Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker, the company was originally conceived as a small project to create various low-tech, nostalgia-themed toys. Funko's first manufactured bobblehead was of the restaurant advertising icon Big Boy.[3]
Sold in 2005, Funko LLC is now headed by Brian Mariotti as CEO.[3] Since 2005, the company has increased the scope of its various toy lines, and has signed licensing deals with companies such as Marvel, DC Comics, WWE, Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Hasbro, CBS, Fox, Warner Bros, Disney, HBO, Peanuts Worldwide, BBC, NFL, Ubisoft, NBC Universal, Cartoon Network, Netflix, Mattel, 2K Games, Bethesda Games, The Pokemon Company, Sega, Activision, Capcom, The Jim Henson Company, and Sesame Workshop. Funko products now have worldwide distribution.