Funko Pop! Price Comparison Guide

In this post you will find a glossary of terms that every Funko fan should know in order to get around this world.

Little by little it will be expanded with more terms and definitions. This will make it easier for those of you who are new to this wonderful world of Funko figures. Also, if you have been in this world for a while, it is good that you review some terms that we may use incorrectly without wanting to..

Funko is an American company dedicated to the manufacture of licensed pop culture figures. Funko is known for producing over 1000 different vinyl figures. In addition, Funko has licensed products such as plush toys, bobbleheads, action figures, and licensed electronic products such as USB sticks, lamps and headphones.

Founded in 1998 by Franco Malone, the company was originally conceived by Mike Becker as a small project to bring back the nostalgia of classic toys using today's high technology and get prices down. Funko became the first bobblehead manufacturer to create the Big Boy restaurant logo figure.

Funko was sold in 2005, now Funko LLC is led by Brian Mariotti president of the company since 2005. The company has increased the scope of its toy lines, and has signed licenses with Marvel, DC Comics, WWE, Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Hasbro, CBS, Fox, Warner Bros, Disney, HBO, Peanuts, BBC, NFL, Ubisoft, NBCUniversal, Cartoon Network, 2K Games, Bethesda Games, and many more. Funko is now the world's leading toy distributor. According to Mariotti, "We billed over $40 million in revenue [2013] - and $28 million of that is from Pop figures alone." In 2015, Funko added to its manufacturing lines with more ranges of dolls: Mopeez, Dorbz, Vinyl Idolz, Vinyl Vixens, and Super Deluxe Vinyl.

Funko manufactures different brands or types of figures, each with a common design pattern between them, such as size, characteristic features, etc.

In Funko we can find a multitude of types with different names, the best known of them is the Pop! line with figures of about 4″ in size, big-headed and with basic facial features, usually without mouth and with simple monochromatic circular eyes, or the Dorbz line, much smaller and rounded shapes that usually have a smiling facial expression.

A common mistake is to call a figure, for example a Pop! figure, a Funko. Funko is the brand and encompasses all the types of figures it makes, so these figures are simply called Pop! figures.

Other brands or types of Funko figures would be: Mystery Mini, Rock Candy, Hikari, Pint Size Heroes, Plushies, Vynl, Vinyl Idolz, Action figures, Pocket Pop!, Pop! Home, Pop! Tees, Wobblers, etc. Each of them with their own differentiating characteristics.

Each of the brands or types mentioned above can be made up of several lines of figures, for example, within the type of Pop! figures we find the "Television" line which includes all the characters that appear in series broadcast on the small screen, or the "Movies" line which includes everything related to the 7th art. In addition, according to what has been agreed in the licensing contract, we can find that films, such as "Harry Potter", have their own exclusive line.

Within each of the figure lines we find different series, in the case of the "Movies" line, for example, each of the movies included in this line would be a series of figures. Depending on the licensing agreement or the sales of a series of figures, it may be the case that different lines are launched on the market.

A regular figure is any figure that is offered for sale, widely distributed and available in any shop. Nothing more to add, the regular Funko Pop! figure.

Some of the figures that Funko offers for sale have the so-called "Chase" version. In the early years each box that Funko distributed to shops contained 36 pieces, 36 pops of the same figure, in some series, not all, in each box of 36 you can find one with a different feature, for example, that it was painted with metallic paint or glow-in-the-dark paint, or even a different mould or design.

Each of the individual boxes of these figures is identified with a sticker on which we can read the word "Chase". Lately that number of 36 has become 6, so if there is a "Chase" figure of a particular Pop!, we would find 1 in each box of 6 figures, which makes it easier to get them nowadays.

The original idea of Funko is to acquire them just like the rest, on the shelves of the shops and I feel that luck is in charge of making you get one, unfortunately, the evil of the world, money, has made the shops themselves speculate with them, asking for much more money than they are worth for them, the price of a "Chase" figure should be the same as a regular one. In the beginning only the regular figures had a "Chase" version, but nowadays there are exclusive figures that have them.

Exclusive Funko Pop! figures are those that are only available through a specific seller, usually a chain of shops, even for a limited period of time, in a physical shop or online, or that can only be purchased at a particular convention or event. These figures usually have a limited print run, which does not have to be small, and unique. Once they are sold out, they are not produced again.

These figures usually have a sticker that specifies where they have been obtained and sometimes the quantity produced.

The exclusive figures can be non-existent figures like regular ones, new moulds of one already manufactured, or with different finishes like the ones I will talk about later.

You can find Funko Pop figures in many different finishes, such as flocked, colour varations, clear or transparent, transluced, metallics, chrome, patina, black and white, glow in the dark, glitter, bloody, blood spattered, unmasked, scented...

Flocked" is the name given to any figure that has a material in its finish that simulates velvet or peach skin to the touch. Lately they are more common and we can usually see them as exclusive.

Normally this type of figures have the same mould as the regular one, but have different colours in part or the totality of it, they are used as "CHASE" or exclusive versions normally.

