Funko
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| Funko | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Private |
| Founded |  United States of America |
| Headquarters | Bothell, Washington, USA |
| Industry | Bobbleheads |
| Website | www.funko.com |
Funko, or FunKo, is a company that manufactures and produces bobbleheads. Funko specializes in bobbleheads resembling cartoon characters, or movie characters. Some examples include: Wally Gator, Marvin the Martian, Scooby Doo, Itchy and Scratchy & Flippy the bear.
Funko was founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, a self-proclaimed “Chairman of Fun”. The company was originally conceived by Becker as a small project that may bring back various low-tech toys in the now high-tech world of today. Funko's first manufactured bobblehead was of the restaurant advertising icon known as Big Boy. With the success of this initial creation, a line of Wacky Wobblers was created. Funko has now sold well over 1.5 million of its Wacky Wobblers to small gift, novelty, and collectable stores worldwide.
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[edit] Toylines
Funko has created several different toylines since its inception.
[edit] Wacky Wobblers
Wacky Wobblers was Funko's first toyline. It consists of characters such as Betty Boop, Cap'n Crunch, The Cat in the Hat, Garfield, Speed Racer, Tony the Tiger, Star Wars, The Flintstones, Pete the Pepper and more. The toyline became extremely popular and is what Funko is most notably known for creating.
[edit] Wacky Wisecracks
Wacky Wisecracks was created in a 'two-series' bundle in 1998. Both series consisted of mini bobbleheads. Series 1 includes: The Bitter Bee, The Little Devil, The Pink Elephant, and The Stinky Tiki. Series 2: Angry Clown, Big Bad Wolf, Funky Monkey, and The Cannibal.
[edit] Peek-A-Boo Pop-ups
The Peek-A-Boo Pop-ups were a combination vinyl figure and greeting card. Pressing downward on the figure would reveal a message that would pop-up through a slot in the head. Some figures were available with different messages. For example, the Cocktail Main came with either "Cheers To You!" or "I'll Drink To That!" as the message.
[edit] Spastik Plastik
[edit] Fantastik Plastik
[edit] Triple Treats
Triple Treats featured a mini Wacky Wobbler atop a small supply of candy, both sealed within a clear plastic tube. The tube included a greeting-card like message. The wobbler, candy, and greeting combined were the three elements of the triple treats designation. There were several variants for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
[edit] Handy Dandy Puppets
This short-lived product line featured plastic heads on printed cloth shaped to fit ones hand. The printed bodies allowed manipulation of the arms and head. Characters included a Pez bride, Pez groom, fireman, Pez Pete the Clown, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, and Gorton Fisherman.
[edit] FunKoVision
FunKo's newest product line features vinyl characters inside stylish plastic display containers in the shape of television sets. Figures, which are attached to plastic screws through the bottom of the case, can be viewed through the clear front screen and can be removed for play. Typically each release includes two characters in a popular scene related to them. This line was introduced as a platform for low-run pieces.
