Funko Pop Collection (Part 1)

I've been meaning to showcase my Funko Pop collection for quite a while, but I definitely need to do it in sections because the collection keeps growing and I still have a bunch that I've preordered and am waiting for in the mail. It's all very overwhelming and ridiculous.

Since I noticed my Funko Pop collection in Austin has outgrown my collection back home in San Jose, it made me realize the stagnant collection in San Jose is a great place to start to show you what I've got in the Pop arsenal. The San Jose collection has just been chillin', collecting dust since I moved to Austin... because these figures literally don't do anything. Truth from a collector of useless things.

As always, apologies for my lack of photography skills. I was too lazy to take them out of their boxes mostly because there were too many of them. Hehe. For future Funko posts, I'll focus on smaller batches so I can take better pictures (which shouldn't be hard when you look at these 😂).

For this first group of Pops, I'll include the Funko Pop description, where I acquired it (if I remember), and hopefully a link to where to buy it if they're still available (otherwise I'll likely link to eBay). Disclaimer, I can't remember where I bought a lot of these since these were acquired anywhere from 3-7 years ago.

Funko Pop: Batman, metallic blue (SDCC2010 Exclusive) [my first Funko Pop ever!]
Where/how I acquired: Purchased at the Funko Pop booth at San Diego Comic Con 2010
Where to buy: Rare particularly in a plastic dome, but they may pop up on eBay

Funko Pop: Batman, matte blue (SDCC2010 exclusive)
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Rare, but may pop up on eBay

Funko Pop: Batman, black
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Walmart

Funko Pop: Batgirl, blue
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Batgirl, black (SDCC2010 exclusive)
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Rare, but may pop up on eBay

Funko Pop: Robin
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: The Penguin
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Discontinued, but may pop up on eBay

Funko Pop: Two-Face
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Discontinued, but may pop up on eBay

Funko Pop: The Riddler
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: The Joker
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Harley Quinn (with gun)
Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Batman Beyond
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey... or Hot Topic? (both acquisition methods will be themes in my Funko Pop collection)
Where to buy: Hot Topic

Funko Pop: Batman Beyond, metallic (with red eyes)
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey
Where to buy: eBay

Funny story, my nephew wanted one of my Batman Beyond Funko Pops, but I had to explain to him the difference between the 2 above and why I wanted to keep both. I bought one for him eventually, but just goes to show you how ridiculous all the different versions are.

Funko Pop: Nightwing, blue
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey. He's a big fan of Nightwing.
Where to buy: Walmart

Funko Pop: Nightwing, red (with red eyes) (Fugitive Toys exclusive)
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey
Where to buy: eBay

Funko Pop: Nightwing, metallic red (with red eyes) (Fugitive Toys exclusive)
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey
Where to buy: eBay

Funko Pop: The Joker, The Dark Knight
Where/how I acquired: Hot Topic
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Batman, The Dark Knight Rises
Where/how I acquired: Hot Topic
Where to buy: Walmart

Funko Pop: Batman, The Dark Knight Rises, patina (SDCC2012 exclusive)
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey
Where to buy: eBay

Funko Pop: Bane, The Dark Knight Rises
Where/how I acquired: Hot Topic
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Catwoman, The Dark Knight Rises
Where/how I acquired: Hot Topic
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Custom Batman Beyond, redesigned from The Dark Knight Rises Batman
Where/how I acquired: Gift from Mickey before they created an official Batman Beyond Funko Pop
Where to buy: Hot Topic (for the official Batman Beyond Funko Pop)

Funko Pop: Batman, New 52 (PX/Previews Exclusives exclusive)

Where/how I acquired: ?
Where to buy: Amazon

Funko Pop: Batman, giant 9" (next to original Batman for size comparison)
Where/how I acquired: Gift from my friend, Steve
Where to buy: eBay

For size comparison

Agh. That was only 24, but that was already so overwhelming to archive/document. I think my Austin collection may be twice as large so going to work in those smaller batches like I mentioned earlier. I'll figure out how to break them up so we can focus on quality instead of quantity in these Funko Pop posts.

