Funko Sales Nearly as Much as Entire Comics Business

Why the fuck do people buy these?

Funko expected its sales to come in at around $425 million for 2016, up from $274 million in 2015, $107 in 2014, and $40 million in 2013, with Mariotti describing it as “highly profitable,” according to the report. The size of the sales growth at the company (10X in three years) is staggering, as is the revenue number for last year. Given that much of those sales is at wholesale discount, the retail sales represented by Funko are approaching those of the entire comics and graphic novel business in the U.S. and Canada ($1.03 billion in 2015, see "Comic and Graphic Novel Sales Top $1 Billion").

http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/36490/funko-prepping-possible-ipo-sale

>>89063407
A trend

Seriously these things are fucking ugly. Is this shit the new furby?

Proof that the people buying Funkos only do it for the nerd cred and aren't actually involved beyond a surface-level appreciation

>>89063399
Why did you paste the same paragraph twice?

>>89063407
Sometimes they're the only merch certain properties get.

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>>89063407
They're cheap, easily available, and represent a lot of franchises that otherwise don't get merchandise. It's the same reason Amiibos of characters like Ness had so much appeal.

I don't like them either (although some are better than others,) but it's not hard to understand why someone would want them.

There's also some people who buy them to resell, which is retarded.

>>89063407
>he doesn't know about pet rocks

lol

>>89063451

i don't think any of my funkos are comic characters

i guess Vision and GotG Nebula

>>89063399
I might get these... if they were around 2 bucks each.

10-12 bucks per "figure" is just ridiculous.

>>89063433
>these things are fucking ugly
The ugliest.

>>89063399
I seriously don't get the appeal, they're fucking bobbleheads that all look the same

>>89063407
>>89063433
>>89063451
>>89063683
>>89063758
>things that males will NEVER understand

That's actually not a good look for Funko

I see this shit everywhere

>>89063399
See, casuals? Marvel needs to keep making comics so Funko can make more new figures.

I want my tombstone to be shaped as a funko pop figure of myself.

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The best Funko Pops are the non-human ones. Everyone knows this.

>>89063407

Normies don't know about Nendos.

On that subject, I'd love a Gwenpool Nendo.

>>89063987
I have this one

>>89063407
pseud-nerd culture

>>89063546
This.

I hate these things yet I own fucking five of them somehow because they belong to IPs that are never going to be merchandised in any other capacity.

>>89063407
The same reason Beanie Babies sold out.

>>89063998
At least Nendos are poseable.

>>89063433
Not even close.

Furby was popular (and hard to get) for one holiday season. It was a gimmick toy that kids quickly grew tired of.

Pops are everywhere and fairly inexpensive. Easy to justify buying one from a property you like. (Especially from the more offbeat properties) but they trade on nostalgia and that won't last forever.

Can't we all agree that this is more of an indictment of the comics industry than praise of Funko? They have complete control over some of the most valuable IPs in the world and still can't figure it out

>>89063998
Nendos are ludicrously expensive compared to funkos.

>>89063407
Because they're small and cute, and a lot of properties have only a few merch, funko being one of them

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http://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail/funko-is-growing-by-leaps-and-bounds-thanks-to-spider-man-maleficent-and-friends/
Here's the original source
>Pete DeYoung, a 41-year-old neonatologist from San Antonio who has collected about a thousand Funko products, mostly Disney, said, “With collecting, people underestimate the community. Especially when you look for exclusive items, you build relationships and friendships. Over time, that’s what keeps you going [with collecting] as well.”

>>89063998

Aren't those Anime only? Anime has never had the penetration in to normie culture videogames, comics and cartoons had.

>>89064174
>Disneyfags are cancer.
Already well documented.

>>89064105
beanie babies are at least cute. these things are disgusting.

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>>89064123
Funkos are like 15 bucks a pop and just stand there and look ugly. Nendos are admittedly overpriced but you're getting a lot more bang for your buck with the quality, accessories, posability, etc.

>>89064242
Nope.

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>>89064242
Nope. The problem with Nendos is the price I assume.

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>>89064242
>Aren't those Anime only?
No.

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>>89064242

Oh, no.

>>89064123

Undeniably, but they are certainly a superior product.

>>89063987
>>89064019
Same my brothers

Howard and Space Ghost are the only ones I have

>>89064123
Pops are ludicrously expensive for trash.

>>89064284
That hasn't stopped buyers.

