Array
What would you pay for a Taylor Swift Funko Pop?
A vinyl figurine in the design of Taylor Swift can be purchased for just under $250 on Etsy, but not on Funko.com, because the company has never released one for the pop star.
What is available may not be an official piece of Taylor Swift merchandise, but it is enough to satisfy true Swifties.
“There’s an entire of niche community of custom makers, that really thrives and is prevalent on platforms like Instagram,” said James Zhan Editor-in-Chief of the Toy Book the leading trade publication in the toy industry.
The custom collectables are available across the internet from Ebay to Etsy and beyond. Funko Pops are the preferred medium, according to Zhan.
“When you cross over into the realm of toys and collectibles, of course, Funko is sort of the go-to when it comes to that celebrity form factor with the pop vinyls,” Zhan said. “I’m very surprised there have not been official [Taylor Swift] releases.”
This isn’t the first-time fans have taken figure making into their own hands. The first instance of custom figure making that Zhan can recall came when in the early 1990s Star Wars fans repurposed the Kenner Star Wars collection of the 1970s and 80s to create their own figures.Creatives seize a market opportunity
“I started making customs because I wanted to see characters and historical figures that Funko didn’t seem interested in pursuing,” said Mary Kate Cusack.