In the mean time, let me know if you have any favorites from above. My favorite (out of my entire collection) is the metallic blue Batman in the plastic dome because it was my first ever Funko Pop 😀. Funko Pops originally go for anywhere between $8-15, but a lot of mine have increased in value. To keep track of my collection, I use Pop Price Guide. I highly recommend it if you're also a collector and trying to keep track of how many you have, which ones you have, and how much your entire collection is worth!

Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! Hope yours has been fun yet relaxing!

Throwback Thursday: Terry the TSX

I have a lot of old Batman items that have been used up to the point where they're not very photogenic anymore so I've decided to use Throwback Thursdays and Flashback Fridays as a reason to recycle some old pictures of my Batman collection and tell the stories behind them. There will probably be a lot of these posts because I have a lot of old Batman stuff. You'll learn that, with the (very significant) exception of Funko Pops, I typically like to buy Batman products that I know I'll love and use and, that's what I'll do, use them, sometimes until I've completely worn them down.

On to today's edition of THROWBACK THURSDAY!

I was recently (last month) in a car accident where my white 2009 Acura TSX was deemed a total loss. Its name was Terry the TSX after Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond (Mickey's idea). I was pretty devastated because I loved that car. It was the first car that was truly mine, a gift from my parents, that I wrecked almost exactly 6 years to the day from January 10, 2010 when we brought it home. It was only a total of 7 years old with just over 61k miles on it so it still had such a long life to live! So young, so young.

After speaking to several people about the accident, though, I stepped back and realized that I shouldn't be so fixated on the vehicle. I'm very lucky and very grateful nobody was seriously injured. As many friends told me after the accident, "cars are replaceable, people are not." I'm okay, everybody involved is okay, and that's what matters.

I collected my things from Terry and it was off to the auto auction never to be seen again. This post is dedicated to Terry and all the great memories it accompanied me through including 4 jobs and a road trip half way across the country. Below are the items that adorned my sweet ride. Most pictures are from 4-6 years ago when a lot of the items were brand new.

Thanks for being the sexiest first car I could ask for, Terry, and hope your parts will be used for good, to help other cars in need. :)

BATMAN CHROME AUTO EMBLEM
My favorite part of the car was the Batman chrome emblem. It was a birthday gift from my brother during the first year I owned Terry. I loooooved it and I thought it was such a sweet and thoughtful gift. On top of that, I thought it looked pretty badass. If I had to pick one car accessory for my car, it would be this. I believe he purchased this from Amazon where they're still available.

Batman chrome auto emblem after applied to the car

Emblem in the packaging

BATMAN CLEAR CAR FLOOR MATS
I bought CLEAR car mats because I thought they would be easier to clean. I also figured I could just layer them over the existing carpet car mats instead of removing those entirely. Over the years, these got very scratched up and dirty, but I don't regret the decision because the carpet that you could see underneath was still pristine. Whatever you get as car mats, just know they're going to get beat up. Maybe I'll look into rubber floor mats next. These were also from Amazon. These clear ones no longer seem to be available, but there are still various options you can find including rubber and carpet floor mats.

These are the mats fresh out of the packaging from Amazon. The little spikes underneath weren't long enough and so didn't dig into the car carpet enough and ended up slipping around more than I would have liked. I ended up using velcro to secure them.

They still looked really good, though. This is the driver seat car mat of course.

Back seat car mats

Passenger seat car mat. My Batman brake light sticker sheet is seen in the bottom left corner unused. :) It didn't fit/work with Terry so I still have it somewhere. Good job on me doing my research before purchasing, eh? Who knows, maybe it'll fit my new car.

BATMAN LICENSE PLACE FRAMES

I actually think I bought these from a little kiosk in the middle of a mall, Great Mall in Milpitas, CA. I ended up buying 2, one for the front and one for the back. I was really debating whether or not to get 2 at the kiosk. When the salesperson heard me deliberating, he offered me $5 off the second one and I immediately took it. Mickey mentioned I probably could have held out for a better deal, but I'm just awful at bargaining, which means car shopping is going to be a joy.

