I saw a set I HAD to have for some reason and the whole thing snowballed from there.

Joining forums absolutely put me in collecting overdrive. Collectors are enablers to this addicting hobby .

I'm at about 100 pops now and looking to slow down and be more selective.

I've received a lot of pops as gifts and a lot on sale but I've also splurged a few times, so I'd estimate I've spent about $900 but thinking about that amount truly depresses me.

Good luck on your article!

[decoy1978]

Hi! I'm a journalist — the features editor at Syfy! — working on a story about the Funko Pops craze. One part of the story is how people initially got hooked on Funko Pops, and how many they have now.

Would you mind telling me how you got started collecting them, how many you have now, and how much you'd estimate you've spent on them?

I'll go first: I started buying them for my girlfriend after seeing them at various conventions. We only have a few so far, but there's a Funko pop store in NYC that we will visit soon!

If you'd rather do it over email, I'm at Jordan.Zakarin at NBCUni dot com.

Thanks!

I would have to say that my wife originally started us off in Funko's. I remember when the first Marvel Collector came out with the Hulkbuster pop and she really wanted it, but we didn't pull the trigger back then. But the following year in Comic Con they sold the first Marvel Collector separately without a subscription and my wife bought it then. We also signed up for MCC that same year and have since been members. Over the months we started to branch off into other pops like DC, movies, tv shows, etc but we kept our MCC subscription still to this day. As of today I would have to say we have over 70 pops.... its not a lot compared to other Funatics but the joy of opening the box is still there as if it was our first time opening our first Funko.

[Jade-Rex]

I think an interesting angle to the article would be to discuss how online forums feed into the frenzy. I think when people of like mind gather together in forums like this, it makes people collect even more ravenously I've mentioned before that this forum is like the Funko equivalent of an AA meeting where you walk in and everyone hands you drinks and slaps you on the back

This is painfully true! Lol At least this means there can be some kind of support system for when things or people get crazy.

[Libertyroxx]

Hi Jordan, I sent you an email. Also, welcome to the Forum!!

Hi! I'm sorry I gave the wrong email before, it's actually Jordan.Zakarin at NBCUni dot com.

Thanks!

Tried re-sending. Thanks!

[TriFeckTa]

I first started collecting them in 2015 when my girlfriend bought me a Avengers: Age of Ultron Iron Man as a gift. I thought it was really cool and looked online and found out that there were so many more and so many different variants. I currently have well over 250 pops and tons of other funko products. As for how much i spent for Funko Products up till now i would say about $20,000+

[notoriousP-O-P]

Hi! Fun topic for a story.

I grew up really poor. A family friend gave me a Strawberry Shortcake doll that we couldn't have otherwise afforded. It was my treasure.

One day, it was accidentally run over by a car and utterly destroyed. I was devastated. We couldn't afford to replace it.

Fast forward more years than I'll tell you (though you can guess by the doll ). A good friend who isn't even into comics or anything like that happened to be going to the NY Comic Convention and talked me into going because it was close to work. As a favor for one of her friends, she stopped by a Funko booth to try to pick up some figures.

LO AND BEHOLD: Strawberry Shortcake figures. In the original design, not the revamped one (even if Funko-ized!). And super affordable.

I bought them immediately. Then I found the Purple Pieman at a different stand. And a hole in my hard little heart was was mended. Hahaha. But seriously. I couldn't love less "valuable" toys more. <3

I suppose I have about 100 now, though a lot of those are minis (space constraints ). I'm big into collecting Frozen, which I get is totally hilarious for most folks. My little sister is special needs and red haired, and I'm blonde and not, and she really likes Frozen as well. We also grew up in snow country. I'm about 4 mystery minis short of having a TOTALLY complete Frozen Funko collection. I love them.

I try not to spend more than retail and aim for less. I'll splurge for a super fun one now and again. The minis in particularly are pretty cheap.

I have a really intense professional career, and it brings me endless joy to come home to frivolous toys that serve no purpose other than making me grin. Some of them are really art too! That new Occamy from Fantastic Beasts is beautiful.

Cheers!

[case]

Started with kids and lootcrate sometime late 2013 I think it was Superman and Zod pops.