A transparent figure is usually produced in smaller quantities than a regular figure and are highly collectible, usually this finish is combined with others, such as blood splatter which we will talk about later, as the name suggests this finish allows us to see through the figure to a greater or lesser extent.

This is a finish that many exclusive figures have.

This type of figure can be confused with the previous one, the difference is that in these we cannot see through them but they do allow light to pass through to a greater or lesser extent.

This is a finish that many exclusive figures have.

Metallic is a very common finish on Pop! figures, usually variations of a regular figure with the same mould or design but with a coat of metallic paint as a finish.

This type of finish is usually used for Chase or exclusive versions and gives a shiny finish.

Chrome plated figures are available in many colours, gold, silver, black. They are usually more difficult to obtain due to their shorter production run and are often seen as exclusive.

Figures with a patina finish have a more rustic, dirty bronze or rusty finish. This is a finish that is present on a few exclusive figures.

Its name explains it all, the whole figure has a finish that has been achieved only with black and white colours and variations of their tonality.

This type of figurine features parts or all of them with a type of material that makes them glow under UV light. It is one of the most common finishes in the form of exclusives or CHASE versions.

These types of figures are covered in whole or in part with glitter that makes them sparkle in changing light, and as time goes by it is becoming a more common finish.

This type of figures have red patterns simulating blood all over the body of the figure, the head or sometimes on a weapon they carry. This finish is normally used on figures representing a character from the horror genre.

Very similar to the previous ones, in this case they have a random red splash simulating blood that even covers the box.

Usually released as exclusives and on characters that logically wear a mask, they can appear either with or without it.

This is one of the most recent and there are still few on the market, this type of figurines have a finish that gives them a scent or essence.

When Funko designs and manufactures a figure they usually make 2 white and 5 coloured samples of each, these figures are called prototypes. Occasionally they will also make a different colour variation of a figure, but only 5 at most.

In total they usually make between 5/7 prototypes of each figure, sometimes they can be all white and sometimes all coloured, or as I said, a certain amount of each type.

There is also a type of prototype called clay prototype, made in the old way, that is to say from a mould that is filled with clay and checked for imperfections, of these prototypes when they are made, only one is made.

These figures, due to their scarce quantity, are very sought after by collectors and difficult to obtain. The collector can usually get one at fairs, as a gift from Funko itself in funkofanáticos forums, on specialized websites such as Gemini Collectibles and of course, on eBay, in the latter site at an even higher price.

So it's up to you now if you are interested in getting and collecting this kind of figure or you focus on the regular ones, if you opt for the first option you must be willing to leave a considerable amount of money (prices range between 100€ / 300€, sometimes even more, depending on the popularity of the figure in question and the people interested in it), but you will have something limited and exclusive that will enrich your collection.

A CUSTOM figure is any figure not officially manufactured by Funko, usually made by individuals with their own means and based on parts of other existing figures that are mixed together to which can be added or not elements moulded with some kind of modelling paste.

Although it is not a type of figure in itself, but something that happens with them, I wanted to include them in this list to clarify the concepts.

A VAULTED figure is one that for one reason or another, license expiration, low sales, etc … has ceased to be manufactured and will no longer be distributed in shops. It doesn't mean that they will disappear from the shops at that moment, but that as they are sold out they will be more difficult to find, until they reach a point where there are none left in the shops. This will mean that, depending on demand, they will increase in value to a greater or lesser extent on the second-hand and collectors' market.

All the figures, apart from the personal value that we give to them, being collectibles have a value in the market, this is very fluctuating and depends to a greater or lesser extent on the demand and quantity of existing figures. There are pages like Poppriceguide.com or Stashpedia that can give us an estimated value. These pages are based on the average of sales made on eBay.

NOTE: if you find on eBay that someone sells X figure at a price, that does not mean that this is its value, ask, everyone can ask what they want, to know the real estimated value, look at some of these pages or do a search on eBay but filtering by sales made. That way you will see at what price they have really sold for. If you ask, for example, 1000€ for a figure, it doesn't mean that it is worth it or that it will be sold for that price.

Freddy Funko is simply Funko's mascot, like Ronald McDonalds is for McDonalds or the Duracell bunny for the well-known battery company.

Most Funko figures are made of vinyl. This material is one of the most basic and most used all over the world, not only for figures, but for all kinds of objects.

It is a material whose main feature is that you can make very thin sheets of it without breaking, plus it is a material that is ductile to the touch, so it is not the ideal material to have a figure.

Vinyl is not a natural substance, but a synthetic artificial material. It is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene (found in crude oil) and chlorine (found in common salt). When processed, the two substances combine to form polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC), or as it is commonly called: vinyl.

Vinyl was first invented in 1920 by scientists who wanted to develop a material that would help make everyday products that were easier to manufacture, more durable and cheaper than what was available. Today, vinyl has become the second largest plastic resin manufactured and sold worldwide.

It is not the best material out there, but it is often used by companies to make large or giant scale figures without any details, mainly aimed at children or young people whose only goal is to have a figure of their favourite characters the bigger the better.

