Posted in: Collectibles, Funko | Tagged: baskin robbins, baskin robbins funko exclusive, baskin robbins steve, funko, funko pop, funko pop exclusive, netflix, scoops ahoy, scoops ahoy steve pop, scoops ahoy stranger things funko, steve baskin robbins, stranger things, stranger things baskin robbins exclusive, stranger things funko, Stranger Things season 3

'Stranger Things' Baskin Robbins Funko Exclusive Release is a Debacle

Stranger Things fans are in a tizzy as the premiere of the hit Netflix series highly anticipated third season is coming on July 4th. This season the tie-in merchandise is crazy, as everyone is trying to attach their names to the franchise. Even Coke brought back their biggest failure in company history to tie-in, to great success. One tie-in us collectors got excited about involves ice cream company Baskin Robbins. As seen in the trailers for season 3, Steve will be working at an ice cream shop in a Hawkins mall during the season, and Baskin Robbins partnered with Netflix to bring special merch and ice cream flavors inspired by the show to their stores starting officially on June 1st. The main event however is an exclusive Steve Funko Pop. That is where the problem begin.

Stranger Things Fans Are Mad

As with any and all Funko exclusive releases, people are out toy hunting like mad for these. What they have been met with at many locations are Baskin Robbins selling the Stranger Things exclusives well over the retail price of $12.99. A glance around social media confirms that some locations are selling them for almost 3 times the price, which is kind of insane.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to any of this either. Some stores are limiting people to only 1 Pop per customer (which is fine if you ask me), but the price hikes are happening everywhere. People are pissed, and it is a shame that this side of collecting has yet again reared its ugly head.

We Still Wanted One Though!

Hey- I love the show and have a complete Stranger Things collection myself, so I had to get my hands on one. It took some doing, as my area is full of Funko Pop flippers, but I found a store about 45 minutes away that said they had them. Let me tell you dear reader, I love me some food tie-ins to the properties I love. There is signage and specials everywhere, and I was in ST heaven when I walked in. They have a photo opportunity, special pints of Scoops Ahoy ice cream, special counter treats, and more. I do plan on returning to try all of this stuff, but I had a mission.

The display was above the donuts, and when I walked up to the counter the employee at first said they were not selling them because they "had to figure out what to do with them". I also wanted one of the cool magnet sets, so I asked about those. She said the same thing. I stared at her, and she went to get the manager. She came over and asked if I wanted one or two, and returned a minute later with my Steve. She seemed relived, and after discussing the release she said she hopes they never do anything like this again. People yelling, people demanding to buy their whole stock, people just generally being mean seems to be the norm with Funko fans she said. That made me sad to hear. Moment of truth, as she started to ring me out. A sigh of relief when she charged me the regular $12.99 for the Pop and $3.99 for the magnets.

Stranger Things Scoops Ahoy Steve Baskin Robbins Exclusives

The Steve Pop is awesome. It features him holding a sundae in his work uniform and is adorable. It instantly became one of my favorite Stranger Things Pops. The magnets are cool too! As I said, food premiums are a favorite of mine, so I am super excited to put these on my fridge. Also- my ice cream cone was great. I personally love their chocolate chip.

Was this worth it? To me of course- I love the show and collecting these. But to see all of the craziness going on over it is sad. Funko collecting is supposed to be fun, and this is becoming anything but. If Funko flippers didn't exist, BR franchises wouldn't be doing what they are doing. There is no easy answer to fix all this, but hopefully it can be figured out soon. Big shout-out to the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins in South Euclid, OH for being so cool and relatively easy to deal with on this one.

Good luck out there hunting for this one! It is available at Baskin Robbins stores now.

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