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Thousands of pop culture fans from around the world have descended on San Diego this weekend to celebrate the return of Comic-Con International. After virtual shows and a scaled back version in late 2021, the convention is back at full capacity for the first time since 2019. While some come to get a sneak peek at what they can expect from their favorite superhero franchises on the small and big screens, others come for the exclusive collectibles retailers offer each year on the show floor.

Funko has become a huge force in the collectible market, with avid collectors sometimes waiting in line for hours to get the latest convention exclusives. The company is welcoming fans back to the San Diego Convention Center in a big way with their biggest booth ever — a mini town they’ve called “Funkoville”.

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After having to go virtual with their FunKon event in 2021, Dave Beré, the Vice President of Brand & Marketing at Funko says all the lessons learned during the past few years led to the coming back to the event with the biggest booth space they’ve ever had. “We're obviously super excited to be back,” says Beré, “and we knew we had to come back in a really big way for fans. That's how Funkoville was born, and I think we've raised the bar. It only excites us for what we could do in the future.”

The booth is massive, taking up spaces #5137, #5145, and #5341. Built like a mini-town with streets, trees, and a roving mayor, and workers who are in character. “We were inspired by things like Main Street Disney,” Beré says. “Knowing we have this great portfolio of brands, we thought we had an opportunity to bring us together to celebrate pop culture where we have similarities but still be authentic to what these different brands are in stand for. And it just worked out.”

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The village has a separate building for each of it’s brands. Funko is a movie theater, Mondo is a record store, and Loungefly is a boutique — each offering show exclusives for collectors. “We were trying to find the right connection points where we can come together, says Beré, “but we want to still be very authentic to each of these brands, and make sure the experiences are authentic to them.”

“We feel pop culture is always evolving, and there's always something new for fans to collect,” says Beré . “I think that's first and foremost. Funko provides an opportunity to connect people with joy. to connect people with comfort. and that idea makes fans feel less alone. They're in a community of people who feel the same things. And that's really what we stand for. “

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Even if you weren’t lucky enough to win a lottery spot to shop in the spaces, you don’t need a ticket to visitng the streets of Funkoville, which is packed with subtle touches everywhere you look. “We have so many photo moments,” says Beré. “You're free to walk the streets of Funkoville. We have trees, we have fire hydrants, we have flowers, we have we have movie posters. It really feels like a town that fans can engage with take pictures.”

Looking ahead at the fall convention season Beré says Funko is already finalizing plans for New York Comic-Con in October, and says that eagle eye fans can get a little sneak peek at what they can expect to see visiting Funkoville. “ There are movie posters, or movie quote unquote, movie posters of our former events up there and you'll see it coming soon. One, which alludes to NYCC where we are going to be doing a Halloween theme.”

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San Diego Comic-Con runs through Sunday. You can find Funkoville in Booths #5137, #5145, and #5341.

Marena Bronson is an award-winning journalist, a life-long nerd, and the Editor-in-Chief of Fashion and Fandom. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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