Collectors never forget their first Pop, and for some, that's their favorite memory. But not for Juan Torres, a collector from Pasadena, California. He recalls the day he met and got an autograph from his hero, the late Stan Lee at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood for a movie marathon leading up to the premier of Captain America: Civil War.

Torres, scrambling to come up with something for Lee to sign, came across a wall of Funko Pops inspired by the movie he was going to see.

"I decided to go with the Black Panther Funko. I still have that piece, not as a part of my collection, but as a memory piece," said Torres.

Some people recently started collecting Funko Pops, while others have been collecting for years. Arther Hendrick, a collector from Bedford, Texas, started his collection eight years ago.

For Hendrick, the molds and affordability of these Pops drew him into collecting. "What keeps me in it is the price point and the vast collection of licenses they have acquired. You never really know what they're going to release."

Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, Funko started off selling nostalgia-themed toys. The company's first product line were bobbleheads known as Wacky Wobblers, and their first manufactured item was the well-known restaurant advertising icon, the Big Boy mascot.

Funko Pops are collectible figurines that depict characters within pop culture. The original Pop figure started off with the following features: they are 3.75 - 4 inches tall with a square-shaped head with rounded edges, button-like black eyes with no pupils, a small nose and no mouth. These characters can either be of a real person or a fictional character from movies, comic books, etc.

The early iterations of these Pop figures had them in a neutral pose, but in the last few years, Funko expanded their Pop! line and created different molds for their Pops. The sizes of these Pops have changed as well, with Funko producing 6 inches, 10 inches and even a supersized 18 inch Pop. Now, newer Funko Pops have distinct poses which makes each one unique and different compared to each other.

Funko has obtained many licensing rights which allows them to create thousands of these unique vinyl figurines. The licenses serve as agreement fees that Funko pays other parties (like DC Comics, Disney and Marvel) for permission to produce these figures. Comic book characters, pop icons, sports and movie stars are just some of the characters that these Pops depict.

Joan Miller, a doctoral candidate in communications at USC, also collects Pops and understands why people are drawn to them.

"There's a certain point at which your collection becomes your hobby and it becomes part of your identity, and then you start spending stupid amounts of money on it," said Miller.

Some people may see this hobby as childish, or a waste of money, but Miller disagrees. Miller senses a stigma against adults enjoying childish stuff because they are at an age where they should have outgrown these items.

"There's nothing inherently more adult about buying a game-used hockey puck than there is about buying an autographed Funko Pop," said Miller.

Aside from exclusives, other factors determine a Pop's value: when they were created, whether or not the item is still produced, and how many were produced.

Funko can cap off a Pop's quantity to different amounts. By doing so, they are able to generate excitement for collectors with a desire for rare and limited items. For example, the 2020 SDCC exclusive Black Lightning Pop was limited to 3,000 pieces. Other limited amounts include a 144-count silver Superman Pop and an even lower amount is the 24-count gold Ken Griffrey Jr. Pop. The fewer that are produced, the more difficult it is for collectors to obtain them, which drives up the value on these highly sought-after collectibles.

Funko runs two retail stores-- Funko Hollywood in Hollywood and Funko HQ at company headquarters in Everett, Washington.

Collecting is not only a transactional activity, but can serve an emotional purpose as well. For some, it's a stress reliever, but for others, it can serve as a coping mechanism in times of distress.

Tito Villareal, a USC Occupational Therapy alum from the class of 1995, had only a couple of Funko Pops before 2018. However, when his German Shepherd passed away from a heart attack, collecting Pops was his way of blocking out the pain.

"This triggered my shopping spree," said Villareal. "To block the pain of my fur baby's sudden loss, I preoccupied my head with Funko Pops."

Villareal is currently unemployed, but makes a few dollars selling Pops. "Buying & selling Pops helps in relieving stress as well. Once in a while, so I "flip" (sell for a profit) my extra exclusives to earn a few bucks."

Villareal sells his extra Pops on the Mercari, an app where you can buy or sell items. The most he made was an $80 (net profit) for one Medusa Pop.

While people may enjoy the thrill of the hunt and have no issues spending hundreds, and in some cases thousands of dollars on these Pops this may make people happy in the moment, it can actually be harmful to them in the future, Miller said.

"If you start to intertwine your identity as a person with your identity as a collector, it can be hard to separate them and it can start to become a really destructive downward spiral if you're not careful about it," said the USC doctoral student, Miller. "At the same time, it's not up to anyone else to tell you what this should mean to you. Yeah, it's the commercial tiny plastic thing, but it's not about the item itself. It's about the meaning that it symbolizes."

Funko continues to create new figures to stay fresh and keep their customers coming back for more.

Funko fans are grateful. They see their growing community serving a greater purpose.

"During these unprecedented times, I can totally see people buying Funko Pops as a way of coping with everything that is going on," said Torres. "Collecting Funko Pops can give people a sense of purpose and a sense of normalcy that seems to be lacking as of late."