Pop culture. Games. Fandom.
Sounds like a Funko event all right.
But the Everett toys and collectibles maker will have a few surprises for fans this weekend at Funko Funfest Live at the Historic Everett Theatre.
Funkast — the name of Funko’s weekly podcast and the nickname for the Funko team that records it — will give away hard-to-find items, talk pop culture, play games with fans and interview toy creators while recording its 100th podcast at 5 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Everett theater.
A new Pop! character might even be revealed at the event. Maybe.
Funko Funfest is an opportunity to celebrate Funkast’s podcasting milestone with hardcore fans — who call themselves Funatics — and for the toy maker to say thank you for their fandom, said Chris Sully, one of the five members of Funkcast.
“That’s a big part of the Funko culture,” Sully said. “Anytime there’s a chance to meet up, it feels like a family reunion for fans.”
Funko is known worldwide for transforming pop culture characters — such as Spider-Man, Han Solo and Batman — into cute cartoon figures. Even Pennywise, the villainous clown from the 2017 film “It,” looks adorable when turned into a Pop! character.
The company’s products — there are dozens of different toy lines — have created their own culture. Some collectors are known to own thousands of items, be they vinyl figurines, stuffed animals or keychains.
“It’s a chance to recapture your youth,” Sully said. “The fans want to show off their fandomness and the things they’re passionate about.”
Funatics often flock to local and national Funko events. Thousands of people, even celebrities, gathered in Everett for a block party when Funko opened its flagship toy store on Wetmore Avenue in 2017.
The company also runs a fan-oriented extravaganza each July in San Diego called Funko Fundays — referred to as the Woodstock for pop culture geeks. The event is so popular that it typically sells out in seconds.
One of the Funatics at this weekend’s Funfest will be Michael Andres, 29, of Shoreline. He considers himself a casual collector — he has about 400 figures from Funko’s Pop! line. His favorites? The characters from the Disney, Marvel and DC universes.
Andres has been a loyal listerner of the Funkast podcast for more than a year. He likes to keep up with Funko’s happenings and the latest in pop culture.
“This is a great way for them to meet with fans and talk about all of the Funko lines,” Andres said of the 100th live podcast event.
Funkast launched in December 2016 as a way to connect with fans, talk about pop culture and promote the company’s newest and geekiest creations. For example, a recent podcast has the team talking about the surprise hit Netflix movie, “Bird Box.”
In many of the podcasts, they interview collectors and Funko employees in charge of designing new collectibles.
The Funkast team — made up of Sully, Hilary Gray, Dima Levanchuk, Ashley Anderson and Cameron Deuel — are all just as crazy about Funko’s products as the Funatics.
They’re essentially fans, too, Sully says, which is why it’s so easy to talk all things Funko with fellow fans.
Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.
If you go
Funko Funfest Live is at 5 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave., Everett. Tickets are $25. The fan-oriented event will include giveaways of rare toys and collectibles, interviews with Funko creators and pop culture trivia. Call 425-258-6766 or go to www.historiceveretttheatre.org for more.
The story has been modified to correct the spelling of the name of Cameron Deuel, a member of Funkast. The error was due to incorrect information provided by Funko.
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