Posted in: Collectibles, Funko | Tagged: d23, disney, funko, mickey mouse

D23 Expo: We Talked to Funko's Founder Mike Becker & Pulled a Chase?!

Funko is easily one of the biggest collectible companies out there, and it seems like they are not slowing down. They are constantly dropping new collectibles from their infamous Pop line, Funko Sodas, and so much more. Bleeding Cool was able to attend D23 Expo this year and even had a chance to talk to the man behind Funko, Mike Becker! This man is a legend, and we could not miss the opportunity to check out Funko's booth and ask a couple of questions. There was a lot of love for Funko Soda this time and with new releases like the 3-Liter Sodas. I can see why. We even had the chance to open some Funko Soda with the man himself! Check out Mike Becker and all the D23 Expo Soda action below. Be on the lookout for that Chase too!

What was the specific gap in the market that you wanted to fill when you started creating Funko?

"I was junking. I was going to garage sales. I was going to the Goodwill's and the Salvation Army's, finding crazy stuff from tiki mugs to old PEZ dispensers. I really wanted to do something that I loved, which was based around junking and collecting, and it just turned out to be bobbleheads, and that's how I started.

"I always heard people always say, do what you love, and the money will follow or follow your heart. It really was a leap of faith, and I guess I'm living proof of that saying because it is pretty amazing. I still kind of don't really believe it sometimes, you know, how well it all kind of worked out, even the name, all that stuff. It's funny when you get your mind onto the right track of what you want to do, and you come from the heart; everything starts kind of falling in place. Opportunities start to just appear; It is really funny how they manifest once you've made the decision. I think that the hardest part is just making that decision because it's scary, right?"

"I pinch myself every day, and I bless our Funko family's hearts every day because without them, and I always hoped there'd be 500,000 like-minded people out there, and it turns out there's like 5 million."

When it comes to the design of all of these and moving beyond just the bobblehead aspect, was that kind of almost a leap of faith to move beyond the classic design to something like the sodas? Did you consider that to be kind of a leap of faith to move beyond something so classic, or was it just kind of a natural progression of the company?

"No, that's a great question. So I'm in love with the packaging, and I love design more than I do anything else. So with soda, it was really just taking something that we see every day, a name we see every day, and then we already had pops, so why not soda pop? Again, I think people are really attracted to the packaging aspect that, hey, that's funny that you put a character in a vessel that we see every day and even the name. And so, like, with pop and soda, those names are now becoming more synonymous with our stuff than it is pop or soda pop. So I love packaging.I can't say too much now because I always get in trouble of but look for more things that could possibly be built around packaging."

You just heard from the man himself, Mike Becker. Who would have thought it all started with Big Boy now look at where things have taken Funko to. Their Soda line is really starting to rise, and with its fun limited edition production runs and packaging, you can see why. Those 3-Liter ones are just incredible, and it looks like more of the bigger characters will be starting o sport those bigger bottles, and I love it. If you want to jump on into the Soda craze, you can do so right through the FunkoShop here. 

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