The first Funko Pop! ever produced was ‘Big Boy Wacky Wobblers’ bobblehead in 1998. Although not many pieces were produced (around 480), the Funko was moderately popular in the US. However, Big Boy is not what helped the company to acquire their fame (Johnson, 2024). In fact, the reason behind the success of Funko Inc. is the creators’ passion for nostalgia-themed collectible toys. By creating bobbleheads figures of famous characters such as the Grinch, Funko started to quickly gain a lot of attention from collectors all over the world (ArToys, 2023).
Nostalgia is quite interesting to analyse especially from a marketing strategy point of view. Toys are often designed to evoke nostalgia in adults. By adding certain elements from the past, companies aim at bringing nostalgic feelings to their customers and they invite them to buy the toys for their children (Manjusha et al., 2021). It is worth noting that nostalgia is not always about something that has happened in the past but also something that could have happened (Bryant et al., 2016). Similarly, Funko Inc. focuses on re-creating the emotions that adults experienced in their childhood with characters from their favourite shows or franchises in the form of Funko Pop! collectibles. Thus, Funko Pop! figures aim at creating a nostalgic connection with the consumers by reminding them about the joy and excitement of their childhoods’ memories (ArToys, 2023).