Selling Funko!: A Subdued Preview Night With Funko At SDCC 2017

Thursday, July 20, 2017

A Subdued Preview Night With Funko At SDCC 2017

Funko had a rather subdued preview night compared to other years. I was fortunate enough to have a coveted booth ticket for Preview Night, and as soon as the floor opened I hustled down. When I got there, I expected to find chaos. But, what I got was an organized, easy experience. I have seen (and read) so many horror stories, but it may have been the easiest thing I have ever done a SDCC.

The wait was long, as people gobbled up everything they could as soon as they started taking orders. I chatted with people in line with me, including Daniel Wolf of The Daily Superhero about what Pops we wanted, what the future of Funko would be, how awesome the Avengers trailer last week was (even though I haven’t seen it). It was a genuinely nice time. As we got closer, things started disappearing. The Toy Tokyo exclusives were the first to go, followed by the Limited Run pieces. Nervously, I rocked on my feet, because the piles I had my eyes on were getting smaller and smaller.

Finally, I got up there, and was immediately greeted by a ginormous Gladiator Hulk Pop from Thor: Ragnarok. The thing was massive, and quite distracting as I handed them my shopping list. When you entered the line, they gave you a paper with each exclusive pictured, and a paper to order from. As soon as I handed to the woman behind the desk, I looked down and realized they were out of about 8 of the Pops I wanted. Humbled, I said to myself to just be thankful I could get any, and boy did I.

18 to be exact. None more important than the Leia and R2 pack you see here. I got a little misty seeing it in person, I miss having Carrie Fisher in the world. After talking to some employees a little. I was in my merry way with a giant bag full of goodness. So forget all the horror stories people, Funko has this down to a science now. Well, at least for Preview Night. Starting tomorrow: chaos reigns.