This is the most relevant question I've ever read on skullbrain.

It's more about these figures being the toy equivalent of artists selling fan art at conventions. They appeal to the lowest common denominator of toy collectors. However just like fan art, there's ways of doing it with integrity and ways of doing it where it's purely cashing in on the latest trend in Marvel movies/Adventure Time/etc.

I think there's real integrity in the first release of the alien ReAction figures because there's history and a story behind why the figures were released after years of being on the shelf. The original "story" behind Hikari is that they were genuine Japanese vinyl which we all know is a false claim. That's pretty annoying, even to somebody that has no interest in buying them. And that's more of an issue with cashing in of the current Japanese Vinyl/Sofubi craze and claiming they were joining the scene only to be found out using a cheaper method while trying to claim otherwise.. I have no problems buying Chinese vinyl, German vinyl, PVC whatever as long as the toy is interesting has some personality in the sculpt.

I think bringing up vintage Godzilla/Ultraman figures in defense of the Hikari line is a bit of a cop-out - it's a completely different world now in regards to licensed figures etc. The market is flooded now with licensed toys (how many companies are making TMNT figures at the moment?) whereas back then Bullmark/Marusan were doing justice to the property and genuinely wanted to make a quality product.

Also as I said before, Japanese franchise, Japanese toys in a Japanese medium... As opposed to an American franchise, Made-In-China toys in an imported Japanese medium.
It's a whole different ballpark, and I think that's what irks me so badly. It's all very unnecessary.

OMG, are you serious? Quality product? those were made in vinyl because it was cheap and they were spray painted because it was cheap and it was marketed to children in different variants because it was easy money and it was cheap. how are these guys not doing the same?

as for the globalization of the process, I think thats a pretty obvious answer and to think that it would all be done in one place would be missing the idea, that is, these need to be done on the cheap.

Keep hating on them, but the fact is that these guys are exploiting the medium just like everyone else is. only they are organized and have a good R&D department.

Once again. Funko doesn't give a shit(I know first hand) about cashing in on your imaginary "sofubi craze". This weird paranoia you have really is interesting. You sound just like a guy who is so caught up with someone at the mall wearing a studded punk belt from JC pennys. So sad they took "your thing". Keep getting your panties in a bunch about the word sofubi and posting about it on instagram. It's pretty cute.



This. If you think that Bullmark and Marusan weren't a business trying their hand at a cheap medium you're wrong. Those toys continue to be beautiful and interesting to us but ask any old school American collector about collecting it before the late 90s boom. They will all tell you that sofubi was still considered the cheap ugly crap that no one wanted(with a few exceptions) by American and Japanese dealers. Which is why so many of them cleaned up.

You're missing my point completely - I don't care where a vinyl toy is made really. The word sofubi has become more of a genre rather than the name for Japanese vinyl and that is why I and many others use the hashtag to catalogue our Instagram posts that fit in the genre. It's a bit hypocritical to have so much distaste for KR when these things are just as bad.

Anyway I tried making some valid points to open up constructive discussions about the possibility of factory delays, misinformation and deception in marketing toys etc. but if you're gonna drag this down into personal attacks and smearing people by calling them paranoid then I don't want any part of that. SB has been pretty well behaved lately and enjoyable to visit but screw the direction this thread is heading in.

to each their own.
i like funko stuff and kr crap 10 times more than pathetic watered down westernized wannabe kaiju
like cheesburger monsters or deadbeets.

I've been busy . . . I'll try post more in the future!

truth & even today locally in Pittsburgh Toy Dealers at our
local semi annual toy show refer to Kaiju as 'Chinese toys'
then again there are a few of us here who know the score!

I never post in AI since this thread is the least interesting
in the forum, hell I hardly even read these threads. it is
weird that some folks think they make Kaiju at all.

even in Japan Kaiju collectors and producers are in a
very small minority. just because something is made
in Japan does not make it Kaiju- feel free to disagree

comparing and complaining seem to be an American
trend in general as well as self promotion and acting
like the world is your oyster- its either sad or silly

my favorite toys of all time are all Made in Hong Kong
and in all circles that stufs is still poked at and looked
down upon. fine by me since it generally sells cheap.

to each his/her own but if you don't like something
why bother going on and on about it? critique is one
thing but I would rather focus on what I enjoy

I'm sorry if this comes off as rude but I think certain people should go back and read the thread. It's purely not based on being a "hater" or dissing anybody else's taste in toys. Here's a quick timeline:

- Funko releases promo for the TMNT/Batman range and blatantly uses the terms 'sofubi' and 'japanese vinyl'.. that raises my eyebrows as I didn't want releases to be delayed or thinned out by makers that I liked (Gargamel for example). So I presented the question "Which factory is making these?". Everybody was duped into believing that these would be Japanese vinyl so there was some discussion and specualtion about that situation.