But seriously. Eventually the Funko market will pop, and it becomes as niche as comics are now.

>>89064324
>Funkos are like 15 bucks a pop
I almost always see them going for $7 at local shops.

>>89063433
Beanie Babies.

>>89064459
What kind of local shops?

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>>89064445

>the Funko market will pop

>>89064490
If it doesn't pop, it'll eventually settle and plateau.

>>89064504

I wasn't reacting to your prediction, anon, but the word choice.

>>89064488
At least Beanie Babies let you get cute plush stuff animals of uncommon guys. I remember having a stingray.

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>>89064374
I'm not a huge fan of the chibi style anyway but I do own a Nendoroid that doesn't suffer from it.

>>89064614

kek

>>89064339
I can't tell if those are suppose to be bottom eyelashes or crowsfeet

>>89063588
and beanie babies
Some autistic rich retards paid a LOT of money for huge collections.
It's just retarded.

>>89064521
I guess that pun wasn't intentional.

>>89064694

The latter.

>>89063411
who the fuck is buying this ugly trash if you want something small and cute get a nendoroid

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the new crossover line with playmobil are actually pretty nice

https://funko.com/blogs/news/coming-soon-funko-playmobil

>>89063407
I have no clue. At least Might Muggs tended to mostly to look good or okay. Whereas 99.99% of Funkos are just trash designs.

>>89064489
Comic book shops, retro toy stores, and hobby shops. There's a few of them in the local mall, each with a wall of Funko Pops that are $7 each.

>>89063407
>Companies like funko realized two important things when inventing these miniatures.

>1. When working within the "nerd" market, you are basically competing for an unlimited resource. Geek-chic millennials and previously unemployable shut-ins with new jobs in tech will dump ungodly amounts of money into anything that panders to them, and;

>2. Quality doesn't matter as long as it contains a pop culture reference. Period.

>Pop culture references are the real opiate of the masses to the point where you can min/max your business model to take full advantage of it and never go too far. I can not stress that enough. You can cut every imaginable cost from design to manufacturing and pump it into sheer quantity of new figures and never hit a limit of low standards. They even cut faces from the budget of a toy that's 80% head and it STILL wasn't low enough. The only thing that matters is that it's a reference to a thing from popular culture. That's it.

>Funko pop represents a pure distillation of that principle and it's inherently insulting because selling this minimum effort cookie cutter garbage means that they must think our standards are extremely low. As an artist these designs are offensive to me. I hesitate to even call them designs, they're more like the sculpting equivalent of a stick figure. And yeah it's upsetting to see that not only were they right in assuming that quality, originality, and any input from actual artists were all unnecessary but that you people are actually excited to prove that to them.

>That is my problem with Funko Pop miniatures and yeah I know it's not unique to them but they are a particularly heinous example of it.

>>89064174
Consumerism at its finest.

>people will defend this level of consumption

>>89064123
Just because funkos are cheaper does not mean they are desirable.

>>89064760
The average person doesn't know what a nendo is anon.

>>89064826
>does not mean they are desirable.

Do you mean, ideally they shouldn't be desirable, or do you mean in real life, they aren't desirable? At this point it's two different things.

>>89064807

It's a business in my state so fine by me desu.

>>89064898
I have no idea what you're trying to ask me. My point is that being affordable doesn't make something good.

>>89064826
I think you've been here too long.

>>89064973
but it does make it more attainable and therefore more desirable

>>89064459
Those are probably old pops that have been marked down in a desperate attempt to clear valuable shelf space.

>>89064803
Who are you quoting?

>>89064973
>I have no idea what you're trying to ask me.

Of course you don't.

>>89064985
So if I had the choice between buying Superman 64 or Deus Ex, is Superman 64 more desirable because it's cheaper?

>>89065100
Tryasking your question without mincing words.

>>89065055
apparently a post made last year

>>89063784
>Be female
>Have female friends
>We all disdain funkos

Anon I think you mean "things that normies will NEVER understand"

>>89065239
Well whoever posted it did a good job.

>>89065155
Your logic is basically "I despise Funkos therefore no one desires Funkos, they should buy Nendos instead because I convieniently have the buying power and knowledge of it". I like Loyal Subjects more than Funkos but I'm not that delusional.

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>>89065261

>>89063758
Uniformity has it's benefits for collections. It's not always the best, but there is a fair appeal to the concept of having that similarity.

>>89063553
All this.

