Funko brings fun to every convention they go to, and Star Wars Celebration Europe is no different. Today, Funko and Loungefly teamed up for a panel titled “Funko: Collect Across the Galaxy!” that gave fans a look at a few new lines coming soon from a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Emily Swallow, who plays The Armorer on The Mandalorian, the panel was a lot of fun and wrapped up with Emily getting to take home one of the Star Wars Celebration exclusives, a Loungefly mini-backpack and zip wallet themed to the character she plays.
Funko Games general manager Deirdre Cross kicked off the panel with a look at the new card game Star Wars Rivals, which debuted at Star Wars Celebration in limited quantities before being released on May 4th (at WalMart in the U.S. and Game in the U.K.) and expanding to more retailers at a later date. We got a look at the game in action earlier this weekend when we visited the Funko Booth and got a tour (click here to see it all). One of the points Deirdre stressed is that gameplay is for a wide range of Star Wars fans and the experience changes based on the character and location they’re in. There are 22 characters in the first wave and while no news was shared for a potential second wave, they have a lot of plans for ways to expand the collectible figures and game in the future.
At the core of Funko’s brand are the Pop! vinyl figures and Star Wars has been a top brand for the company since 2011, currently standing at more than 600 releases (including three exclusive to this year’s Star Wars Celebration). While it wasn’t a secret that Star Wars would be the next collection to get the Bitty Pop! treatment (a line of miniature Pop! figures that come in small 4-packs), the big announcement was the entire wave of 16 figures. The collection will honor the film that started it all, A New Hope, and prior to the panel, Funko had teased an image of Luke Skywalker. Funko EMEA digital marketing manager Alex McIntyre enlisted Emily’s help to show the difference in size between a standard-sized Funko Pop!, a keychain version, and the new Bitty Pop! Luke Skywalker.
As with the Disney, Harry Potter, and DC Bitty Pop! lines, the Star Wars series will be sold in 4-packs. Each pack comes with three known figures and a mystery figure. The first pack comes with the previously announced Luke Skywalker, bundled with Obi-Wan Kenobi and a Jawa.
The second pack pairs Princess Leia with droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.
Han Solo comes with his buddy Chewbacca and his nemesis Greedo.
Lastly, a dark side pack contains Darth Vader, a Tie Fighter Pilot, and a Stormtrooper.
With each set, collectors will receive one of four possible mystery figures. There’s a 1-in-3 chance of getting a rare figure, which could be Grand Moff Tarkin or a silver chrome Stormtrooper.
Or you have a 1-in-6 chance of getting a Hyper Rare figure of a Tusken Raider or Hammerhead.
Each Bitty Pop! figure can be displayed in or out of their packaging, with a base for stability. As for the packaging, it all mirrors the actual packaging of the character’s larger counterparts. In the case of Luke, Leia, Han, and Darth Vader, the boxes replicate the Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 exclusives of them, with the event’s logo on the back (if you can read it).
Last, but not least, Funko EMEA senior director of softlines Rich Smith gave an overview of Lougefly’s history with Star Wars, with droid dome bags being one of the brand’s hottest licensed releases of all time. This is the moment when Emily Swallow was gifted her Armorer mini backpack and wallet, both of which have sold out of quantities allotted for each day of the event.
There was just one Loungefly announcement, the next evolution in the brand’s Darth Vader bag, which started in 2015 as a molded plastic crossbody bag. A new version that will be coming soon is made of softer dimensional panels. The most eye-catching feature (pun intended) is the lenticular eyes, which reveal Luke Skywalker in the moment when he loses his hand to his father’s lightsaber in The Empire Strikes Back. The reveal understandably drew a lot of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd.
Funko has been giving away free stuff throughout the convention, but every guest in attendance at the panel also received a ticket to redeem for a free Funko Pop! figure, the Frog Lady from Season 2 of The Mandalorian.
For more information on Funko releases, visit Funko.com in the U.S. and FunkoEurope.com in the U.K. Stay tuned to Laughing Place for more coverage from Star Wars Celebration.