Cusack began making the figures to make up for what Funko was not offering at the time, a Captain Marvel figure.
If possible to embed one of her products, or an image, would be good to here. And link to her shop.
“I figured it couldn’t be too difficult to make one, so I bought a doll that had a similar costume and some craft paint,” Cusack said.
While the driving focus of the custom figure market is the Funko Pop, other figures are used to create custom toys. Zhan points to the Hasbro Marvel Legends series of figures as options makers are using for custom orders.
“If Hasbro is not producing a certain character, or a certain look that someone wants, there are people out there that are making it,” Zhan said.
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‘I really hope they don’t shut us down’: Custom Funkos toe line between art and knockoff
In filling that market void, the custom Funko Pops exist in a market that is closer to a grey market than the black markets of knockoff clothing and fake trading cards.
“Trading cards is an industry that I think is more susceptible to actual fraud. People don’t want a knockoff; they don’t want a card that’s been altered or customized or trimmed. They’re looking to swindle somebody and pull a fast one,” Zhan said. “With these collectibles and toys. It’s a little bit more out in the open. Because people are really looking to give someone something that they actually want.”
However, the line between custom figures and knockoffs is thin.
A set of Taylor Swift Funko Pops was attempted to be sold on Ebay for $2,000. According to a company representative, Funko took action against the items and the listing is no longer active. The representative would not provide further information stating, “these are ongoing investigations.”
Funko has noted that there is potential in the custom space for them and has a section on its website to allow custom digital Pops to be made.
For creators like Cusack, who marks that her creations are “customized figurines” not Funko Pops, the possibility of being made to stop would impact her beyond an Etsy account’s bottom line.
“I really hope they don’t shut any of us down. This business is important to me as a business and as a way for me to make art that I enjoy creating,” Cusack said. “My experiences are that [fellow makers] are enthusiasts in the best sense of the word, and I feel like that’s rare in many online communities. I would hate to feel like I could only be a consumer and not a creator in that community.”
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