I've bought a couple on sale before because they were stupidly cheap, but that's about it. They're damn ugly and just about any other figure would look better and be more desirable to own, but Funko has the benefit of generally being cheap and accessing franchises.

>>89065306
No, my logic is that affordable does not necessarily mean desirable.

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Funko Pops are the Christmas Tinner of collectables. Cheap compared to the real thing, but still vastly overpriced for what amounts to garbage, and nowhere near as satisfying.

>>89063407
There's a funko for almost every character nowadays. They're now Bringing out Lapis and Peridot funkos.

>>89065476
wait was this ever made?

>>89064803
I mean, yeah. Hot Topic sells packs of buttons, your average safety pin button, that probably costs 8 cents to produce including packaging, for $5-8, and all that's one them in pictures of pop culture figures you can find in a Google images search. Yet, they will sell.

This concept is nothing new, they just applied it to a unique, albeit ugly and shallow, statue base.

>>89065476
*Not for Human consumption

/co/ reacts to Funko Pop like Reddit reacts to The Big Bang Theory

>f-fake nerds like it! it's the worst thing ever! they don't appeal to real comic fans like us!

>>89064099

Like what?

>>89065461
are you retarded? do you seriously not think that something being cheaper has an effect on its attractiveness to a consumer?

I find it hard to believe anyone can be THIS level of retarded

>>89063407
There is this weird sentiment among shut-ins on this site where if you don't personally like something you go "why would ANYONE else like this"

There is a huge difference between having a personal distaste for something and not understanding why someone else does like it. The former is opinion, the latter is idiocy.

>>89065586
I said "not necessarily." That means it can be the case but it is not always the case. Please learn to read before accusing other people of being retarded.

>>89064324
I own a couple Nendos but I would probably not buy them again. Neither of the ones I got are the ones with knees or elbows so they're basically just statueshit.

I might pick up a KO of one of those MOBA ones, though. There was a sword girl that had knees and elbows that might be a fun little figure.

>>89063399
Not surprising at all. Everything has Funkos now. Whether you're a die-hard wrestling fan or a die-hard Golden Girls fan there's a cheap plastic thing waiting for you. No reading or prior knowledge required.

>>89064803
>not knowing how to greentext

Also they aren't "miniatures." Miniatures means a totally different thing than you think it does.

>>89064242
It's not anime only. They've had some Marvel stuff and some DC stuff and some game stuff. Not to the extent that Funko goes after licenses but it's there.

>>89065511
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaICKru7DfQ

>>89063407
It has their favourite logo on it

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>>89064324
Cool where can I buy my Heatmiser and Snowmiser Nendos?

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>>89063407
Some of them are of acceptable quality, as long as you can't see the eyes and the head isn't a block.

>>89065825
What's your point? That there are more pops and therefore they are better?

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I've got a xenomorph, a cthulu, a judge dredd, and an ash williams. the non-human/non-faced ones are definitely better.
some of them just look more fucked than others, like the rick and morty ones.
and the endless variations of cape shit (orange and tan deadpool etc) is a little excessive, but people will buy them.
it's just the people that think they're genuine collectibles that will be worth something someday that make me laugh. they're just the toy version of 90s red/blue superman covers and just about every modern marvel #1

>>89065865
His point is that he want Heatmiser and Snowmiser and there are no Nendos of them.

>>89065928
Well what the hell does that have to do with my post?

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>>89066005
stop playing dumb, anon

>>89065748
>Miniatures means a totally different thing than you think it does.

I know the difference between a figure and a miniature figure, Anon. The anon that originally made that post (approximately a year or so ago) apparently didn't, but since that post was their doing, I opted to quote them.

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>>89065865
The point is that people buy Pops because they're cheap and depict characters that they like.

Nendos being better action figures doesn't mean shit to somebody who is looking for merch of something that isn't this year's hottest weebshit waifu or Iron Man.

>Oh golly I really like Boo Berry, but let me buy this $60 moe girl instead.
>Sure it isn't something I'm interested in but it's ~premium~

It's like telling somebody that they should buy SRCs or $200 Valkyries instead of Transformers, or 1/6 scale figures instead of Figma or Figuarts.

Why would people spend more money on something they aren't interested in?

>>89066005
You seem to have a problem with thinking outside of your own viewpoint.

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>>89066049
I don't remember making the claim that a person should buy a nendo of something they don't want.

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Pops are better than those garbage reaction figures that are shitty gi joe like figures with 90% packaging

I get what people see in them but I'm not one to settle for something just because it's the only thing available.

