Mar 5, 2014

Fantasy Funko Lines

I came across an article on popvinyls.com asking "If you had control of Funko, what Pop Vinyl lines/licenses would you create?"   While it is always fun to play the What If game, the truth of the matter is that Funko already has a tremendous amount of licenses from a number of key pop culture lines ranging from DC to Marvel to Walking Dead to video games to Disney to....well, you get the idea.

So, the coming up with some brand new lines was a bit more difficult than initially realized.   However, after some deep introspection, Google searches, and some Coke Zero, some ideas burst forth.   So, take a look, let me know what you think, and send us your own ideas!

Doctor Who -

Yes, there is the Titans series, but there are smaller and Blind Boxed. This line would sell itself and would have tremendous crossover appeal. The entries into the line are easy with versions of the Tenth, 11th, and 12th Doctors along with a Dalek, Weeping Angel, and Cyberman being mandatory. A Pop-sized TARDIS would be a great addition allowing for time travel posing with other Pop Viny lines.
Other entries could include any of the classic Doctors, modern companions Rose Tyler, Amelia Pond, Clara Oswald, and River Song, and possibly even Captain Jack Harkness. However, I would "pop" (pun intended) for a version of the robot dog K-9 complete with bobble head action and retractable nose laser.

Gangsters -

Funko has already paved the way with the Scarface Tony Montana figures, and there are a host of other classic lawbreakers that could form this series. Marlon Brando's The Godfather (and perhaps Pacino's Michael Corleone), Robert DeNiro's Al Capone from the Untouchables, Tony and company from the Sopranos, and the crew from Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs would for the basis for a nice subset aimed at the mature collector.

Looney Tunes -

From the "They Don't Have This Already" File, this line would be an instant hit and like the Disney line, has an enormous amount of depth. From the standards such as Bugs, Daffy, Tasmanian Devil, Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer, Porky Pig, Road Runner, and Wile E Coyote to more obscure favorites including Marvin the Martian, Gossamer, and Foghorn Leghorn, this would be a foundation line for Funko. The addition of some of the later Warner Bros animated offerings would just be icing on the cake. Can you imagine the demand for Pinky and the Brain Pop Vinyls?

Indiana Jones -

Another one from the "It's Not Made Already" file, a small Indiana Jones line would be a nice addition to the Funko catalog. Instead of trying to force every character into the line like the Mighty Muggs series did, this subset would greatly benefit from staying true to the core characters. A few different versions of Indy, Indy's father Dr. Henry Jones, Marion Ravenwood, and perhaps the Grail Knight from the third movie would make a nice easily obtainable line.

Dukes of Hazzard -

The good old boys in Pop Vinyl....if Duck Dynasty can do it, they sure can. Bo Duke, Luke Duke, Daisy Duke, Rosco P Coltraine, and Boss Hogg are all shoo-ins for the line. However, it would be the Pop-sized General Lee that would be the must have for collectors. Bonus points if it could play the opening bars to Dixie a la the real one.

Mythbusters -

Ok, so maybe the mass market appeal is not there, but I could see this having a specialty market niche. The show has been around for a number of years and has a large amount of geek cachet would could translate into impulse purchaes. Since it would also be a small subset, it would be easy to collect the entire line of Jamie, Adam, Tory, Kerri, and Grant. "Post Explosions" variants of Jamie and Adam would add to the line's cool factor.

Bioshock -

With Funko's expansion into video games, it is probably only a matter of time until they get this license. Any of the various Big Daddy monsters, Little Sisters, Splicers, and the Heavy Hitter from Bioshock Infinite (as a super sized Pop) would create a good sized series to go along with the already existing Halo, Diablo, and Warcraft lines. The Big Daddy armors would give Funko a chance to create some of the most detailed Pop figures ever. Additionally, the line would fill a decent sized gap in the available merchandise supporting the game.