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Like &subscribe 👍🙏💖🥳Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories and games. Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker[2] and Claudia Becker, Funko was originally conceived as a small project to create various low-tech, nostalgia-themed toys. The company's first manufactured bobblehead was of the Big Boy mascot, the well-known restaurant advertising icon.[3]

Funko inc.
Funko.svg
Type
Public
Traded as
Nasdaq: FNKO (Class A)
Russell 2000 Index component
Industry
Toys
Founded
1998
Founder
Mike Becker
Headquarters
Everett, Washington, U.S.
Key people
Andrew Perlmutter (CEO)
Products
Vinyl figures, bobbleheads
Revenue
Increase US$653 million
(2020)[1]
Operating income
Decrease $42.1 million
(2017)[1]
Net income
Decrease $3.7 million
(2017)[1]
Owner
ACON Investments
Subsidiaries
Mondo
Website
funko.com
Sold in 2005, Funko, LLC, is now headed by CEO Andrew Perlmutter.[3] Since then, the company has increased the scope of its toy lines and signed licensing deals with major companies such as Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, MTV, NBCUniversal, Disney, Marvel Entertainment, and Major League Baseball.

History

Production

Product lines
Edit

Funko has produced thousands of products across dozens of different toy lines since its inception.[23] The first, Wacky Wobblers, was a line of bobbleheads depicting various characters, mainly from popular culture, such as Betty Boop, Cap'n Crunch, and The Cat in the Hat. The company's mascot, a recurring character in the Funko franchise, is Freddy Funko, who was introduced in the year of 2002.[24]


Funko Pop toys include, but are not limited to, fictional superheroes. From the left - Hawkeye, Ultron, Daredevil, GOB Bluth, and Captain America Funko Pop toys released in the mid-2010s.
Funko's Pop! Vinyl line are figures modelled in a style similar to the Japanese chibi style.[25] The figures have large squarish heads, disproportionately small bodies, and large, circular black eyes.[26] The figures typically depict licensed characters from franchises such as Doctor Who, Marvel, DC, Disney, Star Wars, Wizarding World, Dragon Ball, My Hero Academia and other pop culture entities. After a preview line of DC Comics characters were released at San Diego Comic-Con 2010, the original Funko Pop! line of products was fully revealed in 2011 at the New York Toy Fair.[24]

The exaggerated body proportions of Pop! figures have invited comparisons with Good Smile’s Nendoroid figures, which are similarly described as "chibi". Both product lines depict characters from many different franchises.[27]

Most Funko Pop! figures are not bobbleheads, as their heads do not move. However, all Star Wars figures in the line are bobbleheads, most Marvel figures, and all Genshin Impact figures, although the Genshin Impact packaging does not describe them as bobble-heads, but rather as figures, unlike Star Wars and Marvel. This is to avoid licensing conflicts with Hasbro and Good Smile Company respectively, the companies of which holds the license to make ordinary (non-bobblehead) figures of characters from these franchises.[28]

Various other products have been released using the Pop! brand and its character stylization, such as plush toys, T-shirts,[29] keychains (miniaturized versions of the normal figures),[30] and ceramic mugs, the latter of which are enlarged, hollow copies of a figure's head, with a handle attached.[31]

Within the Funko Pop! product line, there is a series known as Pop! Rides, featuring the Funko Pop figure in a vehicle.[30] The Funko Pop! line also has figures that are larger than the standard figure, in 6-inch, 10-inch, 18-inch,[32] and the now-retired 9-inch size.[30] In addition, Funko produces Pop! Deluxes, where a character is seated on external set pieces, such as a throne, a vehicle, or creature. Funko has also begun creating Movie and Comic Moments, which feature posed Pop! figures interacting with each other and on display bases in ways that replicate moments from different movies and comic books. Funko has also created a line featuring artists with their album covers, this line can be found as Pop! Albums.[33]

At Toy Fair 2019, Funko announced a new line of Pop! Vinyl figures; Pop! Town, initially including Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This line includes a Pop! Vinyl figure alongside a stylized version of a landmark building from the source material.

Other Funko products currently on the market include a variety of collectible toy lines such as Vinyl Soda, Vinyl Gold, Mystery Minis, Popsies, Ad Icons and stuffed Plushies made to resemble their stylized array of toys. Funko also owns Loungefly, a line of collectible mini-bags and purses that feature popular charact