>>89066311
>keeping them in the box
At least it is every efficient way of stacking crap

>>89066311
Why do you have 2 SS Gokus?

>>89066456
One's glow in the dark.

>>89063407
They're everywhere and a lot of people use them for quick gifts.

>>89066311

This picture makes me feel sad

>>89066049
People buy Pops because they have no fucking standards. That's really the long and short of it. If you just want merch, they're everywhere and they're affordable, they just also look like shit. The saddest part is that if they just abandoned their pseudo-vinyl art figure thing and gave the figs better proportions and normal fucking eyes, they'd look tons better and wouldn't cost anything extra.

>>89066005
Is this a new meme?

>>89064803
This is a long shot, but are any of your points in an article anywhere? Just because one of my assignments at uni is to do with Pop Culture and Religion, and I really like that opiate of the masses quote in regards to that.

>>89064115

A good chunk of Funko's gross goes towards licensing fees. They are a part of the overall comics IP business.

It might be an indictment of print and the direct market, but the IP holders are doing just fine. They're getting their share.

>>89063553
Yeah, it's also pretty much the only way to get merchandise of characters who otherwise don't get a whole lot to begin with.

Like, Funko Pop (and Dorbs) was the only way I could get any substantial Yondu merch after GOTG came out, outside of a couple other tiny things here and there. Now that he's got a bigger role in the sequel, I don't have to resort to just Funko Pop bullshit this time around.

But I knew things have gone way off the rails when I saw Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Pops at a convention a couple months ago.

>>89066311
I'll take retro action figure aesthetic over the ugliest chibi style any day.

>>89064762
Are you fucking kidding me.

>>89067982
I thought this but the Reaction figures were so bad that I'd rather take the Pops instead.

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>>89063399
>>89064803
I feel like Funko Pops, The Big Bang Theory, and Wizard World conventions make up the holy trinity of 2010s "geekiness." And hey hey hey, they're all corporate-minded as shit.

What I take away from this is that what's "geeky" is being retconned from "niche interest" into some sort of genre or some weird psuedo-art movement. Maybe even before the commercialization it was just entertainment as opposed to some esoteric pursuit, yet today I feel like consumer geekdom is too bogged down in the nostalgia for the appearance of esotericism, or alternatively the experience as it once was. "I remember Star Wars, and I remember that being a good time for me, so if Star Wars is back now will be a good time too." We subconsciously want our media to babysit us.

If >>89066882 wants to see the parallels between media and religion, they both should ideally be aiming for a higher understanding of the human condition, yet it's easier for people to use them as a personal crutch for security. And because media is much more dependent on financial stability, its most likely much more escalated.

I feel like I really sperged out with this post.

>>89068697
I don't know though, Wizard World conventions were still a thing back in the 90's and 00's. And people were already criticizing them as being more media-oriented than comic-oriented in the late 90's.

I always see these fucking things in stock, almost as if no one fucking buys them. One store I went to there was a employee making sure they were fully stocked with these things, refilling any empty spaces.

>>89068697

No shit. I realized that this was happening back when it was just starting in the mid 2000's. Around the time when smartphones were becoming a thing and shows that acknowledged nerds were also becoming a thing, I was like "OH BOY CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO BE THE NEW SUBCULTURE SHOVED DOWN OUR THROAT."

And that's exactly what happened, and now our corporate overlords are going to be busy manufacturing another identity for people to consume.

>>89063407
People at my yob. The nerds over in the tech department here make forts out of how many they buy. Literal forts. Fortune 500 company my ass

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>>89064762
>>89068208
this is going to sound retarded, but some playmobil figures are strangely endearing ,mostly because of how shit they are

look at this fucker on the bottom right, that shits cool

licensed stuff though? fuck that

>>89063399
>Funko Sales Nearly as Much as Entire Comics Business

I didn't know the poor bastard were selling so little

>>89065572
The Golden Girls.

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>>89068747
>It will be even worse in the future

>>89064807
Funko guys gotta eat too.

>>89069162
capitalism replaced religion as a source of spiritual fulfillment, so everybody wastes their money on plastic garbage and chases these fleeting moments of satisfaction with how their stupid boring lives turned out.

>>89070909
There is one true god, and it is the invisible hand of supply and demand equilibrium.

>>89066311
Funko makes those too, so unfortunately it doesn't matter because everything they make sucks sweaty armadillo balls.