Hey guys! Frank Foresta here. You may recognize my name from my Pop Countdown articles, at least I hope you do lol. I’m bringing you a weekly column about Funko’s newest hot commodity: dorbz! Please follow me on my social media channels below to suggest ideas and be eligible for giveaways:
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I thought the perfect way to begin this new column would be to discuss what Funko wants for the line, how dorbz were conceptualized and what differentiates dorbz from Funko’s other great products!
This past week, Funko’s CEO Brian Mariotti took to the Original Funko youtube account to talk specifically about dorbz. He seems to be really excited about the line’s potential as well as by the upcoming licenses that Funko has secured for the line (no, unfortunately no spoilers!). He mentioned that we will be seeing new Sci-Fi licenses, Video Game licenses, more television show licenses, and more movie licenses too.
It is worth mentioning that he specifically named Marvel and DC movies, but also said Star Wars movies. This set the Funko community ablaze all over Facebook, the Funko Funatic forums, and Twitter. It was later clarified by Yoko and Cameron, two of Funko’s marketing representatives, on Periscope that though Brian said that, Star Wars dorbz are not definitely coming. They detailed that Brian is very excited by the prospect of Star Wars coming into the dorbz galaxy, and that they are trying to secure the license for them, but that information will come at a later time. Everyone at Funko is hoping to see these become a reality, but it is not set in stone.
When eccentrically speaking about dorbz, Mariotti went into the conceptualization of dorbz and where the company drew their inspiration for these cute new creations. He said that the company merged the “simplistic form” of the Fisher Price little people toy line with the “super cute style” of Japanese-influenced kawaii products. He also called the line a “really fun different way of looking at some of our favorite characters in a different design style.” I definitely agree with his characterization of the line, so I think Funko had a clear vision of what they wanted dorbz to be and saw it through to the end.
Brian finished the short video discussing a couple of ways that dorbz differs from other Funko products. He mentioned that he enjoys that dorbz are smaller because it will allow people who have concerns about the size of their collections to display a large amount in a small area. He also said, “there’s a lot more detail that can be packed into such a little figure by using pad prints versus spray molds like we do with Pops.” My favorite thing that he touched upon is the uniformity in design between dorbz. Yes, they are all different and feature different things like wings, capes, hats, objects, etc. Still, at the same time, beside each other on a shelf, the body shape of the dorbz makes the collection look consistant and really cool. I certainly agree with that sentiment.
The fact that the CEO of a busy company like Funko makes videos for fans like this, posts on the Funko Funatic forums, and connects with the consumers so much is very unique – just like their products. It’s details like this that give Funko it’s staying power – and the fact that their products draw on properties that we already love, often with a sense of nostalgia. I whole heartedly believe that Funko’s vision for their product lines is very fine-tuned and executed well. I cannot wait to see what dorbz Brian and the rest of the Funko team are working to put out for us!
What do you think of dorbz? What do you think of Brian’s own thoughts on the line? Sound off below!!!
Matt Norris