Funko Friday: Why do we collect Funko Pop figurines?

Welcome to Funko Friday! I decided to change the banner and explore why we collect Funko Pop figurines. New year, new banner, a new approach to this adorable section of the blog. Why do we collect Funko Pop figurines? One natural question would be just stating that Pops are too cute to resist. But, that would be misleading. Some people collect Pops, others collect other types of figurines, other people collect Tarot decks and others stamps. So, the question should be: why do we collect stuff?

From ancient times we know that we’ve been hooked on collecting what seemed to be useless junk. Ancient people were buried with their belongings: jewellery, swords, pottery, dead slaves (creepy, I know) and figurines! Striking but true, we’ve been collecting figurines since times immemorial. We started collecting “Gods,” and now we’re collecting Pops. Have we fallen from grace?

People used to bury themselves with their riches. The more stuff you had around, the wealthier you were. Most of the show-off was related to the afterlife and what we would do when we’d be there. However, as time has passed, our tastes for showing off have shifted. We are not so worried about showing off and arriving to the next life with all our stuff; we’re now more concerned in showing off to our peers in materialistic and intellectual ways. Whatever happens when we hit the next stage of the game, remains a mystery.

One of the reasons we might be so hooked in collecting figurines is showing off. The knowledge we have on each of the figurines, their background and what surrounds them is also part of our collection. Said in other words: we show off through figurines and the knowledge we have about them.

Some people don’t collect figurines, but knowledge in certain topics. However, those who collect figurines tend also to take the time to relate to those figurines. They might put them in special places in their homes. Some will choose their rooms or their basements and create “shrines” dedicated to them and the knowledge they have about them. Others might put them around the house as decoration: in front of books, by topics, etc.

The act of collecting might feel good. In some instances can become an addiction. But for the most part, it seems to be a very human thing to do. So, when someone approaches you and say that your Pop addiction is creepy, remember: people tend to collect all types of objects and try to show off somehow.

Ancients collected God figurines and slaves, and they brought both to their graves. Kids collect cards and parents stamps. What we all have in common is something hidden in our ways of collecting: knowledge.

So, what are we actually displaying: the figurines or how much we know about a certain topic? Also, think about the type of stuff we collect and what statuses in society they represent. It looks like we haven’t changed much after all. Well, we don’t bury fellow humans with us. So, we’ve improved a bit.