As a collector, you likely noticed there’s tv series missing funko pops. Or a tv series has a pop line and doesn’t have the character you want; instead, they have all the main characters. Do you have a favorite character or celebrity you wish had a funko pop?
It’s time to suggest a funko pop and let funko know there’s demand for that pop idea to be created.
Even in the funko pop community, there’s power in numbers, and when a lot of collectors request a specific character, funko does a great job of listening and accommodating.
However, no matter the number of suggestions out there, the feeling of joy in knowing that you like a particular character, suggested it, and was produced, is tremendously exciting for any collector.
Where’s the first place you’ll go to suggest a funko pop?
Funko’s official website has a dedicated page where you can suggest pop ideas for characters from many different franchises. Visit https://funko.com/suggest-a-product to make a submission of your pop idea and share it with others, as the more submissions, the higher the chance they’ll produce one.
Also, you can tweet @Funko on Twitter, and you may find some suggestions similar to the ones you also thought.
However, they use their suggestion-a-funko-pop form submissions via their website decision-making, so you’ll likely have higher chances of being heard by filling that out first.
Technology helps funko listens to our suggestions
It is becoming harder to credit the suggestion of an idea to one person, especially if the person did not take the opportunity to trademark or patent the idea before it goes out. Funko has lots of sales data on past pop releases and tools like pop price guide, showing them what’s worked and in demand.
Accessibility to platforms has made it easier for people to put out what they are thinking immediately; the thoughts come to their minds. For example, Twitter (@popandfigures) allows anyone to share their desired pops with like-minded collectors.
Perhaps you have also toyed with the idea in your head to suggest a funko pop character because you have fallen in love with this character, but you didn’t know how to go about it; well, we will tell you how to suggest a Funko Pop to be created.
What to Consider Before Suggesting A Funko
Before you suggest a funko pop for production, here are a few things you should consider:
- Is it what is in trend? : You aren’t the only one suggesting a funko pop. Many people like you would also like to see a character they like come alive, suggesting it. If the tv series or celebrity is relevant now, it may resonate with a broader audience, which increases the chance your suggested pop will happen.
- Are there many people who will buy it in the funko pop community? : As much as these companies are fan-based, they would also like to make profits. Therefore, you should find out in the community the number of people that want the same pop as you so that it will be manageable for the company to see it as a quick buy when produced.
After you must have considered all these, the next question should be:
How Do You Get Funko’s (Company) Attention?
- Use Social Media: Reddit is one tool that you can use to get the attention of Funko companies to get to do what you want. For example, ask a question about a character and get others to talk about it. You can also create a poll on Twitter and tag the companies to see other community members’ reactions and thoughts on the character you are suggesting.
- Put your ideas out there: yes, it is true that you want to get the attention of the funko pop, but you may also have an idea of what you want the character to look like in terms of design, color, and height. You can illustrate it or offer to make it available for the company. The illustrator, @reivoxrelic, is a collector and an illustrator who showcases his work on Twitter. You can follow his work to learn how to illustrate and get the funko pop companies’ attention.
- Point to a scene where your character is: aside just the character; some scenes make pop communities love a character. A scene could resonate with the community where they talk about the funko pop companies will not ignore.
What you shouldn’t Do To Get Funko’s Attention
It would help if you did not do things when looking to get a pop that you can not find anywhere.
- Do not request: when you are requesting, you are generally inquiring about the shop, what they have online and what is new. Instead, you should suggest. On the other hand, you suggest that you ask for a new line of pop that you need.
- Be deliberate: do not just suggest any pop; make sure that you have done the work. Work like getting the attention of the community or getting the attention of the funko company.
Are suggesting funko pops worth it?
Suggesting a pop is worth it since Funko, the company, uses this data, compiled with other sources of info, to determine what they should make for the future. Every funko pop convention exclusive or retail exclusive starts in a concept phase and is designed only after getting approval from their stakeholders. We, as collectors, can influence this decision by suggesting a pop we know a lot of others want.
Additionally, it has worked multiple times. Some of the funko pops released (designed and created) through suggestions include:
- Demon slayer funko pops: See concept art from @reivoxrelic
- Fire force funko pops: See concept art from @reivoxrelic
- Black Cover funko pops: See concept art from @reivoxrelic
While these aren’t the exact designs of the upcoming funko pops, the concept art done by Reivoxrelic helped get the funko community suggestion heard. Many artists have spread the word about new potential pop lines, and we’re grateful for them!
When suggesting funko pops is not working.
Typically, doing all these may not still get the funko pop company to do the pop you desire, no worries. Here is something else that you can do
- Contract custom pop artists: this is one of the sure ways to satisfy your desire if not met by the companies you suggest. Many freelancers are ready to do the pop that you need with your specification and illustration. Here are some of the best custom pop artists.
- Do it yourself: DIY works, and if you can learn the step-by-step process of doing a pop, perhaps you can make it a hobby alongside being a collector.
Here are five ways that you can make your pop:
- Choose the best body type for the character you want to create
- Select how you want the face to be
- Pick a hairstyle that best suit your pop
- Select the outfit for your character
- Find the best accessory that will be perfect for your character
Pros vs. cons (Create custom-made Funko pops Instead)
Just like anything that defies the norm, there are also advantages and disadvantages of custom-made pops. Some of the advantages are:
- You get to design the character you want
- A bragging right of having a rare and unique piece
- You become the envy of community members on social media and elsewhere
- You cannot have so much as custom made pieces are complex to reproduce
However, there are also disadvantages, and some of them are:
- It takes time to make custom pops, and you will wait a long time to get your pop
- You may not be able to resell as it may not have any value in the market
- Custom-made pops are very expensive, as the artists can charge you more than you would usually buy because you are getting a custom piece.
Suggesting a Pop is Easy; patience is hard.
We hope you have a better understanding of how to suggest a pop to funko and take advantage of the option to request new items. It may take a while for a request to get fulfilled. It’s also possible they will not pick your suggestion. However, it’s worth a try at the very least.
We love our pop community, and we want you to find all the answers you need about funko pops here. If you’ve found this interesting, you may also enjoy learning about the 10 Reasons Why Funko Pops are not a Waste of Money.