- Moved into the usage of the term sofubi which has been thrown around too much over the past few years. I think it's fair to hashtag something as sofubi if it sits well next to genuine sofubi toys even if it isn't OG SEWFOOBEE as some superstar phrased it. I feel like I'm repeating myself here three times but it semingly has to be done.. this is purely for hashtag/cataloguing purposes in things like Instagram. There's a huge difference in labelling your product as sofubi in print advertising which Funko were heavily doing in all of their press releases before they were caught out and hit the brakes a bit. That came off as exploitative - they were either trying to draw sofubi collectors interest in or they had no respect for the history and were misinforming the naive Funko collectors and decieving them into thinking it's more "collectible" and charging a higher price based on the premise that they are japanese vinyl and are "individually numbered" (in editions of 5000). Now if that's not worth discussing I don't know what is.

It's true sofubi is being misused at the moment and has been for a while now. As Paul Kaiju put it at the start of this thread "Sofubi is a lifestyle now" which I'm sure was said with some jest. Right now we are in the "Tony Hawk Skateboarding" video game phase of vinyl toy collecting. Companies like Funko promoting things with false information will only make things worse (as seen when the sofubi hashtag was flooded with Funko shit a few weeks back... might seem like a small thing but if that continued it would have been annoying for everybody). One thing that pisses me off more than anything in any part of real life is when people spread misinformation like it's fact.

Anyway that's just the first page of this thread, it started out well enough but now it's just become a bit of a mess. I feel bad bringing up Funko's missteps because they are now connected with Super7 - however these are legitimate concerns and were ripe for constructive discussion. People can collect whatever they want. Here's a revelation - I own one piece of Funko and before you go calling me a hypocrite I knew exactly what I was buying. It is the Slimer Funko Pop (which I had hated for years before seeing this) but the one thing that impressed me was that they actually put some thought into the toy.. I love how Slimer is suspended in the air with clear green plastic and he actually has a bit of character because of the huge mouth sculpted into the toy and he is in a classic Slimer pose with hands up. I had to buy it because the idea was great and it was executed well. Same as the Alien ReAction figures. However the same cannot be said about these Hikaris. If you feel the need to attack people and say that they are wrong about these guys, at least take the time to write a little bit about why you like these toys so much.

i reply you since you quote me here

raises my eyebrows as I didn't want releases to be delayed or thinned out by makers that I liked (Gargamel for example).

this would never happen since Gargamel and Funko are as separate as north and south poles!

Everybody was duped into believing that these would be Japanese vinyl

really? everyone? far from even reasonable to assert

I think it's fair to hashtag something as sofubi

wtf is a hashtag? sorry i do not internet like the young people

I feel like I'm repeating myself here

I agree & you seem fixated on a mute point


misinforming the naive Funko collectors and decieving them

if a real funko fanbase exists they most likely will buy into whatever is offered


Right now we are in the "Tony Hawk Skateboarding" video game phase of vinyl toy collecting.

hhhmmm not in my circles, we just found Wah Changs family and discovered what became of Combex after searching for 25+ years!


Companies like Funko promoting things with false information will only make things worse

worse for who? Bemon shed no tears nor offer sympathy!

One thing that pisses me off more than anything in any part of real life is when people spread misinformation like it's fact.

maybe research the Catholic church & take umbrage with the center of the worlds deception?

History of humanity in general is 90% lies, sadly enough & truth be told.

If ill intention pisses you off ask beverage companies why they have Benzine
as an ingredient. Why do tobacco companies add 476+ known carcinogens?

If you want to learn about real issues to be concerned about LMK OK?
I can pm about 65,000 pages of information to digest to get you started.

Anyway that's just the first page of this thread, it started out well enough but now it's just become a bit of a mess.

mess for who? agree to disagree & move on!

afaik reaffirming a point of contention that others will not agree
with is akin to driving into a wall rather than turning left or right
then crashing getting out & screaming,'who put this wall here?'

I feel bad bringing up Funko's missteps because they are now connected with Super7

sounds like a guilt complex in the way it reads, maybe not what you intended?
I think its great that these 2 partnered up as its led to some interesting toys.

I should state however they hold no interest for me so I am unbiased on this.

My one friend has a 4 year old son who enjoys Monsters and S7/Funko rock
his world right now so at the end of the day the packages were tossed out
& the toys are enjoyed by a child. A+++ it served its true intentions

however these are legitimate concerns and were ripe for constructive discussion

neither myself nor anyone i know are concerned legitimately or otherwise
soiled undepants are also ripe for discussion but will anyone care at all?

If you feel the need to attack people and say that they are wrong about these guys, at least take the time to write a little bit about why you like these toys so much.

attack? hhhmmm....... it chooses to no longer be baited.
Book of 5 Rings is my Bible so please choose wisdom!

Glenn, I like toys not people & not trends, if it needs to be said.

My Japanese friends call it 'SOFVI' & never call it sofuvi

Sofuvi is just a catch phrase nothing more nothing less.
Why be so upset about a word? Why take it so personal?
Did you know that ALL raw vinyl comes from China?

No hard feelings or ill wishes towards you or anyone- TOY OR DIE!

