My name is Arfon and I have an addiction... Having resisted
for some years I gave in to it back in 2016. At first it was just something
that my friends were into, they tried to get me into it but I resisted but
eventually gave in thinking I had the willpower to control it. I thought I
could keep myself in check but I was wrong and I’m still coming to terms with
my addiction and so that is why I am confessing my problem to you all today,
admitting that I have a problem is the road to recovery, ladies and gentlemen
of the internet I am a Funko Pop! Vinyl-Junkie.
So what is this addictive substance known as “Pops”? Well it’s a type of vinyl toy created by
manufacturers of licensed pop culture toys Funko in 2010. Stylized
to appeal to
people that have a fondness for nostalgia and figures from popular culture,
intrigued to see them adapted into a Japanese Chibi style. There are literally
hundreds of these out there, sold on every convention corner covering all
manner of licensed brands and franchises. Although easily obtainable through
dealers some are harder to find than others, often referred to by dealers as
“retired” or “vaulted” as they might no longer be produced and these have been
known to go for high sums of money.
What can I say? I’m not normally one for ‘cute’ but I rather
like the Japanese Chibi influenced figures, particularly when applied to
characters usually regarded to be grotesques, hence why I started with the
Metaluna Mutant and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Believe it or not I
have actually managed to restrain myself somewhat, only buying ones based on my
favorite movies or television characters that might have directly influenced
or inspired me over the years even then I had to scale down slightly because
sure enough they started to pile up around the studio. So now a shelf runs
partially around the studio displaying them.
Of course I am not really an addict; I can quit any time I
want to! But if Funko should read this- Aside from re issuing Indiana Jones and
Ace Ventura figures, here are some that I would like to see produced, the classic
King Kong from 1933, Gamera, Jack Nicholson’s Joker, Danny DeVito's Penguin,
Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, Tommy Lee Jones's Two-Face, Jim Carrey's Riddler,
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy, Captain Planet,
Red Dwarf, Columbo, The Mask (movie), Dumb and Dumber, Colonel Sanders, Ronald
McDonald, Burger King, Hooters Girl, The Crypt Keeper, ALF, Inspector Gadget, Married With Children, Jurassic Park, The
Addams Family, Men in Black, Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman, The Terminator and
Gort...
© Arfon Jones 2018. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.
