Random Funkos: Ni No Kuni Trio

My name is Jean-Paul and I have way too many Funko Pops. While hardcore "collectors" will argue that one can never have too many of any given collectible, I am confident that I indeed do. Just ask my wife. But that self-knowledge has yet to stop me from picking up random plastic figures that I come across.

A personal "first": individual plastic baggie 

around Tani's ponytail possibly to deter 

rubbing against the "buddy" while shipping?

For example, the trio of Ni No Kuni: Revenant Kingdom Funko Pops I recently acquired via post-holiday discount table at my local gaming shop. While visiting the store with my brother, who lives out of country, I came across these three anime characters with whom I had zero prior knowledge of them or the fantasy world from which they came. I simply liked their design, so I took them home on a lark, a decision that was aided by my brother kindly "donating" a portion of the gift certificate for the store my wife and I had gifted him the previous day to the cause. The reduced pricing, roughly 60% off retail, only increased the appeal of an impulse buy...

The initial aesthetic appeal of Tani, Evan and Roland was based solely on the Miyazaki vibe they elicited. In fact, it occurred to me that Tani might be the closest we get to a Princess Mononoke figure given the war paint and animal skin attire. A quick check of Wikipedia confirmed that I wasn't that far off.

Apparently, Ni No Kuni is a series of role-playing games set in a fantasy realm with characters that employ magical abilities during gameplay. The smaller characters that came with each Pop, dubbed “Higgedlies” on the packaging, are familiars that can be tamed for suitability during battle. The animated sequences and artwork for the games were both inspired by Studio Ghibli's other productions. Not surprisingly, "[T]he character development was intended to make children empathize with the characters and for adults to relive their adolescence." It is probably too late in a post about toys to be embarrassed about that fact that I first saw Princess Mononoke in theaters during its initial U.S. when I was in my late twenties.

In all likelihood I will never have the opportunity to experience the rpgs and videogames that spawned these beautifully designed characters, I will continue to appreciate both their Funko Pop translations as these three take their places on my rotating wall of figures.

Funko POP Goes My 2016

Believe it or not, this collection is small as compared to those of

Funko POP super fans. (12/30/16)

For better or worse, 2016 was the year I further expanded my collecting interests. While I have periodically purchased action figures (dolls!?) in the past, mostly unique or unusual characters, such as Batman's Native American counterpart Man-of-Bats, Lord of the Rings Ent Treebeard and the 2003 Hulk movie's David Banner/Absorbing Man amalgam, I have until 2016 avoided falling into the seductive trap laid by figure lines. My resolve was weakened this past year, as I responded to the siren song of Funko POPs.

If the allure of Funko POPs lies in the diversity of the line, it's strength is in the power of the memories they are capable of evoking. As I am in the collectables sweet spot (40+ years old, male, some expendable income, a fanboy), there are in incredible number of relatable characters. Whether reflecting childhood movie favorites (Flash Gordon), recent superhero comicbook interests (Ms. Marvel, Batgirl), cultural icons (Ghostbusters' Patty Tolan, Mel Gibson as Braveheart), or even literary mainstays (Cthulhu from the stories of H. P. Lovecraft), Funko POPs addresses itches that can be stretched. Like comicbooks and baseball cards, the acquisition of many come with an anecdote.

My first Funko POP Holy Grail: I travelled to multiple Walgreens over the course of

weeks to find this exclusive Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan is one of the more interesting

comicbook heroes to be introduced in years. Was very excited to come across it in

an urban store I stopped at on a lark. 

A favorite character from a favorite movie, Vultan, played by Brian Blessed,

from Flash Gordon (1980). I was 11 when my brother and I went to see this in

theaters. Purchased this on annual excursions to Nee York City to visit my stepson

at college. It kind of became thing to find a unique Funko POP on each visit. 

The first real collectible based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos that I wanted was

also the first that I asked my local comic shop to find for me. Though unplanned, it

was also the first "Exclusive". Wish there were more POPs based on "Books" though.

A few months ago, I posted a picture of my POPs on Instagram. A former student wondered

in the comments, "Where are the female POPs?" She was right, at that point I had bought

only characters that were male. Ghostbusters (2016) was a movie I never expected to

like, but I was won over by the performances of the four leads, especially Leslie Jones'

portrayal as Patty Tolan. Jones' own cultural relevance has only continued to grow since.

A gift from my son this past Christmas following last Christmas' Howard the Duck.

Jack and I attended a local Sanders rally in June 2016 when the campaign

ball really began rolling, and I was excited to see his interest in politics develop.

Hawkgirl was an unusual impulse purchase from Barnes & Noble, which by the

way is an excellent source of POPs! I've never seen an episode of DC's Legends

of Tomorrow television show, I do, however, love recent depictions of the

Kendra Saunders Hawkgirl character in DC Comic books over the past ten years.

Also a New York Comic Con Exclusive, an event I have yet to attend but hope to... someday.

Funko POPs tell stories. These 6" figures (and bobbleheads) that prompt me to reflect on semi-important moments in my life as a fanboy and person. To my wife and others who have not embraced the collector's life, it is difficult to explain that these $10 "dolls" are worthy parts of my fandom. As someone who's been doing "this" for 30 years, long before "geek culture" became hip, I dig what Funko is doing with this line and look forward to continue supporting it.

