For February, we're featuring 2 Funko family members. Please give a warm welcome to your fellow collectors!
Zack Kern
When and how did you first learn about Funko and what was the first Funko piece in your collection?
"My Funko journey started around late 2015- early 2016 when I visited my local Hot Topic for clothing when I noticed a little wall display of Funko Pops!. I immediately gravitated to the Gir with Cupcake Pop! because Invader Zim was one of my favorite shows of all time. Then I noticed a glow Steven Universe Pop! and a BMO Noire Pop! It was 3-for-25 back then and had to get all 3! Afterwards I entered the rabbit hole of checking back weekly for new releases! I started to get super serious when the Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy Pops! came out on the Funko Shop because that introduced me to some of the community."
What Funko lines and fandom(s) do you collect?
"I am a HUGE fan of the Funko SODA line. I buy at least one can of every character that has released, and I have over 100 SODA chases in my collection!
I love Funko products from animated properties, especially retro ones. I have a large Hanna-Barbera collection with a wide range of Funko products, from Pop! to SODA to Wacky Wobblers and Funko Force!
Funko original characters like Freddy or Fantastik Plastik are super favorites of mine. I have a large collection of the original Plastik characters that came in the tubes!"
What do you love about Funko? Do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"Funko provides something to keep my mind occupied and engaged. I get to chat with the amazing friends I have made through Funko about the newest releases or hard to find pieces that we have been hunting! I have made numerous close friends through Funko despite not even meeting them in person!
My favorite memory has to do with the Funko SODA line and it happened on Valentines Day of 2020, right before the pandemic hit. My closest Box Lunch had gotten in some of the first wave of SODA figures including Batman, Big Boy, Huckleberry Hound, and Crusader Rabbit! I grabbed 3 Huckleberry Hounds because I really wanted the red chase but returned an hour later to find that the Big Boys and Crusader Rabbits had went from about 15 cans to 2 each! So I grabbed the last two of each and opened all 7 of my SODAs later. I got the chase and normal set for all 3 of them!! In fact my first ever can I opened was the chase Big Boy! I was hooked on SODA figures at that point."
Anything else you'd like to share with the Funko Family?
"Besides Funko I collect LEGO, Goosebumps books, video games and VHS tapes! All are things that I collected before Funko and as a kid.
My favorite band is ELO (The Electric Light Orchestra) who is best known for their hit "Mr. Blue Sky" but they have a lot of other amazing tracks that really speak to me and my feelings.
I am going to school for Mechanical Engineering and want to enter the renewable energy field.
From the Pacific Northwest, I love it here! One of the most beautiful places on Earth."
Melissa Wheatley
When and how did you first learn about Funko and what was the first Funko piece in your collection?
"In 2014, I was working in an Amazon warehouse as a picker during a school break, and kept seeing the Stormtrooper Pop! and thought it was kind of cool. Then I saw The Beast from Beauty and the Beast, and knew I needed to know more. When I got home, I searched the Funko website from top to bottom, and even looked at it so much that I couldn't get images to load in the little TV on the website. While Beauty and the Beast is my favorite film of all time, my very first Pop! was Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. I joined the Funko Funatics forum the same day I purchased Toothless and my collection just kept growing from there!"
What Funko lines and fandom(s) do you collect?
"Obviously, my most favorite fandom is Disney. This is one wall of my Disney room, and I love the reaction guests have when they first see it. You are either going to think I'm awesome or very crazy! We also moved recently, so I'm re-organizing all the time, so not everyone has a proper shelf or may not be standing properly. I also love Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, The Office, Parks & Rec, and SpongeBob SquarePants. I do also collect some anime such as Demon Slayer, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Sword Art Online. I also really enjoy Paka Paka, and Peppermint Lane!"
What do you love about Funko? Do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"I honestly feel that I love everything about Funko! I know I like too many things, but I can showcase my love of everything through Funko. I spend every day trying to find or make little props or ways to make each collection stand out, and it's just my happy place. It's amazing to see how much Funko and the community has grown. We did visit an east Tennessee Funko meet-up once, and I think that would be my favorite Funko memory. It was a handful of people who all shared their love of Funko, and we had an awesome day of bowling and conversation. I do also have a funny memory from one of the Kentucky FDOs! I was able to rally a couple of people to play board games with me the night before, because it's one of my favorite things to do, and I never know when to stop. I was trying to teach Roll for the Galaxy at 10 PM, and it just wasn't happening. Had to be there moment. But now there are lots of Funko games to play, so no excuses!"
