Connor Brown

Hello, 

So for my story, it’s actually finding love within myself. 

It was 2018, I just got out of a tough relationship, and I had just seen Avengers: Infinity War. I really wanted some merch based on that movie, so I went into a Disney store and found a Funko collectible of my favorite character, Captain America. 

I picked it up, and ever since then, I have been collecting. It gave me a sense of happiness and gave me something to be excited about. Collecting Funko figures really helped me get through a rough period in my life and find my happiness again. 

I’ve met some incredible friends through collecting and have managed to go to comic cons, where I can get Funko collectibles signed by celebrities.

Looking forward to what comes in 2024! 

Thanks from a huge fan, 

Connor 

Micky McCullough

I’ve been wanting to tell this beautiful story for a while! 

Let's start all the way at the beginning of 2016-2017.

I've been seeing Pops! everywhere for a few years and had been debating back and forth about what my first Pop! should be. 

I saw Disney Pops!, Marvel Pops!, and even DC, but I ultimately decided on getting a Green Ranger Funko Pop! 

I still have that Pop! in my collection today and even got the Pop! Tee of it as well from Target! 

After the first Pop! purchase, I was hooked! I started collecting only Pops! for about a year, then it kept getting bigger. 

At this point, I got like 200 Pops! in my collection. Everything ranging from Disney to Marvel! 

The collection was going amazing! Now, let's fast forward a little bit and talk about my first Funko subscription box! The moment Disney Treasures was announced, I was so excited! 

The first box came out from Pirate’s Cove. The last one was from Adventures. During this time, Funko was moving the boxes to retailers, and at the time, we didn’t have information about where Disney Treasures was going. So Funko was doing their weekly Q&A to see how the community was doing. 

What happened next was something that has truly changed my life forever. I never got the answer about Disney Treasures, but what I did get was a response from a girl named Jacky. 

Little did I know at the time, but we would become great friends, and now we have been boyfriend and girlfriend for almost six years! She is the love of my life, and none of this would have happened if Funko didn't exist. Thank you, Funko, for bringing us together! 

Kara May

I saw a post on social media about connections to Funko, and figured I’d reach out. My husband and I began collecting Pops! throughout the beginning of our relationship. We live close to the Everett, Washington store, and one of our favorite dates was spending a day at the store and grabbing dinner together. We have a houseful of memories from collecting the Pops! that connect to nostalgia from our childhood and things that we both like as adults. My husband actually proposed to me with a Pop! of himself that he made at the Everett store! I said yes, of course. We made a Pop! of me in a wedding dress, and those two Pops! are my favorite in our whole collection! 

Jessica Chamley

Dear Funko, 

This is my Funko Love Story: a simple purchase of a Pop! led to me moving to a different country, finding a boyfriend who I'm still with over two years later, and starting to take photographs and joining this amazing community. 

It's my love story, and I wouldn't change it for the world. 

From, 

Jessica 

August 2, 2021 is always going to be such an important date to us; it's the day our lives changed, and we didn't even know it... 

Marvel Avengers: Endgame Loki (with Tesseract - number 747) is my favorite and the most important Pop! I own. Who knew buying a Pop! would change my life completely? I'm eternally grateful every day for what it brought me. 

One year ago today, I was depressed and scrolling through eBay, looking for Loki as a late birthday present to myself. There were hundreds for sale, and after a while, I finally picked a listing and purchased it. Unbeknownst to me, I'd stumbled across Pres's listing. 

One week later, the Pop! arrived with a chocolate bar, a note with his Instagram handle, and a message to reach out if I needed help or advice with Pops! or the Funko community, and I did. I reached out to thank him for the Pop!, the note, and chocolate bar—and then eventually for help with some upcoming Pops! at the time. 

Fast forward a year: my life has changed so much, and it's all thanks to the most amazing man I've ever met. I moved to a different country, I'm so happy and loving life, my mental health has improved, I've become a part of the most incredible community, met some awesome people, found a passion collecting and photographing, and I help run EDT where we get to show off the amazing talent of others and spread love and support. 