Doll Collector: Eowyn with Sword Slashing Action

Finding an action figure worthy of a spot on my desk is often a matter of six degrees of separation. Take "Eowyn with Sword Slashing Action" from the LotR: The Two Towers (2002), produced by Marvel-Toy Biz, for example.

Like many fans of quality television, I was looking very forward to the start of the third season of Vikings on the History Channel when it premiered recently. Beyond the superb cinematography and detailed costumes, it is the characterization of the main players that continues to draw me to the show. One of the show's primary protagonists is Lagertha, played spectacularly by Katheryn Winnick. The character, in addition to eventually reaching the unusual status of jarl (for a woman of the time), is also a well-respected shield maiden. "Shield-maiden" is apparently code for bad-a** female who can maim and lead as well as (or better) than the men with whom she fights.

Though the key action scene against the
Witch-King comes in the third movie, I wish
 the packaging for this figure from the
second had alluded more explicitly to
Eowyn's status as "The Shield-Maiden of
Rohan".

Which circuitously brings me to Eowin from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Just as Lagertha provides a decidedly deadly feminine touch to the Nordic proceedings on the History Channel's Vikings, Eowyn, played by Miranda Otto, has one of the best "kills" in the entire film trilogy. Described throughout as "The Shield Maiden of Rohan," as part of the Lord of the Rings franchise, there are a few collectible action figure versions of Eowyn available, some more reasonably priced than others.

Just as when I bought the "Balrog Battle Gandalf" a few months ago, my purchase of "Eowyn with Sword Slashing Action" was something of an impulse purchase. Though this may be heresy to hardcore Middle Earth fans, while a fan of both Tolkien's books, and Peter Jackson's films, (for different reasons), it was the presence of the Eowyn shield-maiden figure in light of my appreciation of Lagertha of Vikings that prompted my purchase. In many ways, the purchase of Eowyn, a personal favorite of the film trilogy--the second two movies in which she appears, anyway--is a surrogate figure for the Laegertha figure that may never get made (or become available for the very reasonable price of ten bones.)

As both characters are emblematic of highly desirable character traits for both men and women, for now, the single "Eowyn with Sword Slashing Action" figure can stand guard of my desk in the symbolic spirit of both strong-willed and deadly characters. And so the quest for the "Eowyn in Armor" figure from 2003's Return of the King (as seen in that key-kill clip from the third film) collection begins...

Doll Collector: Balrog Battle Gandalf

Encased in packaging, Gandalf's survival in the battle with Balrog was assured.

My stepson enjoys collecting Transformers figures and his quest to find rarities takes him to many small stores both in New York City (where he attends college) as well as here in River City. The majority of these businesses have storefronts that give off the vibe of being "junk stores" with old posters and boxes covering the windows. Inside one is likely to find unopened, packaged figures piled up in corners and bins with dissembled parts of discounted toy lines.

Gandalf at rest and "the cat
stays in the picture!"

While to many these establishments can rightly be deemed junk shops, to fanboys and collectors they reek of the opportunity to locate that forgotten childhood figure or the final rare piece of a nascent collection. I, too, have been known to purchase the occasional figure, though my own collecting appetites tend toward comic books. Recently, however, while investigating one local store with my stepson (which from the outside, appeared to most certainly be a disguised drug house) I came across a figure of which I had not previously been aware, but was immediately smitten with, the Lord of the Rings Two Towers Balrog Battle Gandalf Action Figure with Electronic Sound Base. Ironically, the most recent "doll" purchase I made prior to this was also of an LotR character, Treebeard.

A fan of Middle Earth collectibles (more of an "appreciator of," really as I don't own much), I am always on the look out for interesting related items. It is just extremely difficult to casually come across them with any degree of ease. I have found myself disappointed by the lack of movie collectibles at regular stores such as Target with the success of Peter Jackson's adaptations; the ready availability (or lack thereof) of certain movie and comic book tie-ins is an odd thing. Some collectibles seem destined to never seen for sale in traditional stores while others (mostly kid-friendly Marvel and DC figures) flood the shelves, rarely ever diminishing in availability. (I know most things can eventually be had online, but it's not really the same thing as casually perusing through a variety of items in a store.)

Thanks to my stepson forcing me to take that detour to the previously unexplored junk shop in question, my Middle Earth thirst was briefly quenched by the purchase of the Talking Balrog Battle Gandalf Action Figure. The figure itself stands 6" in height, while the base has a button which, when pressed, declares "You shall not pass!" as in the film clip below.


As I've written in previous posts, I don't collect things as investments. While there are those who seek products and books (and just about anything) with a speculative eye toward potential resale value, my approach is much more self-serving. I buy what brings me an increment of joy. The advice to my stepson when he began collecting things (moving from Pokemon when younger to Bionicles and, eventually, Transformers), what to buy those things which brought him enjoyment. Though my own happiness is only marginally increased by periodically pressing Gandalf's base (which almost always makes me envision its use with underperforming students), coming across these odd trinkets hidden in remote boxes of smalls side street stores is a small pleasure in itself.