Chuck Lora
When and how did you first learn about Funko?
"I first learned about Funko in late 2012. As luck would have it, a neighbor was having a garage sale a few blocks away from where I was living. I remember while I was price haggling with the seller that I noticed this interesting looking vinyl figurine sitting in a basket next to the cash box. This green haired and purple bodied toy (The Joker 06) had a Post-it on its head with $1 written in big bold handwriting. Almost naturally and without much hesitation, I let the seller know that I also wanted “that toy over there”. When I got home later that afternoon, I surfed the internet to look up the name of the company found underneath Jokers shoe – the rest is history."
What Funko lines and fandoms do you collect?
"In terms of Funko lines that I collect, like mostly everyone, I enjoy collecting Pops! and SODA – also the recent NFT drops have been a lot of fun. As of a few years ago I've really gotten into Hikari. For me, the details and quality of Hikari figures are just unmatched – add that the designs are inspired by Japanese vinyl and you have a collectible that was easy for me to gravitate towards.
The fandoms that I enjoy collecting reach across a pretty broad spectrum. If something looks cool I'm inclined to want it. But if I had to narrow it down, I'd say that Masters of the Universe, Marvel, DC and Star Wars (in no particular order) are the fandoms most represented in my collection."
What do you love about Funko and do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"What I love about Funko is the company's story, much of which I believe is still being written. Watching Funko grow from a regional home-based venture to a powerhouse brand that is globally recognized has been fascinating. I also appreciate that even with Funko's macro level growth, Funatics have been able to forge communities and friendships that are derived from small local meetups, large-scaled gatherings like FDO/Fundays and web-based outlets like the Funatic Boards and social media.
My favorite Funko memory is without question when I attended my first Fundays in 2015. For those who know, attending something as big as Fundays can be a bit overwhelming, especially when it's your first time. I was fortunate enough to partake in the evening's festivities with have an amazing group of friends – many of which had previously attended. The night was full of unparalleled energy, great laughs and ended with me experiencing the ballroom transforming into a massive trading floor once the event concluded."
Sue Brune
When and how did you first learn about Funko?
"My Special Needs daughter was REALLY into Five Nights at Freddy's, and she actually still is, so for Christmas 2016 I bought her the first Freddy Fazbear Funko Pop! and some Funko plushies. She loved them so much I was on a hunt to get her all of the first wave. During this time, I saw sooooo many Funko Pops! that brought back some great memories for me. So, I picked up the Action Pose Pop! Pink Ranger from 2016 for myself, and then I was hooked! I haven't stopped collecting since."
What Funko lines and fandom(s) do you collect?
"I love so many of them that sometimes its easier to say what I don't collect, lol….but if I had to narrow it down, some of my larger collections include Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Disney, DC, Marvel, Horror, Diamond Edition, and Vintage Cartoons! But I collect lots of other lines that are tied to a memory for me as well (or just plain adorable)."
What do you love about Funko and what's your favorite Funko memory?
"I love almost EVERYTHING about Funko! I used to think I was odd, a woman my age collecting toys??? But then I found the Funko Family on social media and knew these were my people and it honestly has changed my life. I have made lifelong friends through the Funko community and consider myself truly blessed to have met such incredible people! However, if I had to pick one specific memory, it was attending my first Con in Chicago and having the opportunity to meet Kit Harington and get one of my Game of Thrones Jon Snow Pops! signed by him! And of course now getting picked as one of the Funatic of the week….I am so humbled and thrilled! Such an honor and definitely a new great memory! And my future favorite memory I'm sure will be getting a chance to visit Funko in person and seeing everything Funko has to offer in the future!
Fun Fact:
"Many people ask where the name "Glamma Funko" came from. Well, I was one of the first out of my high school friends to become a grandmother, so they all voted and "Glamma" it was. So, I thought it would be a good name to represent older female collectors."
Thank you for sharing your Funko experience with the larger Funko Family.
If you are interested in possibly being a featured Funatic, you can tag @OriginalFunko on Instagram or Twitter along with a picture of you with your collection with #FOTW and #FunaticOfTheWeek.