In a not-so-environmentally friendly move, Funko Pop is throwing an estimated $30 to $36 million worth of unsold inventory into a landfill. The company claims that storing the excess stock will cost it a fortune, so it is willing to write off the figurines and funnel them into the ground, where they will remain until the end of time.
“Year-end inventory was $246.4 million, up 48% from a year ago,” reveals a press release noted by Kotaku. “This includes inventory that the company plans to eliminate in the first half of 2023 to reduce fulfillment costs by managing inventory levels to align with the operating capacity of our distribution center. This is expected to result in a write-down in the first half of 2023 of approximately $30 to $36 million.”
In other words, Funko Pop warehouses are filled to the brim with five-inch plastic figurines of vaguely recognizable cultural icons — and there’s got to be something to give. The toy experienced a mini-boom during the pandemic, but since then sales have slowed, leading the company to lower its forecasts and cut its workforce. Unsurprisingly, stock prices are way down.
We have nothing against collectibles per se, but we’d say it’s a strong indictment of humanity’s hubris that we’re going to end up ruining our planet by cramming thousands of unsold Chibi Machine Gun Kellys into the ground.
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