[Squird]

I've been collecting for about 13 years and have been buying Pops since they came out. I typically only collect what I like and try to keep the collection manageable (meaning no walls of Pop in my house). Right now I think I'm up to over 300 pieces of Funko and that feels a little heavy.

I do have all the Freddy Dorbz if that counts for anything.

I have no idea how much I've spent, and if I did, I'd probably be embarrassed and die from shame.

[brooklyn_geek]

I've always collected things from sticker books, cards and comics in the early 80's...worked at a comic shop in college as well. Still have about 1500 comics in long boxes from my collection...

About 5 years ago I started my business by selling on Ebay etc...I found out about this brand called Funko and knew nothing about it but I heard that the Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones merch were selling really well. First Funko items I bought for my store were the GOT Legacy figures because the detail was amazing. Then it was the minis...problem was I'd never even seen Thrones before so I had to watch it to know which characters would sell, etc. Well the show hooked me and I started looking at the pops...Tyrion was the first pop I purchased wholesale and I kept one for myself cause I loved the character. The rest is history, but it was really the mystery minis that got me into collecting Funko first not the pops.

[fischmioli]

I got my first pop, The Undertaker, this past Xmas from my roommates. Then fast forward to ECCC, I started seeing Stranger Things pops around so I had to get them. LevixKelly and I got into the Funko booth and I splurged so much on pops. I've been getting into it more and more every day.

[lavery01]

I ordered my first pop (Adventure Time The Lich) from Entertainment Earth, loved the detailed and how the figure looked. Was amazed that it was so many different characters you could buy. A bit overwhelming also. Made a decision to start collecting Disney. I soon got my husband into liking pops and now we have around 400. I lost count on how much we've spent so far.

[Nobody888]

i would see pops all over the place at comic cons. eventually i caved and bought some a spidey pop and been collecting ever since.

[MattyPHATty]

I got hooked myself a few years back when I got the joker/batman in a LootCrate box. I really liked the figure and looked into them and a week later went on Amazon and started the obsession.

[OffTheCHENG]

Hi! I'm a journalist — the features editor at Syfy! — working on a story about the Funko Pops craze. One part of the story is how people initially got hooked on Funko Pops, and how many they have now.

Would you mind telling me how you got started collecting them, how many you have now, and how much you'd estimate you've spent on them?

I'll go first: I started buying them for my girlfriend after seeing them at various conventions. We only have a few so far, but there's a Funko pop store in NYC that we will visit soon!

If you'd rather do it over email, I'm at Jordan.Zakarin at NBCUni dot com.

Thanks!

For me, it was a small local toy show that started it all. I was fortunate enough to see Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, and get a Bruce Lee funko pop signed by her. That will always be the story i tell that started this craze for me.

[ImranC23]

Believe it or not, my mom is actually the one that started my collection for me. For my 20th birthday she purchased two pops for me as gifts and the rest is history! I went from 2 pops to about 200, down to 75 and currently back up to 140. Over the course of my two years of collecting, I'd say that I've probably spent close to three thousand dollars on my collection.

[mariog1497]

I first started getting into pops during black friday of 2015. I was out with my gf at the time and my cousins, they were out at their stores and I decided to stumble into hot topic. Before that day, I hadn't stepped into a hot topic for a long time so I didn't really know about pops or the variety that they had. But that night when they went in, it was pretty busy and I saw that they had a wall in the back of the store with pops, so I went back there and the two that stood out to me was a chrome darth vader and the gitd vault boy. Then an employee told me there was a promo going on for if you buy 3 pops so I picked up a third, then I got some more for christmas, and I spent all the money I got for my birthday on pops. After that it was all downhill since I got so pulled into it

[KarateKid]

I was at SDCC and all these people were talking about Funko and how hard it was to get into their booth and all the cool collectibles there were. So decided to try to go check it out on one of the days and was lucky enough to get into the line. Saw everyone around me buying a bunch of items and happened to be right behind a really knowledgeable Pop collector who recommended me to get several so I did and from there I'm here today where I do still hit up the cons but just as easily go hit up Hot Topic, Game Stop, BN and any store that sells them.

[tonychen2121]

Mine started ar SDCC in 2016 and attending Fundays. Thats all it took to get started. I still have my Freddy Kylo Ren and Freddy Night King.