The funniest part about this whole thing to me is that Pres owned two of these Lokis and was selling one as he no longer wanted it. Now, he has both Pops! again and got a girlfriend instead, haha. I've always believed that everything happens for a reason. This whole experience solidified it for me. Loki will always hold a special place in my heart, and it's not going anywhere because it brought me my missing piece and my soulmate. I love you, Pres. Thank you for putting your Loki up for sale; sorry you own him again! 

Timothy

I’m Timothy, a 21-year-old who was born with special needs. I don’t really have friends to hang out with. When the pandemic hit, I started collecting Star Wars ™ Funko Pops! It kept me entertained looking through people’s sale posts. I joined quite a few groups on Facebook, and that was a way to connect with people who liked the same things I did. 

Luckily, the restrictions from the pandemic were lifted, and I have been able to attend a lot of comic cons to get my Pops! signed and to also meet some of the members from the groups I’ve joined. 

Collecting Funko Pops! has really been a lot of fun. 

Diedre

I went to a comic con and noticed some Pops! I was currently really into a show and saw figures for it. So I bought one—and one for a friend. At that time, I was currently going through very difficult health issues. I was extremely down and defeated. I decided to start researching Funko since I had bought the figures. I found the Funatic Board! This started a love affair with Funko that has continued for over 10 years now. I collect. I run Funko groups. My husband and I collect together, and now our kids do as well. Funny to say, but my life was saved at the time by distracting me from my problems and giving me hope and a community that supports each other and enjoys the love of collecting together. I have Funko Family, not just friends. It may seem far-fetched, but we are so deep into Funko we were even featured in the local paper for our collection and part of our story. So many Funko stories to tell! 

Just thank you for having the love of toys and nostalgia and bringing people together. The impact has been amazing and beautiful. 

Your Funko Family, 

Diedre 

Ilenia Cannizzo 

When I saw that the prompt was about meeting someone special through collecting, I knew I had to send my story in. I’ve been collecting Funko figures for a very long time, and I started following this Funko page with a creator that was so nice. I saw one of her posts, and it inspired me to start collecting. I reached out to her, and then she inspired me again to make my own Funko Instagram page (@ilefunko). Through this page, I have met and talked to so many nice people. Many people I talk to on a daily basis, and some of them I even consider close friends. One person was looking for a special Funko collectible, so I drove three hours to Chicago to hand-deliver it to him, and now we are going to be meeting up officially at C2E2 this coming April! Another friend lives in California, and I live in Michigan, and we text almost daily about Funko/collecting/personal stuff. This community has really given me some amazing friends. I truly love my Funko family. Sharing our collections and helping each other out with our wants is so fun and everything I look for in a community. 

A major person that I also have to give credit to is slapshotpops. He has taken his YouTube channel and made it into something very special. He recently did a Toys for Tots charity drive selling Funko collectibles and raised over $20,000. We are in group chats, and we talk daily about our own personal stuff and how we can better the Funko community. He has created such an awesome space for collectors! 

I love collecting, and I especially love collecting Funko figures! 

Thank you, 

Ilenia 

Philip Szajna

When I was younger, my mother remarried, and we found out that we had a step-sister. We were never able to meet her because of divorce restrictions placed by the court. We all grew up, and we finally met. I saw, on her shelves, a few Funko collectibles. I had never seen them before. She was able to explain them and tell me all about them. When I got home, I had to get one. That was two years ago, and now I have over 300 Pops! of all different sizes and types, mainly Star Wars. This is because I have also been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a terminal cancer. I wanted to leave something for my nephew, who I love like a son. When he was young, we watched him a lot, and he always wanted to watch Star Wars. That was ok with me because I love Star Wars as well. Collecting Pops! allowed us to get even closer and gives me something that I can leave him, that he can keep—or it allows him to sell them and have a few dollars to use to start his family. 