Vinyl is an extremely sensitive material to all kinds of heat sources, in fact when it goes over 30 degrees it starts to degrade. In addition with the years they lose colour and end up becoming whiter and whiter, so if you buy a vinyl figure keep in mind that it has an expiry date, especially if you don't take good care of it.

Common properties of vinyl:

Vinyl is resistant to moisture and humidity.

It is a very strong and durable plastic material.

Vinyl can be manufactured in a variety of colours, transparent and solid.

Vinyl is a very low cost material to produce.

Vinyl is a plastic material that, unlike other plastics, can be easily recycled. Due to the durability of vinyl, products made from this material have a long life span. In addition, vinyl can be recycled, which results in an even longer life of the vinyl plastic resin.

Vinyl is a very environmentally friendly material, not only because it can be recycled, but also for many other reasons. Vinyl helps to preserve environmental resources as 57% of vinyl is made from common salt, which is a naturally renewable substance. Non-refilled resources, such as crude oil, only account for 43% of vinyl resin, making it environmentally friendly.

Compared to other materials used by the packaging industry, vinyl requires smaller amounts of natural resources, uses much less energy for manufacturing and also releases fewer emissions into the environment.

Thus, vinyl, a man-made synthetic material, has truly revolutionised the entire plastic resin industry.

Funko has an official application (in Beta version) for this among other things. Click here to access it.

Also, both Poppriceguide.com or Stashpedia allow you to keep track of your collection, you only have to add figure all you have and you will get a complete list with its value.

In addition, Stashpedia has a phone application. There is also an application called Covently that can help you to control your collection from your smartphones.

Both the production rights of Marvel or Star Wars action figures belong to the company Hasbro, the only way that Funko can manufacture figures of both licenses is converting them into Booble-Head figures (with springs in their heads), so they are no longer considered action figures and legally you can produce them without any problem.

The answer to this question is YES, almost 100% of the counterfeit copies are figures from the Pop! line which is the company's best known and best selling line, the counterfeit pops tend to be counterfeits of higher value pops.

Basic rules to avoid counterfeits.
1. NEVER buy from Aliexpress.
2. If a deal seems too good to be true, I probably don't know.
3. The best thing to do is to look for a stamp at the bottom of the foot of the figure, usually copies do not have one.
4. Check if there is a sticker on the bottom of the box (sticker, not printed on the box) starting with "JL" or "FM". Dicha pegatina puede ser también un grabado en bajo relieve.
The numbers that go with the JJL and FM stickers, when 6-digit, are the dates of manufacture in American format. The letters in the code (e.g., JJL) denote the factory where that figure was produced, and the numbers (e.g., 150820) is the date the pop was manufactured (e.g., August 20, 2015).
6. The numbering on the box does NOT always have to match the numbering on the figure (feet and sticker).
7. Many users have reported a higher incidence of fake pops coming from sellers in China. WATCH OUT SELLERS, NOT MANUFACTURERS. Funko has factories in China or Vietnam so it is normal that they are manufactured there.
8. The only way to know if a figure is 100% fake is to compare it with a real one.
9. The discoloration of the box, details such as fonts or spacing is what can tell us if it is fake or not. Although it sounds strange, some fake figures have a better finish than the originals, especially if they are copies of the oldest ones.
10. Always buy in known and contrasted stores.
11. NEVER buy on Aliexpress.
12. I repeat again. NEVER buy on Aliexpress.

Probably not. Figures with a "mistake" that are worth more tend to be older, and tend to be something that happened widely (like the bat symbol having the wrong color on a Batman pop). If your pop has an error like two left arms or something like that, it's just from poor quality control.

These are mass produced items that tend to sell for a relatively low price. Sometimes a figure will have a poor paint job or some other kind of error. That's just the way it goes. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with wanting only good/error free paint jobs, but if you expect it to be perfect in every respect you will be disappointed.

A "Glam Shot" is the image of a figure that Funko uses to promote it in which you can see the figure itself and the "art box" (box design) on a white background. What is seen in them can vary to a greater or lesser extent from the final figure, so it is not strange that they contain errors.

First to Market figures are those that are offered for sale, usually as an exclusive, for the first time and temporarily in a specific convention or chain of stores. After a certain period of time, to be determined in the exclusive contract, said figure will reach the stores in a generalized form with the only difference of not carrying the sticker of the convention or chain of stores that identified where it was exclusive.

The "Specialty Series" exclusives can be found only in those stores, usually small stores and local comic stores, which otherwise do not have access to any kind of exclusives and Funko wants to give them the opportunity that normally relegates to the big franchises. That if, if you are interested in them do not let much time pass before acquiring it, because although they do not have a limited number of units will not be replenished once they are exhausted, they have a single run. Normally new ones are announced every month and they can be of any type of figure.

FUNDAYS is basically a fan-oriented celebration of the brand. It's a chance for Funko fans to get together with the people behind the company and other members of the Funko community. There are contests, food and tons of awesome giveaways. Everyone who attends is guaranteed to walk away with some serious swag. Although it's held during SDCC it's not really tied in and the chance to attend is not tied to convention tickets, it's done by lottery.