I have found that one of the coolest aspects about collecting Funko’s Pop! Vinyls is how to diverse the line can be. Your favorite characters from television, movies, and comics are interchangeable with a beloved musician, wrestler, or even an advertising icon. Everyone has their own wish list of figures they’d love to see, and with the ever-expanding waves of exclusives, chases, and even the Specialty Series, I don’t think anything is too much to hope for now.
In case you couldn’t tell by some of my earlier articles, I am a movie guy, and one of my favorite films has to be John Carpenter’s The Thing (and judging by how many comments I’ve gotten mentioning the movie, I’m sure it’s high on many of your lists too). And why shouldn’t it be? The movie oozes with nail-biting suspense and paranoia, the acting is top notch, and the special effects hold up over thirty years later. Though I am loathe to do so, I am attaching a SPOILER warning to this article (and if you really haven’t seen it, I suggest you stop reading immediately, turn out the lights and give the movie a watch). Done? Wasn’t it great? You’re welcome. Now moving on…
6. Childs
One of the few characters who survive (and I use the term loosely and questioningly), Childs is played to perfection by the great Keith David in one of his first big roles. Is he a thing? Isn’t he? There’s a dozen theories that go either way (but I would like to point out that Palmer was his roommate). Either way, I want a Pop. Give the man a parka and a flamethrower.
5. R.J. Macready
Who doesn’t want this Pop? One of Kurt Russell’s best characters in a lifetime of awesome roles (and the third such character to grace one of my other lists), MacReady is our reluctant hero. It’s hard to decide which version I want more: MacReady rocking the parka, flamethrower and dynamite or him with the erupting blood test in hand. You know what, I want both. And as a special request, it would be awesome to have a MacReady and Childs 2-Pack, both frosted with snow with a bottle to share.
4. Bennings-Thing
Probably one of the least interesting of my choices, because the transformation is not as extreme as others, but that is part of the point. Just imagine the Bennings-Thing kneeling in its package, hands gruesomely unrecognizable, mouth open. You can almost hear its otherworldly scream. Simple yet effective.
3. Norris-Thing
Poor Norris. That is the worst case of indigestion I’ve ever seen. I think it’d make sense to have a normal-looking Norris Pop with his shirt tore open and a gapping mouth where his stomach should be. It would be far easier to capture that in the simple style of the Pop line than an erupting pillar of guts and limbs.
2. Dog-Thing
Much like the Norris-Thing, I think simple is better. Just give us an Alaskan malamute sitting there, looking cute, with tentacles erupting from its back. I think it’d be almost impossible to capture the Dog-Thing in all its gruesome glory, and besides, how many stores would even carry it on their shelves?
1. Headspider
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Next to MacReady himself, this has to be the most iconic character to select from the movie. With the oversized Pop head, it would look almost cute, eyestalks and all. I need this. Hear me Funko: make this happen. There’s about a thousand researchers in Antarctica that would buy one too.
What do you all think? Think I’m wrong and we need to go more gruesome with these? Or are there any characters I’ve missed throwing some love at? As always, I’d love to know what you think.
Matt Norris