Crooked picture, but you get the idea. The front plate was identical.

BATMAN CD VISOR
I know even 6 years ago CDs were dying out, but the car came with a 6-CD changer so I tried to take advantage of it. It was a nice Batman touch if nothing else. Don't laugh, but I have a matching Batman CD book that I'll probably share at a later date.

BATMAN WINDSHIELD SUNSHADE
I bought this when I moved to Texas because I was concerned about the heat damaging the leather. I unfortunately do not have a picture of the sunshade in action, but you all know what a sunshade does, right? I want to say I purchased it on Amazon, but it's available on other websites too.

Sunshade unfolded. I noticed other designs available on websites like Amazon

The sunshade folded up nicely and I just snuggled it up next to the passenger seat. Batman Moleskine notebook and Mac decal making a in this photo cameo. Yes, I still have one of the white Macbooks. I replaced the hard drive recently so it's still going pretty strong.

HANDMADE BATMAN FINGER PUPPET

This was a gift from a friend. You can see it actually inside the car in the above picture (in the shadows to the left). It used to hang on my rearview mirror, but it kept getting snagged so I moved it down to hang above the mid-console. My college roommate made this finger puppet for me as a goodbye gift when I graduated. Yes, it's actually a finger puppet. Isn't that cute? My OTHER college roommate at the time made me a gigantic Bat-symbol-shaped cookie when I graduated. They were the sweetest. A throwback food post will probably make an appearance eventually.

BATMAN CAR FRESHENER
I bought this just a month before the accident so this would probably be considered the newest addition to the car. It didn't smell awful, but it didn't smell much at all. I really bought it for the looks, though.

I'm still in car limbo right now and shopping slowly, not making any commitments just yet. Unfortunately, Acura doesn't make the TSX anymore. Boo. No lie, though, I've already started looking at new Batman car accessories for the car I don't even have yet. Of course I'll be sure to share anything I end up purchasing.

Sorry for my embarrassing photography skills. They're all different sizes because they're coming from a bunch of different cameras, some old and some new. Hoping to improve my photography skills for future posts.

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Batman chrome auto emblem: Amazon
Batman car mats: Similar on Amazon. I couldn't find the clear ones anymore.
Batman license plate frames: Similar on Amazon
Batman CD visor: I couldn't find any type of Batman CD visor anywhere online likely because they're not as relevant nowadays. I would look to Etsy for a custom Batman CD visor if it's something you're actually interested in.
Batman windshield sunshade: Superherostuff.com
Batman Moleskine notebook: Barnes & Noble
Batman Mac decal: Similar on Etsy. This was a gift so I'm not 100% sure where it was purchased. I found a link on Etsy, but it sold out. I'm sure the same decal can be commissioned from some one on Etsy if you're looking for the same exact Batman: The Animated Series design.
Batman car freshener: Amazon

The Proposal/Engagement 09-12-14

Mickey proposed to me on our 11-year-anniversary. We had planned to go up to Mt. Bonnell in Austin, TX where there's a great view of the city skyline just because we'd never been, but it was pouring rain. We ended up going straight home, waiting the rain out and going to Mt. Bonnell when it was pitch black. He had friends, Tyler and Thao, photographing the proposal, which wouldn't be possible in the darkness so Micks had to come up with a Plan B. Tyler went to scope out another location.

After Mt. Bonnell, we went to a delicious dinner at Salty Sow. At dinner, he told me he bought me an anniversary present, which was unexpected because we don't usually exchange gifts for our anniversary, but sometimes we surprise each other with gifts so I didn't think much of it. He told me he couldn't give me the present then because his co-worker had helped him pick out the present and she wanted to be around when I opened it. We were to go downtown to meet her in a the lobby of The historical Driskill, Austin's oldest operating hotel, which is located near some bars that we could move to after I opened the gift. I'm thinking, "SEEMS LEGIT. NOTHING SUSPICIOUS HERE." No, seriously, at this point I really had no idea.

