Inside the Ultimate Funko Pop! Vinyl Collector’s Guide – Why This Guide Had to Be Made – and Nearly Didn’t

16 July 202520 July 2025 Inside the Collector's Guide

Discover why this Funko Pop! guide had to be made, what went wrong along the way, and how it became the most complete checklist ever released.

You’ve seen what’s inside. You know how the checklists work. But there’s one thing we haven’t told you yet: why this book had to be made — and how close it came to falling apart.

What It Took to Build the Ultimate Funko Pop! Guide

This is the story behind the chaos, the gaps, and the obsession that made it possible.

📚 Let’s Recap

Over the past few blog posts, we’ve shown you:

That covers the “what” and the “how.” But there’s one question left:

Why did this book even need to exist?

❓ Why Create a Physical Funko Pop! Guide in 2025?

That’s a fair question. Everything’s online, right? Apps, checklists, databases…

Here’s the problem: none of them are complete.
They’re messy, outdated, missing releases, and filled with copy-paste errors. Franchise sorting is inconsistent. Exclusive info is often flat-out wrong. And good luck finding a clean overview of 2013 sticker variants or shared convention releases.

We hit a point where we said: “Enough. We need to fix this.”

🔍 What We Wanted to Build

We didn’t just want another checklist.
We wanted a full, reliable, offline collector’s tool. Something that:

Shows every series and how it fits into the bigger picture
Lists every regular Pop! figure up to early 2025
Explains the Pop! system, variant types, and sticker logic
Helps new and veteran collectors alike — without ads, paywalls or bugs

And most of all: a guide that finally makes sense.

💥 What Went Wrong (And Almost Made Us Quit)

Let’s be real — this project was brutal at times.

Pop! Series are full of inconsistencies
Funko renumbers, re-releases, renames and rebrands
Retailer exclusives use different stickers for the same figure
Production info is vague or contradictory
Some series (looking at you, Television) are a total mess

We double-checked everything. Then rechecked. Then rebuilt parts of it from scratch.
At some point, we seriously thought: “Maybe this isn’t doable.”

But we pushed through — because collectors deserve better.
If we didn’t do it, nobody would.

🔢 Let’s Talk About Funko’s Numbering Chaos

If you’ve ever looked at Pop! numbering and thought “Wait, where the hell is #1372?” — you’re not alone.

Funko’s number system looks structured, but it’s anything but:

Huge gaps in numbering
Skipped numbers that never get used
Releases that drop 40 or 50 digits ahead of the previous one
Identical numbers reused across franchises (sometimes even within the same series)

Is it a mistake? A marketing trick? A way to make a line look bigger than it is — like “Look, we’re already at Pop! Animation #2200!”
Maybe all of the above.

What matters is: it creates confusion and fake completeness.
It’s almost impossible to know if your collection is actually complete — or if you’re missing a figure that doesn’t even exist.

That’s why we don’t just list figure numbers in the Master Edition.
We also track missing numbers — and point out where the gaps are, so you know what’s real and what’s not.

No fluff. No fake stats. Just facts.

The Ultimate Funko Pop! Vinyl Collector’s Guide – Master Edition 2025

📖 What This Book Is (and What It’s Not)

It’s not perfect.
But it’s the most complete, structured, verified and readable guide that exists today.
You can trust it. You can build your collection on it. You can actually enjoy using it.

That’s why this book had to be made.

🔜 Up Next: Behind the Book

Want to know how it really came together?

We’re about to launch a new blog series:
Behind the Book – The Real Story Behind the World’s First Full Funko Pop! Guide

We’ll take you behind the scenes — from late-night research to spreadsheet chaos and sticker madness. You’ll get a look at the process, the problems, and the unexpected fun along the way.

📍 Stay tuned. It gets real.

🌎 Available on Amazon – Worldwide Shipping

Get your copy of The Ultimate Funko Pop! Vinyl Collector’s Guide – Master Edition 2025 today and make it the centerpiece of your Funko Pop! Vinyl collection!

Shipping worldwide. No delays, no excuses.

🛒 Want a closer look or a preview of what’s inside? Check out the product page here

🤝 Collaborate or Get in Touch

Are you a Funko blogger, influencer, store or reseller?

We’re always looking to collaborate with content creators, influencers, or retailers who want to feature The Ultimate Funko Pop! Vinyl Collector’s Guide.

We’re open to partnerships and always happy to hear from fellow collectors.

📧 Reach out at info@popshopguide.com