The Funko Pop Craze: Are They Worth It? (Critical Financial’s Review)

Funko Pops are fun, low-cost toys that kids know and love, partly because there are so many different figures—from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Maria Carey to Anthony Edwards to Blue Beetle—that appeal to a broad audience. However, some choose to invest in Funko Pop collectibles. But are they worth collecting?

History of Funko Pops

In 1998, Mike Becker created the first Funko Pop of Big Boy, the restaurant icon. He wanted to make a low-tech toy that was affordable. However, Becker sold the company in 2005, and now Andrew Perlmutter is president.

From its humble beginnings, the company has grown to include more than 1,000 licenses, so there are a variety of figures from many different genres of entertainment and sports.

Collectible and Rare Funko Pops

While there are many Funko Pops, if you want to start collecting these toys for money, you should focus on exclusives and chase variants.

Exclusives

Exclusives are made for sale only at one particular site or event. For instance, Funko Exclusives are only released on Funko.com. Some exclusives are only available on Amazon.

Likewise, a convention might have exclusive Funko Pops, meaning you can only buy them at that convention. These are only sold in small quantities, so their value may rise faster than other Funko Pops available elsewhere.

Chase Variants

Chase variants are Funko Pops that differ slightly from the regular mold of a Funky Pop. For example, the Funko Pop Stretch Armstrong shows the figure in muscle-building form. However, the chase variant shows him with his arms stretched to the ground.

Chase variants are usually produced at 1/6 the rate of the same Funko Pop that is not a chase variant. So, if 1,200 figures are made, 200 will be Chase variants, and the rest will be the standard version.

You can identify Chase variants by the circle on the front of the package that says, “Chase.” Since there are fewer of these, they are more valuable, especially as the years pass.

Most Expensive Funko Pops

According to NASDAQ.com, these are the ten most expensive Funko Pops (as of September 2022):

1. Clockwork Orange – $25,470 to $26,060
2. Freddy Funko as Venom – $19,090
3. Stan Lee (Superhero Platinum Metallic) – $18,000
4. Freddy Funko (Black Suit) – $12,390
5. Freddy Funko (Red Hair)/Boba Fett – $11,390
6. Freddy Funko/Count Chocula (Glow in the Dark) – $10,000
7. Freddy Funko (Bloody)/Jaime Lannister – $9,980
8. Freddy Funko (Glow in the Dark)/The Joker – $9,920
9. The Thing (Metallic with Black Eyes) – $7,950
10. Freddy Funko (Glow in the Dark)/Deathstroke – $7,690

Least Expensive Funko Pops

Don’t let the high price of the most expensive Funko Pops discourage you from owning your own if you want some for fun. The least expensive Funko Pops run between $6 and $9, making them extremely affordable. Of course, those aren’t the ones likely to become collectibles and grow in value.

What Funko Pops Are Sought After by Collectors

Among already created Funko Pops, the most expensive are the most valuable.

However, if you’re just beginning your collection, you’ll want to focus on exclusive and chase variant Funko Pops. In addition, vaulted Funko Pops are also valuable because they are no longer being made.

Licensed vs. Unofficial Pops

If you want to collect Funko Pops, you want the licensed version, not the unauthorized knockoffs. To verify you have the licensed version, you need to know that they have a serial number on their head or their foot that matches the serial number on the box.

If you can’t verify that the Funko Pop you want has both numbers, you can’t confirm if the Funko Pop is the real one or a knockoff.

Leave Them in the Box or Display Them?

For the serious collector, the question is, should you leave the Funko Pops in their box or display them? While the answer is simple—leave them in the box—understandably you would like to show your collection.

By all means, display your pops if you don’t want to make money from them in the future but want to enjoy them now. However, there are two reasons to leave them in the box, unopened.

First, they are worth much more in their original packaging.

Second, you must have the pop and its original packaging to verify it’s licensed and not a knockoff.

The Future of Funko Pops

Currently, the future of Funko Pops is uncertain. While the company has enjoyed continued success and became particularly popular during the pandemic, times have changed.

In 2022, the company produced too many Funko Pops and needed to sell them at lowered prices at discount retailers. As of the end of Quarter Three in 2023, The Motley Fool stated, “Funko is making progress when it comes to improving operating efficiency and reducing costs, but the business’s long-term trajectory remains uncertain.

The company’s core vinyl figurines have enjoyed a successful run, but there’s a significant risk that they will ultimately wind up being a fad. Recent sales declines suggest that Funko Pops are losing favor with customers, and it’s not clear that there are any major positive-performance catalysts on the horizon.”

However, Funko continues to find ways to make their toys fun and relevant; they may be able to overcome this slump.

Conclusion

You can choose to collect many things that are likely to go up in value such as coins, precious metals, and comic books. Funko Pop collectibles appeal to the kid in each of us. However, these dolls are not a sure bet.

If Funko’s stock continues to struggle and the company doesn’t find a way to make its product relevant and attractive to consumers, the product may be a fad that goes the way of the Cabbage Patch doll. If that happens, you will have bought and invested in Funko Pops without financial gain.

This is okay if you genuinely enjoy the toy, but if you don’t, use caution when purchasing these dolls and hoping to make money on them in the future.

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