Carolina G.
Imperial Valley, California
@notcoralineatall

How did you choose your Instagram handle, @notcoralineatall?
I really like the movie Coraline (which is very similar to my name) and I wanted to have my IG name be something from the movie. As I was watching, Mr Bobinski says, “They call you Coraline instead of Caroline. Not Caroline at all!” So I just switched Caroline to Coraline to have it include her name!

When did you first become a Funko fan? What drew you to Funko products?
April 17, 2012 the day I bought my first Pop! What drew me in is the variety of characters. There's Pops! for EVERYONE; even my mom and nephews have some. Whatever you're into there's a Pop! of it.

What was the first Funko piece in your collection?
The first Pop! I bought was the original Cheshire Cat.

When did you first start photographing your collection and sharing the photos on Instagram? What was your motivation?
I started photographing my collection in early 2017 after following pages like @booksandpops and @pop.funko.pop and seeing them take beautiful pictures of their Pops! I decided to start my own Funko photography page to share the pictures I took.

How do you choose which characters to photograph and how do you set about choosing a concept, location, props, etc.?
I like to recreate scenes from movies so I'll buy or make backgrounds that matches the scene and the character. If I don't have time to make a scene I like to find either real or fake flowers and greenery to use as a background.

Do you have any tips to share with Funko fans who like to photograph their collection?
Lighting, lighting, lighting! Make sure you have the correct lighting for your pictures. Watch movies and try to recreate scenes that match with the Pops! you have. Use accessories. Lastly, don't be afraid to use filters when editing your pics to make them look magical!

What are your favorite fandoms and characters, and why?
Disney! Cheshire Cat is my favorite character of all time! I also love Lydia and Beetlejuice, Ariel and Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Sabrina and, of course, Coraline. I also like Tim Burton and Stephen King films so I do have some Pops! I've managed to buy. Friends, Cheers and Frasier.

What does being a fan mean to you?
Being a fan means getting excited when there's a new pop from a line you like. It means being able to share with others what YOU like. It makes me happy being able to connect and share with others who love Funko through photography on social media.

Do you have any special Funko memories?
In May 2017 I won a photo-a-day challenge! It was really unexpected but I was glad that the prompt that I won with had to do with my job. It was really nice winning and having people appreciate my photograph.

Is there a movie, television show, video game, podcast or music album you're currently watching/playing or listening to?
I just finished watching Mindhunter and The Sinner, really good shows. I listen to The Animation Station Podcast (@animationstationpodcast) to hear about Disney and other animation movies and shows!

How do you display or store your collection at home? Are you an in the box or out of the box collector?
OUT OF BOX! All my Pops! displayed are out of box. I do have some that are inside a box (such as chases) but I do take them out when I want to photograph them.

What are your other hobbies outside of collecting?
Does watching Netflix count? I like to read. I love to draw and paint and I like making custom Pops! when I have time. I made a pop of myself & another of Pepita from Coco.

Is there anything you'd like to add?
My favorite Pops!: all my Cheshire cats! Including my Blue SDCC one! Number of pops: almost 500.