When you think of pop culture collectibles, Funko Pops are usually the first figure that comes to mind. Over the past twenty-five years, fans have seen Funkos celebrate every kind of major fan moment imaginable. And at conventions and the like, it's not uncommon for attendees to carry huge bags of Funkos and sometimes even cosplay as the Funko version of a character.
Here at Nerdist, we're big fans of Funko, so we were excited to chat with Dave Bere, VP of POP! Yourself & Retail at Funko at this year's C2E2. Bere gave us some insight into one of Funko's hottest new releases, Funko Pop! You figures yourself and talked about everything from the circumstances under which Funko considers re-releasing figures to how Funko works to keep fans at the center. Check out our conversation below.
Nerdist: Our readers are very excited to see the Funko Pop! Your figures go online and are available to more people. What was it like taking this from a few sites to a massive online marketplace?
Dave drink: We are very excited because the response was very strong in their stores. It's an idea, it really came from the fans. But there's a lot of work involved in getting him to Funko.com. Think about the complexity of the scale of how many units compared to the store and on the fulfillment side. It's really important to me and the team that if someone has a birthday party they have to throw or a gift they have to give next week, that we can get it to them on time. So it's been a big deal. So it's been really cool, and I think we got it. We still have a lot to learn. Let's start well.
nerdy: We've recently seen new duo sets released for Pop Yourself. Is there anything else people can look forward to in this regard? More IP for Funkos, more items you can mix and match? Something like that?
drink: Yes, really everything. We have, so we're in the middle of the Mother's Day push right now. Father's Day is right behind us. Then we're not far from introducing several new items to our evergreen assortment, all of which are fan-sourced. So we look forward to it. So from a licensing standpoint, that's something we're definitely going to get into. I can't go into the details now, but we're not far off. We did the DunKing promotionand this is just the beginning of the kind of things we will be doing in the future.
Nerdist: Funko figures are obviously a staple for pop culture lovers when it comes to collectibles. How do you work to keep your offers fresh?
drink: Absolutely. I think we have a thousand different active licenses. I think we look very closely at what's going on in the culture and what conversations are going on. I think the beauty of our form factors in most cases, we're able to go out and bring whatever that conversation is in Funko Pop form. We know that pop culture is constantly evolving, so we always have something new to talk about, as well as going back and mining nostalgia and continuing to find these things. So I think that combination has made the Pop brand and Funko so strong over the last decade.
nerdy: These days, you can get a lot of different Pops in addition to the main Funko figures. Are there any new weapon types in the works for this?
Drink: Yes. We are always looking at it. We are always looking for different scales, different ways to collect. Obviously, we just launched Bitty Pop, and there are a lot of plans, fun plans for that in the future. So we're constantly looking at that. I think it just starts with the fan, what we really listen to is the fan. What do they want to collect? How are they collected? So we will always be innovating within the Pop brand.
Nerd: I know from my experience as a fan that sometimes you discover a show that aired a long time ago and then trying to find a Funko for that property can be like the holy grail. Do you ever consider re-releasing designs or, through a mechanism like Pop Yourself, allowing fans to create this sort of thing?
Drink: Yes, that's a great question. I think we want to… People collect a lot of Pops, so we want to preserve that and protect that. So if items haven't been on the market for a while, I think like, if we choose to come back, like we did with our classic series last year, I think we have to be very intentional about why and what. we are doing it But I think the beauty is that if you discover that show and it's still resonating with consumers, there's an opportunity to bring new products to market to meet that demand.
nerdy: What do you think has been your most successful Funko release overall?
Drink: There have been so many. I mean, what I love is that here we are at Funko Airways, we have Freddy, and we just introduced Franny, who is Freddy's sister. But Freddy is one that has been around since the beginning. So that's just a staple of the hit that we keep releasing and that continues to resonate with fans. I will say, Freddy.
nerdy: And what's your favorite Funko of all time?
drink: This is a great question. My favorite is, I think it was 2020, maybe. I'm a huge Ninja Turtles fan, and we did…Michelangelo is my favorite character. That's why I love pizza today and all things. We did a Surfing Michelangelo, and it was pretty epic. This is probably my favorite.
nerdy: So, just to wrap things up, is there anything else you'd like to share about the future direction of the brand? What can fans really get excited about?
Drink: Yes, I think it is that we keep the fans in the center. This experience here (at C2E2), we will continue to push the envelope of our fan engagement and our fan experiences. Because at the end of the day, everyone loves the product, but it's really a byproduct of the experience and the community that we're trying to create and build. I think that's where the focus will stay, stay, and help us succeed in the future.
