The beauty of the world of NFT trading cards is that there is little to nothing that can’t be turned into one. Non-fungible tokens are such that as long as you can create a digital image of something then it can become an NFT, so that obviously fits well when it comes to something like a Funko, which have been in existence since 1998. They are already larger than life characters, so fit perfectly into the world of NFT trading cards. There is even an official platform through which such things are traded, all done in an easy-to-use and secure manner to keep things simple.
As you might imagine, there is a tie-in between the digital Funko Pops and their physical alternatives, which makes getting hold of the NFT playing cards crucial for those that like to complete their collections. The real-life figures are uniquely styled, so it makes sense for their digital brethren to be similar in look and form. If you’re looking to update your collection then you can transfer them to other users courtesy of the aforementioned official platform. The good news is that the right to collecting any associated physical Funko Pop will also transfer with the Pop in question.
What Is a Funko?
In 1998, Mike Becker and Claudia Becker founded Funko, which was conceived as being a low-tech toy with a nostalgic theme. Mike Becker had wanted an affordable coin bank that looked like the Big Boy Restaurants mascot, but couldn’t find one so instead bought the rights to make his own. The company remained in business even after the coin banks failed to sell and bought the rights to make bobbleheads of Austin Powers. They sold 80,000 units, going on to create toys of characters, such as Tony the Tiger, the Grinch and Honeybee, the mascot of Cheerios.
In the years that followed, the company went on to produced thousands of products, moving from the Wacky Wobblers through to the Funko Pop! Vinyl line. The former is a line of bobblehead toys depicting numerous pop culture characters, whilst the latter is styled after the Japanese chibi line. The characters all tend to have large heads that are squishy with big black eyes and sit atop disproportionately small bodies. There have been licences granted to produce Funkos for the likes of Star Wars, Harry Potter and the world of Marvel, amongst many others.
The NFTs
In August 2021, Funko made the decision to launch a line of digital collectibles, allowing people to buy Funko NFT packs online. The first range launched was of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with new NFTs launched every fortnight since. The Funko Digital Pop!s are sold in digital packs, which, once opened, provide the buyer with a random Digital Pop!. Each pack also has the chance to receive either a Legendary or a Grail Funko Digital Pop!, which is key to those that might wish to collect physical editions of the toys as they can be redeemed for one later on.
There are two different ways to get a Funko Digital Pop!, with the first one being the tandard Series Drops. They feature two pack sizes and promise the chance to redeem a physical Funko collectible that will be limited edition. There are also Mini Drops, which feature one pack size and don’t have that same ability to redeem the Funko Digital Pop! for a physical collectible. Instead, they are just Digital Pop!s, so you can choose to bulk out your collection of digital Pop!s via this method. Either way, you’re getting yourself a Funko Digital Pop! for your own amusement.
Droppp
The world of Funko Digital Pop!s is made possible thanks to the creation of Droppp, which is the premier platform for the buying and collecting of the Funko NFTs. Those with a Droppp account can then buy Funko Digital Pop!s, keep them in their collection of trade them with other users in peer-to-peer exchanges. Each drop involves Droppp opening a digital queue for the purchase of a digital pack, which will then show up in the buyer’s inventory to be opened and have the contents deposited into your account. You can use your Droppp account with other WAX blockchain-based wallets too.
You can use your Droppp Inventory and Collection Tracker in order to keep track of the items that are in Digital Pop! Directory. This means that if you’ve decided to trade one of your Funko Digital Pop!s with someone else then it will disappear out of your inventory and the new one will appear in it instead. The initial pack sale is when you’ll want to be at it in order to get a Funko Digital Pop! that is your own, but you might still be able to get the Redemption Token for the physical Funko Pop! if you have traded or bought it from someone before the redeemable collection is released.
Redeeming a Digital Funko Pop! for a Physical One
Part of the appeal of the Funko Digital Pop! world is that some of them can be redeemed for a physical Funko Pop!. You will find that each account on the WAX blockchain that has an eligible Funko Digital Pop! or a collection of Digital Pop!s receives a Redemption Token 120 days after each series of the Funko Digital Pop! has dropped. This is deposited into your wallet and it will be for the current owner of the Funko Digital Pop!, as opposed to the person who bought it in the first place. Should you sell a Royalty Set or a Legendary or Grail Digital Pop! then the new buyer gets the Redemption Token.
You get 30 days from the moment that the Redemption Token is deposited into your account in order to redeem it for a physical Funko collectible, which is a rare edition of a physical Funko Pop!. These physical collectibles are only available though the Digital Pop! Redemption system, with a limited quantity attached to each series and boasting an exclusive sticker. As with the Funko Digital Pop!s themselves, the physical items will not be re-released and therefore present you with a single opportunity to get hold of one. This obviously makes the Funko Digital Pop!s that have physical collectibles attached extremely worthwhile.
