Origin
Mike Becker was a T-shirt designer and an avid collector. One day, he was looking for a figurine of the Big Boy restaurant chain mascot—and he couldn't find it anywhere at a reasonable price. Instead of paying a fortune, he decided to produce his own. In 1998, he founded Funko in Snohomish, Washington—literally in his own home. The first figurine: Big Boy himself. Manual production, small scale, pure passion. "I thought: there must be a thousand other crazy people like me," Becker recalled. He was not mistaken. Today, there are millions of these "crazy people."
Austin Powers changed everything
The breakthrough came when Funko secured the license for Austin Powers bobbleheads. Becker had to put down a $5,000 guarantee—a huge sum for a garage company. The risk paid off: he shipped 100,000 units from his driveway. "A truck driver called me and told me to have a pallet jack ready. I asked—what's a pallet jack?" he recounted. Funko was officially in the game.
POP! Debut at Comic Con 2010
In 2005, Becker sold the company to Brian Mariotti. He had a vision: a completely new figurine design. In 2010, at San Diego Comic Con, he presented a prototype—a flattened head, big eyes, minimalist face. The original name: Funko Force 2.0. Hardcore collectors were skeptical. The market said otherwise.
Over 1100 licenses
Funko currently holds over 1100 active licenses—from Marvel, Disney, and Star Wars, through HBO, WWE, Sony Pictures, to music, sports, and food brands. If it exists in pop culture, there's probably a POP! figure of it. The contact list of Funko's executives is the alphabet of pop culture.
Mascot: Freddy Funko
In 2002, the company created its own mascot—Freddy Funko, a red-headed boy with a big head. Everyone who joined the Funko Funklub received him in a welcome package. Today, Freddy in various guises (as Iron Man, Venom, Boba Fett) represents the rarest and most expensive figures in Funko's entire history.
Main Funko series
🎯 POP! Vinyl (2010)
Flagship series. Flattened head, big eyes, ~9.5 cm. Thousands of characters, dozens of categories. It became a global phenomenon.
🪆 Bitty POP! (2022)
Mini version of the classic POP! — just 2.5 cm. Sold in sets of 4, with one mystery character inside.
🥤 Funko Soda
Figures in soda-inspired cans. Each can hides a random figure — sometimes standard, sometimes chase. Blind box in retro form.
🌀 POP! Rides
Figure + vehicle in one set. A hero on a motorcycle, in a car, on a dragon. Larger format, more details.
🏀 POP! Deluxe
Elaborate dioramas and scenes with favorite characters. Larger, more detailed, often limited. For those for whom a regular POP! is no longer enough.
📦 POP! Moments
Iconic scenes from movies and series captured in one set. Not just one figure — an entire frame. A collector's homage to iconic moments.
How to spot an original
Three pillars of the POP! series
One style, the whole world
The same design — big head, minimalist face — from Batman to BTS. Recognizability above all else.
Rarity as value
Chase, exclusive, SDCC, retailer exclusive — the system of rarity drives the secondary market and collecting obsession.
Accessibility for everyone
Standard figures at affordable prices — so everyone can start. A grail for $60,000 — so everyone has something to dream about.
Fun Facts
🍫 Golden Ticket like Wonka's
The most expensive figure in history — the 2016 Willy Wonka set — sold for $210,000. Only 10 pieces were made, hidden in Funko chocolate bars — literally like in the movie.
⚖️ Court ruling = legend
The Clockwork Orange series from 2012 was supposed to be destroyed at the license owner's request. CEO Brian Mariotti saved only 24 pieces — he personally signed and numbered them. One of them sold for $60,000.
📦 In-box or out-of-box?
Among collectors, there's an eternal debate: in-box or out-of-box? The box preserves value. But an unboxed figure looks better on the shelf. Everyone has to decide for themselves.
🧠 Chibi from the West
The POP! design is often compared to the Japanese chibi style — an oversized head, simplified proportions. Funko never officially admitted it, but the resemblance is obvious.
Follow and discover
Mike Becker was looking for one figurine he couldn't buy. He ended up creating over a thousand. And he made the whole world start collecting pop culture, inch by inch.
Discover the Funko POP! collection
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