Jason & Jonathan
Houston, Texas

When did you first learn about Funko?
We went to SDCC for the first time in 2011 and walked into (when you still could easily walk into) the Funko booth. I tried to convince Jon to get the Flocked Chewbacca for his desk at work, all while holding the metallic Captain America. We were new to the con-scene and most collectibles outside of comics and trading cards. We still laugh and cry, mostly cry, about that day.

Do you remember what your first Funko piece was?
In 2013, for Jon's birthday, I bought him the original Darth Vader pop. He loved it and he wanted more! Earlier that same year I bought the Dark Phoenix pop for myself. Our two favorite characters were immortalized in cute collectible forms. We had to have them!

Why are you a Funatic?
You could say, Funko brought us both to where we were intended to be.
Ten years ago Jon and I started dating. Head to the wind of our careers, neither of us focused on our passion for anything "nerdy." Funko helped us rediscovered our passion for Sci-Fi, comics and collectibles. We couldn't imagine traveling to cons, waiting in lines for exclusives, autographs and more with anyone else. Funko and the adventures tied to our collecting has become more than a “hobby.' The friends, family and memories we have made are priceless. It may be cliche to say but, ... and the best is yet to come!

What are your favorite fandom(s) outside of Funko and why?
Marvel Comics, specifically the X-Men is my ultimate fandom. I love Spider-Man, Batman and Superman a lot but Marvel's original uncanny heroes are my home team. The classic X-Men action figures and 90s comics were a go to of mine since I was kid. In fact, I did a book report on X-Men number one and proved to my class that a comic can capture the intensity and maintain story integrity like a book.
For Jon, Star Wars is his ultimate fandom. In fact, it's the only line of Funko products that he collects. He's only two Funko Pops! shy of being complete in his collection. Biggs Darklighter and SDCC Shadow Trooper - we are coming for you!

Is there anyone you share your fandom with?
I don't know how many overnight campouts we have shared with friends at SDCC, Star Wars Celebration and so many other cons over the past decade, but one thing is certain, I wouldn't want to do it with out Jon. He gets it. The thrill of the hunt, the joy of the chase and the love of the collectible.

Why do you love pop culture?
Pop culture is common ground. It's where most people can meet in the middle and get to know one another. It opens doors for conversations (in person or online). It's a form of self expression translated in the shirts and shoes we wear to the accessories we use in our daily lives. That's powerful and always uplifting. There have been times when we have been in a situation that seems uncomfortable and someone will come over and say something nerdy in reference to a shirt we are wearing or a pin on our jacket. Pop culture reminds us we aren't as alone as we may feel at times

How do you display your collection?
We were both strictly in-box collectors … until we both started buying multiples of certain Pops! so we could display them at work, at home or take photos of them for social media. Still, 98 % of our collection is in-box!

What movie/show/podcast/videogame/album are you currently watching/listening to/playing?
EVERYTHING Supernatural (literally) and DC Comics on the CW. Arrow just ended and we are quite sad about this. We remember walking into a smaller ballroom at SDCC 8 years ago and checking out this new “Green Arrow” live action television series. From that year forward Saturday's at SDCC have been CW days and we will campout to make sure we get into Ballroom 20 so we can get the inside scoop and sneak peaks of our favorite DC TV CW shows.

What's your favorite Funko memory?
There's NOTHING more magical than your FIRST Funko Fundays. We were surprised and fortunate enough to be able to attend with our great friends, turned family, Wes and Kelly Mosier in 2017. The energy and enthusiasm of everyone there was mind-blowing. It honestly still is. Talk about a united group of people! Sharing that experience with our friends who we continue to travel to shows and events with truly shows that Funko is Family!

What motivated you to start photographing your collection and sharing the photos?
Years ago, we started choosing a single pop to take with us on vacation and photograph wherever we went. We saw a lot of people do it with stuffed animals so we thought, why not do it with a pop. Little did we know (until social media sharing) others were doing the same thing! From vacations to special occasions and now online challenges and expression, photographing our collection has become a pastime that we enjoy together. It's not uncommon to find us out and about on a Sunday with a tote of out-of-box pops taking pics for instagram and Twitter.

What advice do you have for other Funatics taking photos of their collection?
I think Jon gets frustrated with me when I say this, but my advice is, tell me a story. Choose your subjects and bring me into their world through your lens. Capture an emotion or just a beautiful/creepy/cool scene. Also, have fun and share, share, share! Don't ever think your photo isn't good enough.

What Funko lines and fandoms do you collect?
I like to collect all things Marvel. I also have a large collection of Superhero and some Movie/TV series pops that are signed by the actors who play the characters. In addition, I love Superman, Batman, Freddy Funko, Fantastik Plastik and Ad Icons.
Jon is extremely focused and is ONLY Star Wars.

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