Bobbing for memories
By Tina Benitez -- Playthings, 10/1/2006
Bobble heads came to the forefront back in 1998 with the original Wacky Wobblers. Eight years later, Funko is still going strong as the largest manufacturer of entertainment bobble head toys. Today's assortment includes a line of banks, air fresheners, candy bobblers, and even bobble heads with sound for some vintage animated figures.
Brian Mariotti, owner of the Bothell, Wash.-based manufacturer tells Playthings that most of the characters they choose are retro, thus they have a lot of adult fans.
“It's appealing to adults as far as bringing back icons, favorite cartoon characters from childhood. It appeals to childhood memories, cartoon characters that they grew up with. Simple fun, simple times. It's really high-quality, retro fun,” Mariotti says.
This holiday season Funko is launching new Family Guy, Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera figures. Mariotti says the company is experimenting with different sizes, like the 12-inch talking banks; a popular design is Stewie from Family Guy. New licenses for next year include cartoon icons Woody Woodpecker and Chilly Willy. Also due for debut in 2007 are larger scale, 24-inch Marvin the Martian and Scooby-Doo bobble head banks, plus more Underdog toys.
