In 2019, the American company Funko Inc. released the Pop! Vinyl of one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists: Vincent van Gogh. In this pop, van Gogh is represented as holding a palette with various colours in one hand and a brush in the other. Additionally, he is wearing his famous straw hat, which he also wears in many of his self-portraits and as working attire. This Vinyl figure is considered as a ‘must-have’ not only for Funko Pop! collectors but also for art fans. Vincent van Gogh is only one small example of the large amount of Vinyl Figures released by Funko Inc. Starting by releasing bobblehead figures such as Big Boy Fred in 1998, Funko Inc. has now become one of the biggest and most popular companies for collectibles (Clark, 2023). This is because they have an extensive range of figures from movies, sport, art, cartoons, etc. which ensure that all kinds of fans can find something they are interested in (Toptoys2u Limited, 2023).
This Funko Pop! in particular is a replica of the artist Vincent van Gogh. The popularity of the figure could be explained by the artists' fame in real life. Vincent van Gogh is not only admired because of his art pieces but also because of his tragic life. Him being an outsider with his pieces in the art world and his open struggles with mental health made him a tragic icon which many people nowadays relate with and/or find fascinating (Charles, 2014). Vincent van Gogh is part of the Funko Pop! Artist category which also include three other male figures who Funko Inc. considers as prominent artists namely: Keith Haring, Leonardo Da Vinci and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Funko Wiki, n.d.). The Artists category was designed for classic art fans who would like to collect a small piece of the art world in their home (Funko Wiki, n.d.). While looking at this Pop! line we realised that Funko Inc. has chosen to only represent male artists rather than including also female ones. Thus, we questioned ourselves whether or not there were any other relevant historical female figures as Funko Pop! figure.