My Top Ten Funko Pops!

Funko Pops. Everybody loves them. They are cool, collectible little toys that are based on the likenesses of your favorite movie, television, comic book, video game, and cartoon characters.  Well, at least that is where it starts, anyway. The list of Funko Pops are endless to the point of a series that features sports and cereal mascots. I can’t think of a single series of toys that has been as all encompassing as what Funko has pulled off with their Pop Series. There are literally thousands of characters to choose, from hundreds of different fandoms.  People have taken notice of them, too. They collect them, whether it be an incredibly varied collection of all different sorts, or a focused collection on something such as Disney characters. 

Personally, I couldn’t just stop at one type of Funko Pop, and have a pretty varied collection. In this article, I am counting down my Top Ten Funko Pops. Now, I’m not talking about all of the Pops that are out there, just the ones I happily have in my own collection, which has about seventy or so and growing (always growing). So, what’s the point of this list?  No real point, just wanted to make a list and this was as good a subject as any, so why don’t we just jump right into it?

10) Chernabog: 

There is something that is just awesome about the giant demon that looms large over Bald Mountain, reigning down death and destruction everywhere. Even more amazing is the fact that he’s a Disney character, perhaps the most badass of all Disney characters. The fact that a Funko Pop of the demon from Fantasia (of all things) exists is almost enough to put him on the list. The pop itself is a little bigger than usual, without being 6” in size, and looks sleek and fierce at the same time. His bigger head, permascowl and wings only add to his greatness.

9) Jack Burton:

 If you don't like Big Trouble in Little China then either A) you haven't seen it or B) you’re probably in the vast majority that just didn't get it. If you did see it and did get it, however, then odds are you're a fan of Kurt Russell's Jack Burton, who is recreated beautifully here in this amazing Funko Pop, right down to his awesome shirt, moccasins and mullet combo. It's a Pop that truly captures the essence of the character and the actor that played him.

8) Andre The Giant: 

Andre The Giant was a beloved wrestling icon who crossed over to pop culture in a big way (no pun intended) and this Pop shows off his larger than life presence beautifully. Andre, like Chernabog, is a bigger Pop without being from the 6" line, which is partly accomplished by his huge head. The best part though, is that this pop captures Andre’s personality better than any action figure or toy that I have ever seen of him. It's a thing of beauty.

7) The Creature from The Black Lagoon: 

Every figure from The Universal Monsters line is amazing, but when it comes to appearance, it's hard to beat out the coolest looking one of them all, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Funko once again managed to capture everything that makes the design of this monster so iconic, from the fish face, to the webbed hands and feet, to the scales. This guy has a huge amount of love and care put into his design, and it shows.

6) Batman '66:

 There are plenty of Batman Pops out there, so you can kind of figure there would be at least one showing up on this list and here it is, Batman '66. Why did I pick this one? Well, unlike so many of the other Batman Pops out there, this one isn't as serious, and it has the classic retro Adam West look. Much like the Batman it was based on, this one doesn't take itself too seriously, and c'mon, can this Batman's cowl ever be matched?

5) Slimer:

Who you gonna call? Well, when it comes to the best Pops, you’re skipping right past The Ghostbusters themselves, and right onto Slimer.  Just look at this guy!  On screen he is about as disgusting looking a character as you can get, so it’s no real surprise he looks to be based more on his appearance from The Real Ghostbusters Cartoon than the movie. Regardless, they still took an ugly as hell character and made him look cuter then he ever had any right to be, and on top of that he’s flying. I think Slimer is the first Pop to do so, and Funko pulled it off by having him floating there with his slime trail connecting him to the floor. And that slime trail? Translucent! It’s just a thing of beauty!

4) Jason Voorhees: 

When I first started collecting Pops I knew I would have a lot of horror pops, and Jason was one of the first ones I wanted, but could never find. He was purchased for me as a Christmas gift after I had lost hope of ever getting him, while others like Freddy, Michael Myers, Leatherface and a bunch more were available. That extra bit of want puts him higher on the list for me, not to mention that Friday The 13th was my go-to horror series when I was younger. Jason also expertly conveys Funko’s abilities to take an incredibly evil character and make him look like a nice guy, despite the blood stained machete he holds.

3) Robocop: 

One of the greatest action characters of all time is Robocop, that's all there is to it. He's also one of the coolest looking cyborgs ever, with an iconic look which this Pop perfectly captures. His head is a thing of beauty, and every nut and bolt is accounted for here, including the little shock things in his feet which gives me no shortage of enjoyment. Basically this Pop is just damn cool looking, even if you know nothing about Robocop himself. I mean, just look at that gun!

2) Alien: 

The Xenomorph from Alien is a scary, slimy, gross, vile looking son of a bitch, but somehow Funko takes all that menace and still manages to make an enduring looking little guy that the whole family can, but shouldn't, enjoy. It is perhaps their greatest example of taking something horrific and taming it, all while staying true to its original H.R. Geiger design. Also, much like Jason, this was a Christmas gift of a Pop I had long wanted, but thought would always elude me.

1) Skeletor: 

Yes, Skeletor and he's number one on my list for a few reasons. First off look at him, he's a thing of beauty. Second, much like so many other Pops on this list, he is a very faithful recreation of the source material. Third, he was my first…and you never forget your first. After seeing this guy and purchasing him as an impulse buy, I thought that was it, really. Pops were not something I was all that interested in at first, but as I brought him home and put him on the shelf, I thought that it just wasn't right that he was so isolated, and thus purchased his arch enemy, He-Man, the next day. Then I purchased the set of Rocky Pops, followed by Robocop and well, that's pretty much all she wrote! After a while, I started thinking about and planning my Pop purchases ahead of time, and since then have constantly been looking to see which Pops would come out next. And it's all Skeletor’s fault, that magnificent bastard!