When we get to the hotel, he mentions that we need to meet her upstairs where it's quieter and less crowded. This is pretty much where I figured it out because the upstairs area was roped off and it seemed nobody was allowed up there... except for us. Apparently, Tyler had shown up earlier and explained the situation to the people at the front desk who were happy to let us use the upstairs area for a bit.

Micks and I arrived, went upstairs, and out to the balcony where there was no one in sight. Tyler and Thao were hiding behind tables. We waited a few minutes for Mickey's co-worker who was never supposed to show up anyway. At some point, he told me to go ahead and open the gift because he didn't want to wait for her anymore. He sat me down and knelt in front of me to "watch me open the gift" as he slyly slipped the ring out of his pocket.

Watching me open the present. Don't you guys love these behind the tablecloth creeper skills by Tyler and Thao? :)

I opened the gift upside down, but when I flipped it over, it was this gorgeous painting that Micks had commissioned from Dustin Nguyen. It features Mickey proposing to me with the Gotham backdrop. He asked me to marry him after I saw the painting and, other than "of course," my reaction was "THIS IS SO COOL!" I couldn't get over how cool the painting was. Sorry for the dark photos of the actual painting. Lighting in the house isn't the best.

The painting hanging on our wall. Our initials together sound like "empty." =X

Back story, Dustin Nguyen is an artist who has done a lot of work for DC Comics. Micks and I met him back in 2010-2011 at San Diego Comic Con. I approached him in 2010, my first SDCC, because I really liked this Batman piece he painted, pictured below. It was just floating around the Internet and I stumbled upon it. He was super friendly and, ever since that first time, he's been one of our favorite artists and we make it a habit of visiting his booth every year at SDCC. He always remembers us and is always fun to talk to.

Micks reached out to Dustin via the commissions contact link on Dustin's website. This was almost a year before the proposal in November 2013. He knew Dustin was busy with his actual job/work, but explained his request and Dustin was kind enough to help! He sent Mickey the painting a week before the proposal happened.

Moral of the back story, Dustin Nguyen is a very talented artist and super cool person! We love the painting. The distinct style of his watercolors is so beautiful and I'm so proud to have it hanging on our wall. We actually ended up using the painting for our save the dates, too.

Fun fact, Mickey was wearing diamond pattern dress socks on the day of the proposal, which I noticed at the house before we went to Mt. Bonnell. Subtle hints. He wore the same socks for the wedding.

Here's sort of close-up of the engagement ring in case you're interested in seeing that. The following photos are from our actual engagement photoshoot. For the sake of properly archiving my collection, the featured Funko Pop is the unmasked Batman that was created for a Target-exclusive release. Apparently, you can find it elsewhere online now in case you're looking to add this Funko Pop to your collection (link at the bottom of this post).

Bonus geekiness from our engagement photoshoot below. I had to make a gif of these 3 photos. I'm just cracking up in the first photo, but it kind of looks like I'm powering up. We know it's been done, but it's still a good one. Pretty impressive jumping IMO! I can't photoshop, but if I could, you know I'd photoshop that Super Saiyin glow and the actual Kamehameha beam into this gif. What y'all know about Dragon Ball? :)

via GIPHY

TL;DR: Mickey commissioned a painting by a DC Comics artist to propose to me.

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Artwork/custom painting: Dustin Nguyen
Day-of photography: Tyler Lai, Thao My Photography. They both specialize in model photography, but were both sweet enough to help Mickey out with paparazzi-worthy creeper pictures to capture the proposal.
Proposal location: The Driskill Hotel, Austin, TX
Engagement photos: Eric Le Photography
Engagement photoshoot location: Austin, TX
Engagement ring: Diamonds Direct
Funko Pop: Funko Pop! DC Comics Batman Unmasked #51 Vinyl Figure (Amazon)

The Wedding 09-12-15

Mickey and I recently got married in Morgan Hill, CA on 09-12-15, our 12-year anniversary. Before we even got engaged, a lot of people would make jokes about a Batman-themed wedding because everybody knows how much I love Batman. I kind of considered it after seeing some gorgeous inspiration from When Geeks Wed. Deep down I knew it wouldn't be Batman-themed, though. The wedding wasn't just about me and my obsession after all. Also, let's all be honest, a Batman-themed wedding sounds really dark.

