Funko is an American company that manufactures licensed pop culture toys. Funko is most known for producing licensed vinyl figures and bobbleheads.
In addition, Funko produces licensed plush, action figures, and licensed electronic items such as USB drives, lamps, and headphones.
Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, the company was originally conceived as a small project to create various low-tech, nostalgia-themed toys. Funko's first manufactured bobblehead was of the restaurant advertising icon Big Boy.
Sold in 2005, Funko LLC is now headed by Brian Mariotti as president. Since 2005, the company has increased the scope of unique toy lines, and has signed licensing deals with companies such as Marvel, DC Comics, WWE, Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Hasbro, CBS, Fox, Warner Bros, Disney, HBO, Peanuts Worldwide, BBC, NFL, Ubisoft, NBCUniversal, Cartoon Network, 2K Games and Bethesda Games.
Funko products now have worldwide distribution. According to Mariotti, "We were in the $40 million range for revenue [in 2013] — and $28 million of that was from Pop figures alone." In 2015, Funko added Mopeez, Dorbz, Vinyl Idolz, Vinyl Vixens, and Super Deluxe vinyl to their existing lines.
History
Funko was founded as a bobblehead company in 1998 by Mike Becker in his Snohomish, Washington home.
In 2005, Becker sold Funko to its current CEO, Brian Mariotti, who moved its offices to Lynnwood, Washington and significantly expanded the company's licensed product lines. By 2012, the company sold more than $20 million worth of merchandise.
In 2016, Funko announced its intention to relocate its headquarters to downtown Everett, Washington.
ACON Investments, LLC announced it has acquired licensed toy maker Funko, LLC from Fundamental Capital, LLC, but will keep current staff and head of company.
Toy lines
Funko has created several different toy lines since its inception. The first, Wacky Wobblers, is a line of bobbleheads featuring characters such as Betty Boop, Cap'n Crunch, and The Cat in the Hat.
Funko's POP! Vinyl line are figures modeled in an extreme super deformed style (similar to Japanese chibi style), from franchises including Marvel, DC Comics, Disney, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other pop culture entities.
Other current product lines include Mystery Minis, Hikari, Legacy Collection, Fabrikations, Mopeez, and Home & Accessories which features a line of Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy Pop! ceramic mugs, which are enlarged glass copies of the figure's head, with a handle attached..
At Toy Fair 2015, Funko announced a new offshoot brand called Vinyl Sugar, with lines including Dorbz, Vinyl Idolz, Vinyl Vixens, and Super Deluxe Vinyls.
Former product lines include Spastik Plastik, Blox, FunkoVision, Funko Plushies, Funko Force, Reaction Figures, and Wacky Wobblers.
POP! Tees
Funko CEO Brian Mariotti announced through Hot Topic that Funko will be releasing their first licensed POP!
Vinyl styled collectible T-shirts, which first appeared at San Diego Comic-Con 2015. It was announced that Hot Topic will initially be the exclusive retailer for the Pop! Tees line, though other retailers have recently begun to sell them (such as Fishbone Apparel in the North Hanover Mall in PA).
Collector box subscriptions
In 2015, Funko and Marvel partnered to launch Marvel Collector Corps, a subscription box service featuring exclusive collectibles, apparel, and accessories. Boxes ship every two months. It has subsequently launched a subscription box service for Star Wars items called Smuggler's Bounty, a DC subscription box called Legion of Collectors, and a Disney subscription box called Disney Treasures. Also, the subscription box known as Lootcrate occasionally contains an exclusive Funko Pop! vinyl figure which aligns with that month's box theme.
