Here’s a warning for you readers: if you start with buying one Pop! figure I have no doubt that you’ll be compelled to collect more and more. Those little figures are addictive because they’re so well styled and, dare I say, cute. I was trying to avoid getting into the Pop! revolution. I really, really was. Then I found out that one of my heroes, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead, was being made into a Pop! Hero. As an avid fan, I, of course, had to pre-order Lemmy, just in case the millions of other rabid Motorhead fans bought them all. I, like so many others, was hooked, and the Lemmy figure was my gateway into starting to collect these catchy Pops.  I soon found Batman and Joker from The Dark Knight and Pinhead from the Hellraiser. (Between you and me, I NEVER thought that there would be a cute version of Pinhead but somehow Funko got it right.)

Funko Pop! figures have a way of getting it right every time, and it has led to some seriously fantastic pop culture icon collectibles making their way into the hearts, homes, and offices of millions. Here’s the scoop on everyone’s favorite collectible toys.

You may have seen them selling like hot cakes in one of our stores in Arizona and it seems like Funko’s Pop! figures won’t stop making us swoon anytime soon. Most of the figures have a specific height of 3.75 inches, black eyes, and bulbous heads attached to small bodies. Funko has licenses from over 180 companies and there are a plethora of figures for every taste and obsession. Collectors abound all over the world and snap them up as their ranks seem to swell by the day. Pop! figures are always a great gift idea for the collector on your gift list, no matter the time of year. It’s also the most adorable way to express your love for your favorite pop culture characters.

The origins of the Pop! figures history goes back to 1996 and toy collector Mike Becker. Becker started the company in Snohomish, Washington. Originally, he wanted to have a figure of the Big Boy from the Big Boy restaurant chain and had him manufactured in China. After that, Becker licensed some other figures of characters including Popeye, Dick Tracy, and General Mills cereal characters like Count Chocula. Their characters became bobbleheads, hand puppets, and plastic banks.

Funko did well overall, but in 2005 Becker sold the business to fellow toy collector Brian Mariotti. Without toy business experience, Mariotti kept the ball rolling and Funko’s profits and toy output grew by leaps and bounds. In 2014, Funko raked in an astounding $40 million, $28 million stemming from the Pop! figures alone. With licenses from numerous pop-culture companies like Disney, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Aliens and loads more, Funko started a toy revolution, creating a figure for just about anyone into pop culture.

Feeling the irresistible need for one of these little addictive pieces of vinyl or want to snag a great gift? both used and new at our stores.

*Disclaimer: we can’t guarantee the stock of any certain product at any given time as things come and go quickly. Call your local store to check on our Pop! stock or stop on in and take a chance that you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for… or maybe a Pop! figure you never knew you always wanted.