Calling all collectors of pop culture merchandise! The recently-opened Funko Hollywood is a Mecca of must-haves. The 40,000 square-foot store located on Hollywood Boulevard recently opened and fans have been swarming there on a daily basis. Of course, I had to see it for myself. Let’s take a tour of Funko Hollywood . . .
Funko Hollywood for Beginners
The first thing you notice upon crossing the threshold of Funko Hollywood is the size of the place. It is huge! Think of an Ikea but instead of furniture and Swedish meatballs, there are tons of toys and other collectible merchandise.
Thankfully, visitors are given a map of the store. The map also has a price guide on the back. For the most part, prices aren’t listed on the items and you won’t find signs that indicate them either. So, this is definitely something you’ll want to keep handy!
Much like the Hidden Mickeys found at Disney Parks, visitors to Funko Hollywood should be on the lookout for several Easter eggs hidden among the store props. These hidden items take two forms, the crown worn by Freddy Funko and secret words (usually the word is Funko).
Like the company’s booths at conventions, Funko Hollywood has several limited edition figures exclusive to the location. When I visited, there was a table full of them at the area on the map labeled “Funko Shop” (near the Saturday Morning area). These items had their own dedicated queue within the store.
Also exclusive to Funko Hollywood is the 6-Pack Funko POP! Travel Case. This cardboard box fits six POP! figures and protects them and their boxes during travel. It also functions as a gift box. You’ll find this item in the checkout line.
Beyond exclusive items, a big draw are the larger than life photo-ops scattered throughout the store. We’ll take a look at a great many of them along our tour. Are you ready? Here we go!
The Disney Section
As you saw from the map, the Disney area is right in the middle of the store. But what the map doesn’t tell you is that the section connects the two-level store with a slight slope, making the venue ADA-friendly.
This section resembles a little village, not unlike Traverse Town in Kingdom Hearts, filled with a host of Disney characters. Beyond Sorcerer Mickey at the entrance to the area, you’ll find familiar friends like Goofy and Donald Duck. The characters are surrounded by Disney-themed merchandise.
Along the section’s center path, you’ll find a cart baring various Loungefly bags and other goods.
Mickey, Goofy, and Donald aren’t alone. One of the “buildings” in the Disney section belongs to Aladdin and his buddies. You can find them by looking above the merchandise displays found at eye-level.
Speaking of merchandise displays, with the exception of Goofy and Donald, each character’s building displays items themed to the corresponding film. Here is a portion of what is available for Aladdin.
Jack Skellington and Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas have also taken up residence in this section. They have a rather extensive collection of merchandise in their area.
Another iconic Disney film represented is Mulan, with the titular heroine and her trusted dragon, Mushu, located on a balcony above a merchandise display.
Even the Lion King makes a small cameo as a fountain that doubles as a plush toy display. And yes, those are Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers plushes.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Section
Here’s a fun fact about this section: much of the machinery found in the background are repurposed junkyard items. There is quite a bit of mood lighting in this area, highlighting photo ops with characters like Yondu (he’s Mary Poppins, y’all!) and Thanos from the Avengers films.
This section’s merchandise isn’t just Guardians of the Galaxy. It includes many other characters in the Marvel Universe, such as Captain Marvel (seen on the Loungefly tote below).
The Frozen Section
You didn’t think you would escape the Frozen fandom, did you? This area is pretty dang cool (and yes, the pun was absolutely intended). At eye level, there are photo ops with Elsa and Olaf along with Sven in his stable.
There are a few less obvious characters as well. Look up and you’ll find Anna peering out a window. She looks like she is going to burst out into a song, doesn’t she?
This one is really hidden. To find this kitty, you have to peer into the windows of the buildings in the area. There is another kitty in the room next door. Just peer into the adjacent window and you can’t miss him.
As you would anticipate, there is Frozen 2 merchandise on displays as well, like these Funko POP! figures of Elsa and Anna in one of their outfits from the film. Other items include Loungefly bags and wallets. I particularly liked the wallet inspired by Anna’s outfit from the original movie. There is a matching backpack as well.
