The Grogu balloon marks the first “Star Wars” inflatable in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — a thrill for fans of that cosmic franchise.
Whether shopping at Hot Topic or attending a comic book convention, those fans have been snapping up Funko Pop figurines since their introduction at San Diego Comic Con in 2010.
Paul Southern, senior vice president of licensing at Lucasfilm, the company behind “Star Wars,” referred to the figurines as “iconic pieces that our fans and collectors have come to seek out.” Some are more enthusiastic than others.
“Collectors have rooms that look like the walls are built of Pop vinyl,” said Daniel Pickett, the editor in chief of Action Figure Insider, a website for toy enthusiasts.
Funko was founded by Mike Becker in 1998 as a mom-and-pop manufacturer of nostalgic “bobblehead” figures — the kind given out as premiums on special nights at sporting events.
Bram Stoker, holding a tiny copy of “Dracula,” can share shelves with dolls inspired by the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland and the cast of the musical “Hamilton,” not to mention all manner of “Star Wars” creatures .
The idea to create a balloon in Grogu’s image came out of a Funko brainstorming session.
The toymaker approached Macy’s and Lucasfilm with a collaboration in mind; all parties agreed to go for it.
Having a balloon in the parade is the whipped cream on an already delicious pumpkin pie of a year for Funko.
One of the company’s newest innovations has been its “Pop Yourself” program, which invites fans to Funko stores — either its flagship at the company’s headquarters in Everett, Wash., or its 40,000-square-foot Los Angeles outpost — to make Pop figure replicas of themselves, priced at $25.