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. 

While perusing my local Hot Topic the other day, I was surprised to find some of their exclusive horror mystery Pops on their shelves. I know some people really hate the idea of blind box figures, but there is a fun in it I can’t deny. It’s like Christmas morning, not quite sure of what you’re going to get! I may have walked out empty handed but it really got me thinking about what a fun tradition it would be for Hot Topic to release a mystery horror line each October. While there are many original characters I would love, for the purpose of this list, I tried to stick with variants to characters they have already created.

5. Thomas “Leatherface” Hewitt (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)Blind Box LeatherfaceI have a confession: I enjoyed the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre much more than the original.  There I said it. I know that is blasphemy among genre fans, but the 2003 version just resonated with me far more. Every few years I come back to visit it again, and each time my appreciation grows. The atmosphere is so thick you would need a chainsaw to cut through it. I would love a Thomas Hewitt version of Leatherface, with his harsher stitching and more vicious appearance.

 

4. Super Freddy (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4) Blind Box Super FreddyYou could do an entire line of nothing but Freddy Krueger variants, but if I had to pick one I would chose Super Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Child. His black and white paint scheme would be very dynamic, and he would look cool alongside both the horror figures as well as the superheroes and villains.

 

3. Uber Jason (Jason X)Blind Box Uber-JasonWhere does a horror franchise go when it runs out of ideas? Why, outer space of course! Keeping with that tradition, we have Jason X, a movie that knows exactly what it is: mindless, rampaging fun. That scene where he beats one girl with a sleeping bag filled with her friend was worth the price of admission alone. The movie also gave us the Uber Jason, a futuristic killing machine that would make the Terminator second guess himself.

 

2. Trick or Treating Sam (Trick ‘r Treat)Blind Box Sam Despite my affinity for the genre, I can only get my wife to watch a horror film about once a year: at Halloween. This last year I shared with her one of my favorite October watches: Trick ‘r Treat.  The movie reminds me so much of shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps, made for adults. And who doesn’t love the mascot of Halloween himself, Sam. Now Funko already brought us Sam once, and unlike a lot of other characters on this list, his appearance doesn’t change drastically. Now I could have chosen his torn mask and pumpkin face as our variant, however for my money, I want a figure of little Sam standing there, holding open his big bag of horror for some Halloween candy.

 1. Carousel Betelgeuse (Beetlejuice)Blind Box BeetlejuiceBetelgeuse… Betelgeuse… Betelgeuse…

Now we have two versions of our beloved bio-exorcist, but how could you not want one featuring his twisted carousel headgear and curled arms? That would just be a wickedly fun and cool figure that would stand out of any collection.

So what do you all think? Do you like the blind boxes or are they the bane of a collector’s existence? Hit me back below with your comments.

 

By LB4

I’ve been an avid collector of Pop! Vinyls for a few years now. When not hunting down my latest find, I spend my extra time writing and filmmaking.

4 thoughts on “What We Want – Hot Topic Blind Boxes”
  1. I wouldn’t mind a ‘Devil’s Rejects’ version of Captain Spaulding, with most of the makeup removed and wearing the dirty normal clothes.
    Similarly, but off the topic of variants, I would love to complete the Firefly family with Otis and Baby pops. Maybe a variant of Otis in his red cassock with the skull makeup.

  2. I think you’re on to something but Halloween isn’t just about horror/gore/scary. Halloween is about mystery, ghost stories, legends/folklore, candy, the supernatural. Washington Irving comes to mind and Sleepy Hollow. The urban legend of razor blades in the candy 🍭. Witches, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves. The movie Monster Squad and the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown which Funko addressed this past Halloween. There is a great idea that involves Disney’s Lilo and Stitch where Lilo is a witch and Stitch is a vampire. Just a thought.

  3. I totally reject the idea of blind boxes. If my goal is to get one of everything, which it is, then why would I want to risk buying invariable multiples? When Hot Topic was doing the blind boxes for Fallout 4 Pops, I simply paid a premium to buy known quantities from Amazon sellers. I’ve even given up buying blind boxes for their Mystery Minis. I don’t want an adventure, I want a collection.

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