That's not to say that I didn't add a bit of Batman flair wherever I could. :)

Batman music doesn't really lend itself to weddings, but growing up with Batman: The Animated Series, I had to squeeze it in somewhere so I actually had the Batman: TAS theme song playing during the bouquet toss. That was kind of fun and made it seem like way more of an action scene than it was. A girlfriend of mine caught the bouquet with one hand while holding a drink in the other. It was epic and I was so proud.

The excitement in this photo is so palpable. It makes me so happy.

Speaking of music, Mickey had the great idea of having him and the bridal party walk out to the Game of Thrones theme song during the ceremony. I loved it! I was hiding in the back waiting for my turn to walk down the aisle so I'm really excited for the raw footage from our wedding so I can actually see the bridal party walking out. I'll be sure to share that once we receive it.

The few Batman-related items that made their way into our wedding include my garter(s) and my silk robe for getting ready. I adored these details. Our wedding colors were navy and Tiffany blue/teal with aceents of coral and khaki/tan so the yellow/black were outside of the color theme, but they were just the touches of Batman I needed for myself.

#batmanandwhiskey at its finest

Mickey and I had a full open bar, but also served specific wedding cocktails. The groom's "cocktail" was a Coors light with a shot of Jameson which he cleverly called the "Tu Step" (i.e. Two Step) because his real name is Anh Tu. Tell me you don't love that. My drink was a Batmanhattan! The drink pictured below isn't a Manhattan, but it shows the Batman straws that I also made available at the bar for guests to use in case they wanted to embellish their Batman-themed or non-Batman-themed cocktails.

The last bit of geekiness from our wedding came in the form of our custom Funko Pop cake-toppers. These were custom designed to look like us by Tom Shultis. His Facebook page is linked below in case you're interested in seeing his other work.

These toppers weren't blatantly Batman-related as you can see, but they meant a lot to us because Mickey and I are both huge Funko Pop collectors. For any of you who collect these things, you'll know just how addicting they can be. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Once you Pop, you can't stop." I stick to all Batman-themed Funko Pops of course. Earlier on in the wedding planning stages, Mickey had the great idea of getting customized Funko Pop cake toppers for our big day. It was a perfect idea and they turned out AMAZINGLY.

Do they look like us?

We've already had several people ask us about Tom's work because they're interested in the same types of toppers for themselves and we've referred them to him. He of course doesn't just do cake toppers so I'm encouraging you again to check out his stuff. His usual custom work is super impressive and detailed.

That covers the geeky details of the wedding! I've submitted this to When Geeks Wed, too, so I hope they share our wedding soon. :) Here are some bonus wedding photos just because I'm in love with my wedding dress and Mickey looks so clean in that suit.

Since we're on the topic of geeky love, next post will have to be about how Mickey proposed. I love telling the story and giving him credit because it was super cool, unique, and thoughtful all at once. I'll share with you all soon!

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Photos: Eric Le Photography. Eric is a friend of ours and an amazing Bay Area photographer! We would highly recommend him. Check out more of his work on Facebook, which includes our engagement shoot and some other photos from our wedding.

Custom Funko Pops: Shultis Customs. Tom is extremely talented. Check out his work.

Batman robe: Hot Topic

Batman garter: Aussie Wedding Garters (Esty)

Bridesmaid robes: Victoria's Secret

Wedding dress: Moonlight Bridal. I've actually seen something similar from Haley Paige who I'm a huge fan of. I think the dress I went with is a bit more affordable, though.

Groom's suit: Indochino

Venue: Willow Heights Mansion, Morgan Hill. This is a very helpful, very gorgeous, very professional all-inclusive venue.

Hair & Make-up: Michelle Nguyen, San Jose

Flowers & decor: Deluxe + Design + Decor