But the Frozen sisters aren’t the only royalty that have merchandise stocked in the section. There are POP! figures, bags, and other accessories from many other princess films like Moana, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.
The Star Wars Section
I am going to say it: Funko’s Galaxy’s Edge is better than the real thing. Okay, so it isn’t technically Galaxy’s Edge but the theming in their Star Wars section is the perfect blend of nostalgia and cute.
As you meander along an an impressively-themed path that takes you through an otherworldly bazaar with Jawas hawking merchandise, you end up at a familiar Cantina.
Sure, the merchandise doesn’t make you feel like you are on another planet but it sure is fun to look at (and potentially buy). Something about this Ewok shirt gave me Calvin and Hobbes vibes. I love it.
The Wizarding World Section
Disney isn’t the only pop culture fandom getting love here. The Wizarding World section encompasses both Harry Potter, along with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The majority of this section is taken up by the former but that is understandable.
Photo-ops include this one with Harry, Ron, and Hermione (with Hedwig in the background) in front of a crackling fire. You will notice that these figures don’t remember the ones seen in previous sections. That’s because they are made to resemble their Rock Candy style of figures rather than the POP! variety.
There is also a corner with a Newt Scamander photo-op along with this precocious, little Niffler.
Up above the merchandise displays are Luna Lovegood (also in Rock Candy style) and Dobby statues. Along the walls are “enchanted,” moving portraits of Gilderoy Lockhart and Albus Dumbledore. Interestingly, these two characters are in POP! style.
Among the merchandise in this section, there are Loungefly bags inspired by the many sweets from Honeydukes, the magical confectionery from Harry Potter. A Hedwig wallet is mixed in for good measure.
The DC Section
This section was broken into two areas. The first was themed to the Hall of Justice as seen in Super Friends. There is a joke that people are going to want to get married there and, with the arch in the background and the mood lighting, I can see that.
The second area has Rock Candy versions of Harley Quinn and Batgirl.
The Saturday Morning Section
Fittingly, you pass inside an old-timey TV set to enter the Saturday Morning section. This area encompasses all the things you’d associate with a Saturday morning as a childhood: cartoons and sugary cereal. And to top it off, there’s all sorts of colorful candy here.
There are photo-ops for Frankenberry and Count Chocula as well as a Jetsons lunch box. But what caught my attention was this one featuring Cap’n Crunch. The detail in the cereal pieces was impressive.
Just past a moving carousel of candy, was this display of Funko-branded candy. One of the Honeydukes Loungefly backpacks from the Wizarding World sections can also be found here.
At the adjacent display is a great, big wall of PEZ dispensers with POP! figures as the toppers. There are also traditional POP! figures of Peter PEZ and PEZ Girl.
The Fright House Section & The Music and Sports Section
I am going to be honest; the Fright House section gave me the creeps. It was very detailed and well thought out, though. Every nook and cranny seemed to have something pop up at you or just stare at you with dead eyes and backlighting.
A nifty point of interest is the adjacent cemetery. Every headstone bears the name of a VFX pioneer.
The Music and Sports section has the MTV Man as a photo-op. Amongst POP! figures of Britney Spears and NBA mascots, there are also figures of Princess Diana and Jim Henson.
The TV Section & The Anime and Games Section
The TV section features a broadcast station run by Freddy Funko and Huckleberry Hound. The pair are also the stars of the Freddy Funko Show on YouTube. There is also a working camera that lets you take selfies (and regular pictures, too) amongst the area’s backdrops, like one for Stranger Things.
The Anime and Games section features franchises like My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z, Kingdom Hearts, Overwatch, and Gudetama. At the heart of the section was the set of statues seen below. The figures rotate and the screens above them play clips from different anime.
Wetmore Forest, a Funko Original
An original IP, Wetmore Forest stars an adorable group of monsters that live in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. The cuddly art style is definitely something I can get behind.