PS. S7 & Funko please make some B Grade Monsters or Bladerunner figures!

Sorry to confuse you Kichigai but I had no issue with your reply - my comments were directed towards other comments. Quoting you was just to summarize/clarify the general dispute within the thread.

Ok now that I'm actually back at my desk I can reply properly. There seems to be a lot of things that either flew over your head or you maybe have misunderstood so hopefully this helps to clarify things for you.. and more importantly whoever reads this 5 years from now. There's a lot of speculation going on in this thread and as the Star Wars quote goes "You assume too much".

So here's a chance to set the record straight.. get the real facts. Sounds like Alex is in deep with Funko so maybe he can clarify Funko's true intentions rather than just dismissing what's been said in earlier posts. Let's hear the story behind the Hikari line from the horse's mouth. Let's hear where the idea came from, why it was thought to be a viable option for a product line, where they are produced and future plans since you know so much about Funko behind the scenes. The challenge is out there bannedindc !

Anyway here's some responses to Kichigai - sorry for being so short and blunt in the previous post, I was walking around typing on my phone.



If you read through the first two pages then you will see that it is in fact reasonable to say that everybody who commented about the issue was under the impression that these were being produced in Japan as they were advertised. Gargamel and Funko offices are far from each other however there was a concern that things were being produced in the same factory.. Nobody knew if it was Obitsu or what.



It's like an index in the back of a book old-timer. People use it as a catalogue.. however some people use it incorrectly eg #dontmakeacommentaboutsomethingifyoudontknowwhatyouaretalkingabout



Just look at the toy vendors in SDCC and NYCC.. tonnes of great stuff but the market is definitely starting to flood. As for Funko, do your research and #dontmakeacommentaboutsomethingifyoudontknowwhatyouaretalkingabout




Thanks Captain Obvious! Sorry for calling you that but to suggest that I (or anyone else) is unaware of issues like these comes of as an insult to intelligence. Especially to whitewash over this discussion with such broad statements. Let me know if you want me to PM you about how when water touches something else that thing/surface/substance can get wet.



You're contradicting yourself by disagreeing with my statement about "sofubi" being in a "Tony Hawk Skateboarding" phase (which to clarify I have no problem with I don't care how popular the scene gets.. as long as people are producing interesting toys and don't lie about their products production source). I have no problem with the word and I feel no ownership over it. However I don't think it's fair to the community as a whole to have the word whored out to describe things like a glittery Skeletor that just looks awkward.

And yes I was well aware of that fact. The materials/recipe are generally the same no matter where the toy is produced.. although there are of course some alterations. It's just like eating the same meal at different restaurants. Japan production is fine dining.. where as some places in China (not all of course, I know for a fact that Unbox Industries take extra care in producing a high quality product) can be more like eating in a run down diner. If you took the time to inform yourself and read a few posts up:

well thanks for clearing it all up, now i no
longer wonder why you seem so ignorant

with no love,
captain obvious



are you not entertained?

It was Hiddy right? He was hired by Funko to help produce these "Hikari" or am I mistaken.

Everybody funk yo mama! FUNK YO MAMA!

That's right.

FUNK YO MAMA!

^^ isnt your cheestroyer made in china?

I dont see the big deal. Ignore the shit and who cares.
Maybe cause i dont go searching sofubi on IG but i have never even seen these toys except for on here.
Im not bothered by it cause its not in my face and i will never be concerned with what funko fans are up to.
Glad they are happy collecting what interests them.
Its just a word. We know what the true stuff is.

Im not collecting this stuff cause of what its called.
You can put "sofubi" on something all you want. If i dont like it im not gonna be tricked into buying it or something. Funko can think its effective to put that label on this line but i would bet the average funko fan doesnt really care and just likes the clear vinyl and glitter. Heh!

Yes the Mini Cheestroyer is made in china, but I've always been upfront about it. Unbox Industries vinyl is awesome quality as a matter of fact. There is nothing wrong with chinese vinyl and I'm not protective of the word "sofubi". Man I feel like a politician here repeating myself ten times in a single press conference.

The issue here is the deception in marketing the products and taking advantage of the casual collectors out there. That's been the main issue since page one. I thought the memes would help illustrate the issues more clearly but I guess not.

I dont think youre very upfront about it. And you tag it sofubi right?. Whats the difference between funko china vinyl and unbox? They are both made in china with soft vinyl instead of shitty hard kr type vinyl. I still think there is something off about it and isnt the same as made in japan. Maybe im wrong but there just seems to be a difference no..? Anyways. Who are they deceiving? Us? No. I can read the packaging and see made in china. Also i wouldnt even read the package cause i dont give a shit about these sculpts cause they dont interest me. And like i said, the average funko fan is probably not dazzled by the word sofubi. They havent concerned themselves with the material these toys are made out of before..
Collect what you like. Fuck the rest

Also im not trying to be rude to you in any way glenn. I just enjoy cursing

Kinda wish i hadnt posted in this thread...