With the start of season 2 of FunTV we're featuring a Funatic each week to highlight in the community, tune in to see who's featured and learn more about fellow collectors. Please give a warm welcome to:
Jeanne Sablan
When and how did you first learn about Funko?
"When I would take my son to comic book stores, I would always see Funko Pops! and I just thought they were so cute. My son actually bought me my very first Funko Pop! way back in 2012. It was the original version of Edward Scissorhands, which I loved and still have. The first Funko figures that I purchased for myself were the original three Hobbit Pops! (Gandalf, Bilbo, and Gollum). From there, my son and I kind of collected together. We started out with Marvel (my son's favorite), Star Wars, and then I moved on to Disney, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things (to name a few)."
What Funko lines and fandoms do you collect?
"Most of my collection is Pops!, with a small amount of Mystery Minis, and Funko SODAs. And I would say a majority of my collection at this point is Disney. When I first began collecting, I felt like I needed to complete lines of Pops!, but once I began doing Funko photography back in 2017, I began buying Pops! more for photo ideas that I had or just because I loved them. And I just happen to love all things Disney, so that is reflected in my collection for sure."
What do you love about Funko? Do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"I love pretty much everything about Funko. The way they treat their fans was something I had never seen before. I have so many amazing Funko memories and so many friends that I have made through Funko, but if I had to choose a favorite memory, I would say going to Funko Fundays in 2018. My son was able to get tickets for it and it was everything that I heard about it and so much more. A close second would be winning the Funko Photo-A-Day Challenge last year. The Photo-A-Day Challenge on Instagram was how I first got into Funko photography and it has become something that I love so much and has introduced me to a community of some of the most amazing people. My Instagram account is @jeannespoppics."
Miguel Singson
When and how did you first learn about Funko?
"The first Funko piece I had was a Saitama Pop! Keychain that I purchased in 2019. I was just looking for One Punch Man keychains on Amazon and at that time. I never bothered about what brand it was and just bought one. It was 2020 when a friend of mine (shoutout to AJ @thefootballguy81 on IG) introduced me to the World of Funko Pop!. At that time I was feeling sad and low because I was going through a breakup in the middle of the pandemic. I needed a diversion and a hobby to keep me sane during that dark time, so I went to the internet and checked it out. The first Pops! that enticed me were Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute from The Office so I told myself, “Oh it looks like I will be going for The Office characters!” Or so I thought…."
What Funko lines and fandom(s) do you collect?
"Remember when I said The Office? Sure, I bought a couple of Michael and Dwight figures, but when I was browsing, there was a character that actually sucked me in. It was calling me. It was like love at first sight. Who is it you ask? Pinhead from Hellraiser. And at that moment, Scott and Schrute was a memory, I went with the horror fandom. From Pop! Keychains, Pop! Tees, and Funko SODA collectibles, all horror! Black Phillip, Mother Ghost, the Wendigo, and Pinhead were first in line, followed by Chucky, Pennywise, Sam from Trick ‘r Treat, and so on. Don't get me wrong, I still buy other Pop! figures though, the occasional “I love this movie, this series is amazing, I listen to their music, and lastly, THIS IS MY CHILDHOOD!” Funko Pops!.... Mad Max: Fury Road, Disney's Coco, FRIENDS, The Office, Letterkenny, Linkin Park, and The Mummy come to mind."
What do you love about Funko? Do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"Interactions with other Funatics, especially who are into the horror genre like me, is one of the things I love about Funko. Their collections, the creativity in the pictures they post are fun to see. I also love meeting Canadian collectors because majority of the people that I follow are from the USA and other countries. The monthly Funko Instagram/Twitter Photo-A-Day challenge and the daily photo sessions on Instagram hosted by the collectors for the community are also things that I love about Funko. It's just delightful to see what everyone comes up with!
My favorite Funko moment as of today would be the time my friends back from the Philippines helped me with a couple of Pops! that I couldn't get here in Canada. I got a Jollibee Funko Soda, Darna Pop!, and a DLSU Green Archer Funko Pop!. They also got me a Horror Pocket Pop! 3-pack! I just want to give a massive shoutout to AJ (@thefootballguy81) for helping me get them, and thank you as well, and to JV (@d.chuckster), and Boswell (@bosspophunter) for bringing the world of Funko to me! The F&F crew is here to stay!"
Marisol Rubina
When and How did you first learn about Funko?
