Funko, or
FunKo, is a company that manufactures and produces bobbleheads. Funko specializes in bobbleheads resembling
cartoonThe word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time....
characters, or movie characters. Some examples include:
Wally GatorWally Gator is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character. It is one of the segments from The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series. The other segments that compose this trilogy are Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum...
,
Marvin the MartianMarvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Despite appearing in only five of the original shorts, Marvin has developed a cult following...
, Scooby Doo, Itchy and Scratchy & Flippy the bear.
Funko was founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, a self-proclaimed “
Chairman of Fun”. The company was originally conceived by Becker as a small project that may bring back various low-tech toys in the now high-tech world of today.
Funko, or
FunKo, is a company that manufactures and produces bobbleheads. Funko specializes in bobbleheads resembling
cartoonThe word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time....
characters, or movie characters. Some examples include:
Wally GatorWally Gator is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character. It is one of the segments from The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series. The other segments that compose this trilogy are Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum...
,
Marvin the MartianMarvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Despite appearing in only five of the original shorts, Marvin has developed a cult following...
, Scooby Doo, Itchy and Scratchy & Flippy the bear.
Funko was founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, a self-proclaimed “
Chairman of Fun”. The company was originally conceived by Becker as a small project that may bring back various low-tech toys in the now high-tech world of today. Funko's first manufactured bobblehead was of the
restaurantA restaurant prepares and serves food and drink to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer...
iconAn icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism...
known as
Big BoyThe name Big Boy has been applied to:* Big Boy , an American restaurant chain* Union Pacific Big Boy, a class of steam locomotives* Big Boy , Puerto Rican hip hop/reggaeton artist...
. With the success of this initial creation, a line of
Wacky Wobblers was created. Funko has now sold well over 1.5 million of its
Wacky Wobblers to small gift,
noveltyfrom Latin word novem for "new") is the quality of being new. Although it may be said to have an objective dimension it essentially exists in the subjective perceptions of individuals....
, and collectable stores worldwide.
Toylines
Funko has created several different toylines since its inception.
Wacky Wobblers
Wacky Wobblers was Funko's first toyline. It consists of characters such as
Betty BoopBetty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by animator Grim Natwick, appearing in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop series of films produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. With her overt sexual appeal, Betty was a hit with filmgoers, and despite having been toned down...
,
Cap'n CrunchCap'n Crunch is a sweetened corn and oat breakfast cereal manufactured by Quaker Oats Company and introduced in 1963.-Development:Pamela Low, a flavorist at Arthur D...
,
The Cat in the HatThe Cat in the Hat is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, featuring a tall, anthropomorphic, mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white striped hat, and a bowtie. He also carries an umbrella. With the series of Beginner Books that The Cat inaugurated, Seuss promoted both his name and the cause of...
,
GarfieldGarfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
,
Speed RacerSpeed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
,
Tony the TigerTony the Tiger The advertising cartoon mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising...
,
Star WarsStar Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals...
,
The FlintstonesThe Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The series was the first prime-time animated series aimed at adults. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions , The Flintstones is about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next door...
, Pete the Pepper and more. The toyline became extremely popular and is what Funko is most notably known for creating.
Wacky Wisecracks
Wacky Wisecracks was created in a 'two-series' bundle in 1998. Both series consisted of mini bobbleheads. Series 1 includes: The Bitter Bee, The Little Devil, The Pink Elephant, and The Stinky Tiki. Series 2: Angry Clown, Big Bad Wolf, Funky Monkey, and The Cannibal.
Peek-A-Boo Pop-ups
The
Peek-A-Boo Pop-ups were a combination vinyl figure and greeting card. Pressing downward on the figure would reveal a message that would pop-up through a slot in the head. Some figures were available with different messages. For example, the Cocktail Main came with either "Cheers To You!" or "I'll Drink To That!" as the message.
Triple Treats
Triple Treats featured a mini Wacky Wobbler atop a small supply of candy, both sealed within a clear plastic tube. The tube included a greeting-card like message. The wobbler, candy, and greeting combined were the three elements of the
triple treats designation. There were several variants for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Handy Dandy Puppets
This short-lived product line featured plastic heads on printed cloth shaped to fit ones hand. The printed bodies allowed manipulation of the arms and head. Characters included a
PezPez is the brand name of an Austrian confectionery and the pocket mechanical dispensers it is sold in. The confectionery itself takes the shape of pressed, dry, straight-edged blocks , with Pez dispensers holding 12 Pez pieces.The name Pez was derived from the letters at the start, the middle and...
bride,
PezPez is the brand name of an Austrian confectionery and the pocket mechanical dispensers it is sold in. The confectionery itself takes the shape of pressed, dry, straight-edged blocks , with Pez dispensers holding 12 Pez pieces.The name Pez was derived from the letters at the start, the middle and...
groom, fireman,
PezPez is the brand name of an Austrian confectionery and the pocket mechanical dispensers it is sold in. The confectionery itself takes the shape of pressed, dry, straight-edged blocks , with Pez dispensers holding 12 Pez pieces.The name Pez was derived from the letters at the start, the middle and...
Pete the Clown, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, and Gorton Fisherman.
FunkoVision
Funko's newest product line features vinyl characters inside stylish plastic display containers in the shape of television sets. Figures, which are attached to plastic screws through the bottom of the case, can be viewed through the clear front screen and can be removed for play. Typically each release includes two characters in a popular scene related to them. This line was introduced as a platform for low-run pieces.
Funko Force
Funko's latest product line is best described as "Vinyl with Attitude". With the oversized heads,hands and feet they accent a more cartoonish character. Marvel Comic characters include Spiderman, Captain America, and Iron Man. Star Wars characters include
Darth VaderDarth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and his final prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief cameo as the unmasked Vader. In Star Wars...
,
YodaYoda is a character in the Star Wars fictional universe, appearing in the three prequel trilogy films as well as the second and third original films. Yoda dies in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when he is around 800 years old. He is widely considered to be the greatest Jedi of all time...
,
Boba FettBoba Fett is a character in the Star Wars fictional universe. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to track down the Millennium Falcon, he is the "next major villain" after Vader in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
, and
StormtrooperThe Stormtroopers were specialist military troops which were formed in the last years of World War I as the German army developed new methods of attacking enemy trenches, called "infiltration tactics"...
. With Hanna Barbera characters on the way, we can expect more Funko Force on the way soon.