Funko collectibles have allowed me to grow closer to two people I truly care about and love. Collecting Funko figures has allowed me to meet others that enjoy them—and allowed me to find friends who share the same likes as I do and find other likes that I did not know I had.  

Without Funko collectibles, I would have been without a common love that has made this all possible. Thanks, Funko, for sharing your products with us all. It makes the time we have here a little more enjoyable. But mainly, it has helped us discover we can all find something we enjoy to collect. 

Philip Szajna 

Scott Day

I met my now wife eight years ago, on a Facebook group for collectors of figures. She had some Superman™ items for sale and lived locally, so I went to pick them up. On top of the box was a Superman Funko Pop! I asked, “What on Earth is that Superman toy with such a big head?” She replied, “It's not a toy....it's a Funko Pop! vinyl.” 

She said I could keep it to begin my Pop! collection if I updated her on any new additions. A few weeks later, she messaged me to say she found a Wonder Woman™ to match my Superman. 

Eight years later, we’re married, have a beautiful family, and...a combined DC™ superhero collection of over 300 Pops!

And I still have on display my Superman. 

Joan Victoria D. Ondong

Collecting Funko figures and joining the community became my solace from the restlessness brought upon by the pandemic. 

I have always been fascinated with toys. I always loved it when family and friends brought me toys as souvenirs from their travels. 

My older brother Joseph, who started collecting earlier than I did, gifted me an Amy Farrah Fowler Funko Pop! way back during Christmas of 2019. Sure, I displayed it in my room, but I didn’t pay it much attention, since I was busy with my career. Covid-19 happened, and I was stuck at home. I ran out of things to do. So finally, I did some research on Funko and found that they have Pops! from my favorite shows and Pops! from my childhood. As such, it jump-started my Funko collection. 

Funko was my happy pill during my licensure exam review (I passed the exam in 2022), and even now, Funko is still my happy pill whenever I am stressed from work. 

However, collecting is only one of the reasons why I stayed. 

The people I met in the Funko community are the reason why collecting Funko figures is more fun. When you meet people from different walks of life, it is always life-changing. Because of the community, I get to meet people who willingly share their collection, time, money, talents, and happiness in the name of the community—without expecting anything in return. I also get to meet people who get my excitement and giddiness over a new collection of the so-called “toys.” Most importantly, my relationship with my brother strengthened, as we share this love for Funko. 

What they say is true: you join the community for the toys/Funko, but you stay for the people. 

Cristian Hernández

Thank you for doing this! I have met some of the most amazing people because of you, and this amazing fandom!! Some people have become friends for life. Here are a few pictures of the Funko community members that I’m so happy to have met. 

Dillon Sailer

My Funko Love Story started in central North Dakota around 2015. My first two years of collecting were extremely quiet until I started using the Funko Funatic Boards and also engaging with other collectors in 2017. 

My first friend I made was a collector across the border from Canada in 2017. She has become a lifelong friend to my wife and me. We tried to travel and see each other every year since. 

My Funko Family extended early the next year when I traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for Fun Day Out 8 and met Lauren, Cory, Brett, and Nick. Our Funko Family was now starting to extend out of the Midwest! This expansion prompted my wife and me to finally travel to San Diego Comic-Con after talking with our new Funko fans. Every year that we can, since 2018, we’ve thrown a spontaneous trip to New York City Comic-Con into the mix. Through all of our travels, events, and social media interactions... we've amassed well over 50 people that we stay in contact with at least yearly. They stretch across every continent as well! HOW COOL. 

Funko really helped me burst out of my social shell and has been an absolute pillar in my happiness over the last decade. 

I look forward to many more decades of FUN, COLLECTING, and FRIENDSHIP. 

Funko Love, 

Dillon Sailer (Cpt Sailor) 

Iz Salazar

My name is Iz Salazar, and I go by Muscleheadfunkopop in the Funatic community. I've been involved in the community since 2014, and I've loved every minute of it! Until I joined this community, I've never traveled so much and met sooooo many people with the same passion I have for collecting Funko figures. 