"It was 2016 and I was on a serious hunt for a hard to get gaming console. I found myself in a different electronics/collectibles section almost every morning trying to get this console and one day I noticed the Funko section. I was drawn to the nostalgia of the figures. Especially to the retro cartoon figures such as Hanna-Barbera and the Ad Icons. I think my first Pops! were from the Rick and Morty line. After that I was hooked. I looked forward to the rush of a Funko drop or hunting down a hard to get exclusive."
What Funko lines and fandom(s) do you collect?
"At first I started collecting everything I liked but I quickly realized that I am a completionist so I had to tighten up my collections! So for example I collect Disney, but focus on Mickey and Winnie the Pooh. I also collect Animation, Movies, Television, Pixar (Toy Story and UP are my jam), and a little bit of Marvel. I am also loving Funko SODA. There's no better dopamine hit than opening a can and getting a chase!
The largest line I own is The Office. My Office collection is my baby! I am complete on the entire line of Pops! as well as the sodas. It's been my warm fuzzy blanket show for years so when the first set of Pops! was announced I was all in and have been ever since. It's also the line that inspired me to start taking Pops out of the box. As my collection grew my husband encouraged me to think about how awesome they would look on display unboxed. The detail on each character is so great, it really should be appreciated!"
What do you love about Funko? Do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"I love displaying and photographing my Pops! Once I started unboxing my pops they really became a great creative outlet for me. Rearranging and organizing my displays has become almost therapeutic. As a mom of three young kids its really nice having a hobby and a space that's just for me.
I also love this amazing community of collectors! I created my Twitter @thepopfoxx and Instagram @the_pop_foxx to share my collection with others and I never expected to make the wonderful connections I have. There is so much positivity in this community! I especially want to shout out my Funko Twitter family! During the height of the pandemic I was stuck at home and pregnant and these people really got me through by sharing their love of collecting and lending their support. Every day now I connect with someone new and it's just been a lovely experience.
My favorite Funko memory has to be sharing my entire collection of The Office for the first time! It was so cool to be recognized for collecting something I love. I'm so appreciative for all the kind words I received from the community online as well as Funko. I love that other people tag me in their collections now or think of me whenever they see something related to The Office."
Anything else you'd like to share?
"I want to thank my amazing husband and our children for supporting me on this Funko journey and for giving mommy time to play with her toys!! I love you guys!"
Bart Padgett
When and how did you first learn about Funko (include your first Funko piece in your collection)?
"It's a long story, but the short version is: I didn't have very many toys when I grew up. When I got married, my wife told me that I needed a hobby and that I should collect something. I decided I wanted to collect Masters of the Universe because I had a cousin that had all of the vintage MOTU figures when we were kids and I thought they were really cool. In my search for all things Masters of the Universe I discovered Funko had already released Pops! of He-Man, Skeletor, She-Ra, Spikor, and Hordak in 2013. They became the very first items in my Funko collection and from there I became obsessed with All Things Funko!!!"
What Funko lines and fandom(s) do you collect?
"The main Funko lines I collect are Pops! and SODA, but I also collect some Die Cast Pops!, Pop! Pins, FunkO's Cereal, Popsies, Dorbz, Mystery Minis, Pint Size Heroes, Paka Paka, and some Funko Fashion Apparel. I collect a wide variety of Funko fandoms, but my absolute favorite is Masters of the Universe (hence why my Instagram Username is MOTUmaniac), Garbage Pail Kids, The Punisher, Eeyore, Thundercats, The Office, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a multitude of Sports Pops! (NBA, MLB, and NFL). I really do LOVE All Things Funko!!"
What do you love about Funko? Do you have a favorite Funko memory?
"I absolutely LOVE how accessible Funko Staff are to Funatics. I don't know of any other company that interacts with its customers/fans on a daily basis like Funko. I also love the variety of licenses that Funko produces, especially anything from the 80's!! My favorite Funko memory just so happened to be the day I found out I was selected to be a Funko Funatic of the Week!! I'm so honored and absolutely thrilled!! Thanks so very much Funko!!"
Anything else you'd like to share?
"I collect along with my wife which makes the hobby that much more enjoyable. We absolutely LOVE Funko and have an entire room filled with our collection (which includes over 1,000 Funko items)!!
I have a lot of Funko shirts as well, BUT I can no longer wear most of them because I've lost 143 pounds in the last 7 months. I definitely need to expand my Funko wardrobe."
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.