INTERVIEWER: What's up, y'all?
Welcome back to the live stream lounge.
I am very honored and very pleased to be
with the associate director of social media
for Funko, Ashley Anderson.
Ashley, welcome.
How are you doing today?
ASHLEY ANDERSON: Thank you so much.
This is amazing.
Thanks for inviting me. - Thank you.
Thank you for-- - I'm doing great.
We're all a little tired, though.
So it's par for the course.
Yes.
How is the convention been for you so far?
It has been crazy.
If you guys haven't seen our booth yet,
we have Funkoville is what we're calling it,
which is the funnest little city in the US of A.
That's our slogan.
So it's been crazy.
It's you walking through a huge crowd
every time you walk through our booth.
So Funko, if anyone-- anyone who knows collecting,
nerdom knows that Funko is probably one
of the best ways to celebrate your love
for any number of fandoms.
Yes.
So as the associate head of social media, interacting
with the fans, what is it like?
Because I know people are asking you all the time,
like, where is this Funko?
Where is this Funko? - Yeah.
So please tell us a bit about what, like, a day in your life
looks like. - Yes.
I love it.
It's really cool because we're big on fan engagement.
We want people to share their collection with us on social.
Like, it's such a community-based company
that, like, fans will help other fans out.
So if you're missing that Marvel figure
you needed, didn't get it, you missed out,
someone might gift it to you.
Like, that's the beauty of our community.
And just being able to engage with that
and help other fanatics out is so fun.
Nice.
Now, you've done some-- we were talking,
but you've done so many characters.
I've said, it's almost easier to ask what
characters have you not done?
Is there a character that, like, you love-- like,
a Marvel character you love that you're like,
oh, wait, when this Funko--
if we do this Funko, where is this Funko?
That's a hard question.
I mean, our fans will certainly call us out.
I call them very passionate.
But they will tell us, like, what we haven't made.
So it's like, we'll make a huge line
of spider-man or something.
And there's always some variant we haven't done yet.
So I think that's kind of the beauty of our company
that we can keep evolving.
I'm personally excited about-- we have Funko soda.
So this is a newer form factor for us.
It comes in a very cool collectible can.
One out of every six soda has a chase figure,
which is similar to what we would do with pop.
So the figure itself will be a little bit different.
So like Star Lord here, I think he
might have his Walkman or his helmet on or off in the chase.
I don't know which one.
But it's just a cool thing that you can collect.
And it's all blind.
So you don't know if you're going to get the chase or not.
And the packaging is so great.
Like, I almost-- I just want to have this on my shelf
and not drink it.
- Yes. - It looks delicious.
It's not real soda.
We do get-- we do get that question.
It looks delicious, though.
I would drink some Star Lord cola.
Why not?
I see that spider-man 2099 over there.
Yes, that's been a big one.
We have Silk, Moon Knight.
And then from Doctor Strange, I think
there's way more characters we could
do from that line, of course.
Different multiverse and different--
like, we need a Doctor Paint Doctor Strange.
Listen, how--
There's the figure I want.
We'll make it happen.
And speaking of really cool things
that you have here, if I may--
Do it.
So anyone who has watched Marvel Studios Loki on Disney
plus is going to know this.
This is the incredible Miss Minutes.
This is maybe one of the coolest things
I have ever seen at a comic convention in my life.
Please tell us the story about how this came to be real.
I mean, when we first started releasing the Loki figures,
we had what we call a pop-in buddy.
So Miss Minutes came as a buddy.
And I was like, we have to make her at some point on her own.
She's such, like, an outstanding character.
She has so much personality.
We have to make her on her own.
So I actually didn't know we were going
to make it in a pop jumbo.
I thought it would be like a normal sized pop.
But I was super excited when we announced that.
She actually glows in the dark as well.
So definitely get your photos out
and make her glow in the dark and all that good stuff.
So this is probably my favorite figure
that we have at the convention.
Nice.
And so one of the things that I really love about Funko
and Funkoville is just the real sense of community and the idea
that people like trading Funkos and stuff like that.
So what has it been like to watch, over the years,
Funko grow into this really iconic
brand when it comes to celebrating
these Marvel characters.
I mean, it's been amazing.
Like, my first-- one of my first conventions-- like, I've been
with Funko almost seven years--
was in 2017.
And we had like 20, 25 booth workers.
We don't even know how many people are working that booth.
I think it's probably close to 100.
And then just different partners coming in.
And, like, we actually have fanatics
that help us in the booth.
So that's a really cool aspect of our company that we
recognize those people that are in the community,
engaging with others in that stuff.
So it's been a ride, I will say.
And it's going to continue.
Now, I have to ask you, how many Funkos do you have?
Oh I don't have a number.
I'm kind of selective with what Funko I get.
It has to be kind of meaningful to me.
I'm also like a sneaker-head.
So like I have limited space.
So it's like-- it has to be really meaningful for me
like Freddy Funko, I will always get.
He's our mascot and that's, like, so cool.
And I'll always remember that kind of thing.
But I don't know how many Funkos I have.
Probably, maybe a couple hundred here and there.
And they're kind of all over the place.
But you can download our app and track your collection so you'll
know how many you have.
You can scan them all in.
An easy is the way to do it.
Well, Ashley, thank you so much for joining us.
Please-- if you haven't been, please go to Funkoville
here at the convention floor.
It is the coolest-- it is the coolest spot
in all the US of A. - Yes.
It really is.
And please stay tuned for more here at the Marvel booth,
coming to you from San Diego Comic-Con 2022.