The vinyl blind box market was seemingly dominated by Kidrobot with a well-established foothold on the collectors market with a unique selling point which introduced new, rising and established artist talent with a familiar Dunny sculpt. It wasn’t until Kidrobot started introducing established licenses that Funko realised this was a market they too could jump into.
By 2013 Funko were already well established with their ever-expanding Pop! lines and gaining licenses left, right and centre, but it was in January of 2013 that they tried something a little different and the first Mystery minis were released. It is unknown which series was actually first, but The Big Bang Theory, Horror Classics, My Little Pony, Pocket God, and The Walking Dead have all been documented with a January 2013 release date, and Hello Kitty releasing later in October of the same year. Most of the sculpts shared similarities, but they were diverse enough to entice collectors, so much so that Funko ramped up production and their releases the following year.
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| Funko Mystery Minis - Pocket God series - 2013 |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - The Big Bang Theory series - 2013 |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - Horror Classic series - 2013 |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - My Little Pony series - 2013 |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - The Walking Dead series - 2013 |
2014 was not only the year of an increased release schedule but also several changes to the Mystery mini format as Funko continued to work their way to what they believed to be a winning combination. It was in 2014 we saw the end of 24 box cases and settlement into the 12 box cases we’ve all come to know well. In conjunction with the change in case sizes came the new ratios which dropped the seemingly impossible 1/144 and settling on the 1/72, which although equally impossible mathematically worked out the same. Con exclusives made an appearance, with single boxes associated with current series but already on box identified characters, and an exclusive series with Game of Thrones In Memoriam. Sadly, it came as little surprise that also during this time quality control started slipping with characters missing limbs, unable to stand, or diminished paint quality.
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| Funko Mystery Minis - How to Train Your Dragon 2 series - 2014 |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series - 2014 |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - Game of Thrones In Memoriam SDCC exclusive series - 2014 |
In 2015 the evolution continued and saw a little more diversity in the molds and sculpts. The Garbage Pail Kids Mystery minis were brandished as ‘Really Big’, and they were, in fact almost Pop! sized. EBay sales took off as easily obtainable case layouts and weights made it easier for flippers to capitalise on the low purchase price and maximise on the willingness of people desperate to complete sets. It also saw the inclusion of Mystery minis on sites like Pop Price Guide, which would further fuel price hikes. But Funko weren’t about to stop there as series after series announced and quickly released. Sadly 2015 was also saw the implementation of the much-maligned 1/6 ratio, which quickly alienated newcomers to Mystery mini collecting, and irked those already well entrenched.
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| Funko "Really Big" Mystery Minis - Garbage Pail Kids series - 2015 |
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| Case layout for Funko Mystery Minis X-Men series - 2016 |
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| Rosita Hot Topic exclusive 1/72 - The Walking Dead series 3 2015. Current PPG value - $230 USD |
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| Bender 1/6 - Science Fiction series 2 2015 |
The following year, 2016, saw the largest number of mystery mini set releases to date and with this the return of several previously well-received series. The novelty of store exclusives evolved into many series now releasing multiple varied store cases for a single series. There was also a larger number of 1/12 series, which made case purchases the best way to complete a series and collectors happier. But it was also 2016 that saw the "flipper" armed characters which some people couldn't quite get into the aesthetic of, but others embraced.
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Funko Mystery Minis - Horror Classics series 3 - 2016
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| Funko Mystery Minis - Batman Arkham series - 2016 - 1/12 ratio set with exclusives |
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| Funko Mystery Minis - Disney Princess and Companions series - 2016 - "Flipper" arms |
Over the last few years very little has changed, Funko introduced Pint Size Heroes which suggested Mystery Minis may decline, but that was not to be the case. The most recent change has been the arrival of windowed boxes with Mickey Mouse: The True Original series.
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| Funko Disney Pint Size Heroes |
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| Funko "Mystery Minis" - Mickey Mouse: The True Original series - 2018 - Windowed boxes |
After 6 years of Funko Mystery Minis what would you most like to see a series of?
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