Carol Malaguti
Winter Park, Florida

@travelingwithfunkopop

When and how did you first learn about Funko?
I discovered Funko in my first visit to New York City in 2014; I went to a comic book store and I found these cute and fun products on the shelf and I bought a couple of them. Then I started to search your products and fell in love with them!

Why are you a Funatic?
I really like that there is a variety of themes and any person can buy something that they like. As Funko says, "Everyone is a fan of something.” This is so true! Everyone will find something that they like. Our preference can be different from the others collectors but Funko works to make sure that everyone will be included in their products.

What are your favorite fandom(s)?
My main collection is Disney, Marvel and Harry Potter. I collect with my husband, so we have a good mix with everything that we like.

Why do you love pop culture?
Without music, books, art and movies the world would be a very different place as we know today. Pop culture has changed our way of seeing things; it inspires and influences people's decisions.

How do you display your collection?
I'm an out of the box collector. They are so cute outside the box. Usually I display them on my shelf, always changing and buying new shelves as my collection grows.

What movie/show/podcast/video game/music are you currently watching, playing or listening to?
I'm currently watching the new season of Titans and American Horror Story, Cardcaptor Sakura, Supergirl and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I'm always listening to Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5.

What's your favorite Funko memory?
I have two favorite moments with my Pops! My best memory is the day of my marriage. Me and my husband searched for Pops! that looked like us to be on top of our cake, so we bought one of the characters from James Bond (since they are always elegant with tuxedos) and Princess Aurora for me. We customized them; it took a few days to finish but it was really worth it! They looked gorgeous and it was a very fun experience for us! Another great memory was when I took all my Disney princesses to Magic Kingdom to take a photo in front of the castle. I went there really early in the morning so it wouldn't be so many people in my pic. People saw what I was doing and they kept saying "great idea" or "this is amazing, the picture will be so beautiful" and they even helped me by not crossing in front of the photo!

What inspired you to start photographing your collection and sharing it on Instagram?
I started to post on my personal page but it was so many Pops! that I decided to create an account only for them! I'm having so much fun since the Funko community is very friendly and they work really hard to take incredible photos!

How did you choose your Instagram handle?
I started my account when I was traveling through Europe last year and I carried a few Pops with me. That's why I choose the name of my account: Traveling with Funko Pop.

What was your first Funko piece in your collection?
It was Maleficent (live action) and Sheldon Cooper.

Is there anything you'd like to add?
I really love to be a part of this world of collection! My brother collects everything related to Star Wars since he was a child and I like so many things in pop culture I never knew what to collect and then I saw these products that has a variety of themes and it was love at first sight!


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