I attended the opening of the HQ Flagship in Everett, Washington, which was the first time I've been to Washington. I also had the opportunity to fly to New York, which has always been a dream of mine. Being able to go to New York, attend New York City Comic-Con, and also work the Funko booth...was all a dream come true. Funko also made my trip to Los Angeles, California happen. I've been to San Diego before, but never LA. I attended my second FDO and also the world premiere of Making Fun: The Story of Funko. In the next few months, I will be flying to Arizona for the first time to hang out with some local Funatics out there. 

Through all these years, I've met sooooo many Funatics through the board, social media, cons, and special events. When seeing my fellow Funatics, it's always a good time, and memories are made. These folks aren't just my friends, but my family. 

Funko has filled my heart and soul with so much joy, and I can't be more thankful. 

Thank you, Funko. 

Iz 

Peter

Hello! My name is Peter, and I go by universal_ghost on the boards and other social media platforms. One story for me that I'll never forget is the time I received a Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias Pop! in the mail, and when it arrived, and I opened it, it was torn on the back. I remember tagging him on Twitter and showing a picture of the damage, and to my surprise, he responded! He followed me, and DM'd me, and wanted to get me one that was in perfect condition. I gave him my address. At that time, I lived in Anaheim, and that wasn't a far trip from Long Beach where he resides, so he decided to actually meet up with me and personally give me one! I was legit shocked he'd go through that length to give a fan a Pop!, but I remember he wanted to get food at a restaurant called Portillo's in the area where I lived, so it worked out. When I opened the sorter it was in, that's when I knew he also signed it! I'm glad I posted the pics to Twitter since it saved the date and time—and for the amazing experience Fluffy gave me that I'll never forget! Without Fluffy or Funko coming together to make Pops! of him, this could have never happened! Thank you! 

Donaxi López Roque

(Video Follows Below the Transcription/Translation)

Transcription in Spanish: ¡Hola, Funko! Yo soy Pepy Vader de México. A lo largo de mi vida, he tenido muchísimas amistades, he conocido a demasiada gente, pero no he conocido a nadie a nadie a nadie como los que son los fanáticos de Funko. Somos una comunidad que podemos tener una cierta hermandad, un compañerismo, y hasta cierta complicidad a tratar de conseguir las piezas que siempre queremos. Siempre tienes allí a alguien que te pregunta si ya lo tienes, si ya pudiste conseguirlo, o simplemente cómo has estado en el día de hoy. Esos, esos son los amigos de Funko. Esos son los amigos que se preocupan por tí—no por solamente por saber cómo has expandido tu colección, simplemente porque quieren saber cómo has estado en el día a día. Es por eso que yo adoro al grupo de amigos que tengo actualmente porque puedo hablar de Funko y puedo hablar de cualquier otra cosa. Puedo reírme a carcajadas con ellos…puedo decir que por fin, tengo un grupo de amigos que siempre soñé. Así que, Funko, solamente me queda una cosa por decirte: Funko, thanks for helping me find the friends I always wanted. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Translation in English: Hello, Funko! I’m Pepy Vader from Mexico. Throughout my life, I’ve had many friendships, I’ve met a lot of people, but I haven’t met anyone—anyone—anyone—like Funko fans. We’re a community with a certain kind of family bond, a companionship—even a kind of complicit collaboration—to try to find the pieces we’ve always wanted. You always have someone there who asks if you’re looking for something—or if you were able to find it. Or, there’s always someone there to simply ask how you’re doing right now. Those are the friends of Funko—those are the friends who care about you—not just to find out how you’ve grown your collection but also to know how you’re doing in your daily life. It’s for this reason that I adore all the friends I’ve made right now because I can talk about Funko, or I can talk about any other thing—I can laugh out loud with them—and I can finally say I have a group of friends that I’ve always dreamed of. Therefore Funko, there’s just one thing left to tell you: Funko, thanks for helping me find the friends I always wanted. Until next time…

Click on the video screen below to start the video.