As you would expect, there are POP! figures and plushes (in a variety of sizes) of the various characters.
Beyond the typical toys and plushes, there were also picture books and puzzles. These perfectly match the target demographic.
The Smaller Areas and Hidden Merchandise Gems
This TARDIS isn’t just a cool Dr. Who photo-op; it is also a door to a secret VIP room. No, it’s not the Funko version of Club 33. The room is used for business events and the like.
Believe it or not, there are still more Disney-themed areas to explore. This Little Mermaid area is full of hidden treasures, literally. I suggest you enter the sunken ship and see for yourself.
The Toy Story photo-op shrinks you down to the size or a toy. The window sill and electricity plug reinforce the illusion. Take a look at the nearby bookcase and you’ll find references to Pixar shorts.
You can’t miss this Black Panter photo-op. You pass right by it as you enter the store. The waterfall in the background adds a nice hint of kinetic energy.
I was told the T-Rex from this Jurassic Park photo-op is to-scale with an actual baby dinosaur of that species.
This art print of Jurassic Park’s Dr. Malcolm, a collaboration with Classic Stills, is the first of its kind. Based on Funko’s “Dr. Malcolm (wounded)” POP! figure, this print is very limited in edition with only 200 prints produced. There are 100 prints that are 11 inches by 14 inches in size ($149) with the other 100 being 16 inches by 20 inches ($295). You can find out more here.
In addition to the Funko Hollywood-exclusives shown earlier, there are these limited edition Freddy Funko figures.
This Holiday Freddy is just in time for the gifting season. And he isn’t the only seasonal item available. There was actually a whole corner full of them. I spotted seasonal variants to popular characters as well as various Advent Calendars.
There was a small display of board games. Well, they were all the same game, POP! Funkoverse, but there were plenty of different choices for characters to play as. I spotted Harry Potter and Rick and Morty but also this less obvious choice, The Golden Girls.
To the left of the entrance to Funko Hollywood are these Paka Paka Machines. Think of them as leveled-up gachapon machines that dispense little Funko figures. The videos that play during the dispensation are made in-house. There are several different series of figures to choose from, like Kawaii Village Japan seen below. To use one, purchase a token at the register.
The POP! Factory
If you are the creative type, The POP! Factory should be high on your list of priorities. For $15, you can choose between a Freddy Funko or monster POP! base. You choose a head, a base, and accessories. The price covers whatever fits on your figure and no extra or additional accessories are included.
How to Visit Funko Hollywood
Want to visit Funko Hollywood for yourself? Here’s the address:
6201 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
The store is one block East and across the street from the Hollywood and Vine station for the Red Line subway. Additionally, these Bus lines have routes that pass nearby: 210, 212/312, 222, 780, and DASH. You can learn more about Los Angeles public transportation here.
You can find regular store hours here but if you plan on visiting this holiday season here are some special store hours you should take into consideration:
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- Sunday, December 1 – opens at 11am and closes at 5pm for the Hollywood Christmas Parade
- Tuesday, December 24 – opens at 11am and closes at 5pm
- Wednesday, December 25 – store is closed
- Tuesday, December 31st – opens at 11am and closes at 5pm
- Wednesday, January 1st – store is closed
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I enjoyed my time at Funko Hollywood immensely. I want to extend my thanks to Funko and especially Bianca, for the informative tour of the venue. If you have a chance to pay a visit to the store, I would highly recommend it.
Funko Shop Holiday Deals
And if you’re in the market for some new Funko figures, be sure to take advantage of the Funko Shop’s Black Friday deals, plus 20% off everything site-wide and FREE shipping on orders over $50! You can find more info about the Funko’s Cyber Monday deals HERE.
Let’s Hear From You!
Do you collect Funko figures? What do you think of this giant store? Are you considering taking a trip out to Hollywood to see it? Do you think there should be a shop just like this in Downtown Disney, perhaps in the old ESPN building? Let us know in the comments.