Welcome to Flashback Friday where I discuss pops from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anything pop related to the MCU is up for discussion including films and television series. Let’s jump right in with this week’s discussion which was chosen by me. This will be a triple header of sorts with three pops. Groot makes his welcome return the series with three variations of his pops from the Guardians of the Galaxy set.
Discussion: Groot was first introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy. I remember when Guardians was announced on Marvel’s upcoming film slate. A lot of people thought it was going to be the studio’s first misstep. Well, here we are several years and not only was Guardians of the Galaxy a huge hit with film critics and audiences alike but it’s also spawned a successful sequel. The Guardians are household names now and Groot and Rocket are mega popular with kids. In fact, the Guardians of the Galaxy is so popular that Disneyland California Adventure closed its popular Tower of Terror theme park ride and redesigned and re-themed it Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. I enjoyed Tower of Terror but Mission Breakout is so much fun. They’ve injected so much energy and fun into the entire experience.
Because Groot and Rocket became so popular from the film release parents were flocking to stores to get their kids the newest Groot and Rocket merchandise. This came as no surprise to Funko when they released the Guardians of the Galaxy set. If you list out the entire set including all of the exclusives and variations you can easily see that Groot and Rocket have the most pops by a wide margin. Groot has nine variations in the set while Rocket has five. Putting that into perspective, the next ones are Star-Lord and Thanos with two apiece. As you can see, when it comes to Groot he’s a cash machine. It becomes even more apparent when you look at Groot in the second set which will be featured in 2018.
For those of you who enjoy Groot and already have some or all of these pops or for those who are interested in adding them to your collection here’s what you need to know. Normal Groot sells for right around retail price. $10.00 – $12.00 is what you should expect. The mossy one and the glow in the dark one are sitting near $20.00 each. You’ll want to be looking at eBay and Amazon for these pops. The Loot Crate exclusive tends to be the most expensive out of the three which makes sense because it’s the only exclusive. If you’re interested in becoming a part of the Funko community and want to connect with other fans and collectors you should definitely check out our Facebook group where you can also buy, sell, and trade.
Trivia: Welcome to our weekly trivia where you have a chance of choosing the pop for the next column. Be the first to comment with the correct answers to both questions and win. If you become the weekly champion you must choose a pop within the MCU that has not been featured in the Flashback Friday series. This week’s questions will come from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Q1: How much money did Guardians of the Galaxy gross at the worldwide box office?
Q2: Did Guardians of the Galaxy make more or less money than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at the domestic box office (North America)?
I hope you enjoyed this week’s column. Please check back next week for a brand new Flashback Friday. Happy holidays and Excelsior!!
Matt Norris