The Read

Hello, welcome to The Read. I am Van Robichaux, your ad reader and host. Last week's show was a little on the serious side, got into some research, delved into some international espionage and things like that. So we're going to try and have some fun this week. Keep it a little lighter. With a very fun sponsor fun.com.

Do you like having fun? I like having fun And when I want to find unique, fun gifts, for a birthday or a holiday or maybe just for myself, I go to fun.com. Shop Star Wars toys, Funko Pop Vinyls, gadgets, action figures, collectibles, and so much more.

Fun.com wants to help you discover everything that makes you smile, laugh, and feel confident about what's next while remembering the things that once made you wide-eyed with wonder.

Remember how you felt the first time you saw the DeLorean hit 88 miles per hour.

Or how it felt to be right there with Luke as he blew up the death star. Or cheering for Harry Potter as he discovered platform nine and three quarters. Those moments are what fun.com is all about. Their team of pop culture, experts are there to help you and everyone around the world feel unique in every way, every day, no matter what. Whether you need a star wars plush a t-shirt from the latest Disney hit or a few gift ideas for your best friend's birthday, fun.com is the go-to destination for exciting and unique gifts.

And, as always, they provide awesome customer service unmatched in the industry. With quick and secure shipping too. You might think if you want to browse these fun toys, gadgets, action figures, and gift opportunities that you should go to fun.com. But I'm going to tell you no. Don't do that. And you're gonna find out why in a second, where you want to go is van.link/fun. That's V A N dot L I N K slash F U N. Now that's an easy one to remember almost as easy to remember as fun.com.

I try to go the extra mile with these ad reads and do everything I can for my sponsors. And so I asked the folks from fun.com what I could do to make this campaign as successful as possible and they told me that influencer marketing campaigns work best when a specific toy or product from fun.com is highlighted or called out by the influencer. In that case, it's me, Van Robichaux, host of The Read, ad reading influencer.

As you maybe noticed, I like to do things a little differently sometimes and so what I did is I said, Can you get me a list of your most popular, highest selling Funko Pops? And they said, yes, of course we can get you that list. And I said, well hold on presumably, if you can get me that list, that means you could get me a list of your lowest selling, least popular, Funko Pops, right? That's only logical. And they said, no, that's not a list we can get you. Now listeners, you know me, I don't like to take no for an answer. It's obvious the data is out there.

So I went on their site and they've got some pretty helpful and powerful search and sort features and using those features I was able to extract a list of the least popular Funko pops sold on fun.com. They have over twelve hundred Funko Pops for sale. So when I say these are the least popular least sold Funko pops on their site, you got to understand there's at least a thousand pops. Selling more than these pops.

And so I am going to present to you the 20 least popular Funko Pops at fun.com. I am going to link to these in the show notes. I encourage you to buy one of these unloved Funko pops. You'll be one of the only people with it.

Okay, let's get into it Number 20 from the Funko Pop Marvel series. It's Eternals - Ajack. The only eternal in the bottom 20. Ajack, I think is Angelina Jolie's eternal? I really can't remember the Eternals names and it seems that Funko Pop buyers. Either cannot remember, do not care for. Eternal Ajack.

Next up. Number 19 . From the Funko Pop rocks series. Boys to men, Nathan Morris. That's a tough one. I feel bad for Nathan Morris. The demographic that is into. Harmonizing nineties, R and B boy bands That is not the demographic that buys Funko pops. I feel like he kind of got set up for failure by the Funko folks here.

Number 18 . I think this is a cool Funko pop but again, I think we've got a little bit of a demographic overlap issue from the Funko Pop movies.

Bram Stoker's Dracula Armored Dracula.

I wonder, I'm curious how many Francis Ford Coppola Funko pops there are. I would imagine there's godfather Funko pops. I could maybe see there being some, the outsiders Funko pops. I'm certain, there's not a Robin Williams as Jack Funko pop. If you've got any Francis Ford Coppola, Funko pops. Please write in to the show at [email protected] if you've got any Francis Ford Coppola, Funko pops.

17 This is another one that I think there was a good intention here, but not so sure on the demographic from the Funko military series, Air Force Female Number One Dress Blues I imagine these are for sale in the air force academy bookstore, and they probably have sold one or two there, but people are not coming to fun.com for Air Force Female Number One Dress Blues.

Number 16 , from Funko Pop TV. Happy Days - Chachi. Apologies to Scott Baio but I'm not sure if this is the only Baio Funko Pop. Again, if you have any Scott Baio, Funko Pops, or you know of any, please write in at [email protected].

Number 15, from Clue Mr. Green with Lead Pipe. Now to clarify, this is not Clue the movie Mr. Green with a lead pipe. This is Clue the game generic Mr. Green, with a lead pipe. I assume a Michael McKeon, Clue the movie Mr. Green with a lead pipe would be a best seller.

All right, Number 14 The first Disney character we've come across to be in this bottom twenty. Usually they do pretty well with their merch. Unfortunately, not with this one from the Pixar animated film, Soul, Grinning Soul 22. Now, I don't know if there are Funko Pops for souls one through 22. If so they're selling better than 22. But 22 is selling better than number 13 from Funko Pop movies. The Suicide Squad, Rick flag. The powerless team leader of the suicide squad. Right-hand man to more popular Funko Pop Amanda Waller. Rick flag, no one's favorite character and no one's favorite Pop.

Number 12. From Funko Pop movies. All right I got a good laugh when I saw this one. Space Jam: a New Legacy - Wet/Fire.

I love this one because it's a really, hubristic one, a lot of these other ones. I'm sure they've sold a ton of The Fonzes so they made a Chachi people didn't buy it a respectable failure.

Space Jam / Wet Fire they say every character is someone's favorite. I'm certain. Wet / Fire is no one's favorite character. Speaking of characters that are no one's favorite. From Toy Story 4, number 11, Duke Kaboom that I believe is the evil Knievel-esque, dare devil action figure voiced by Keanu Reeves. Usually a guy. Who's a big hit obviously his Matrix Funko Pop. A Funko Pop all timer, the John Wick Pop all timer, duke Kaboom, pop. I think it's for Keanu complete. It's only, I'm guessing that's, who's bought that.

All right. We're down to the top 10 least bought Funko pops on fun.com and there's some surprises. And There's some disappointments. So I want to warn you some of you are going to be angry all I can say is you gotta go to van.link/fun and buy these pops to get them up in the rankings.

Number 10. From Pop movies, the Lord of the Rings. Gimli.

I'm really just shocked to see a Lord of the rings character. This low. I think it should have Warner Brothers rethinking these Lord of the Rings, additional films they're talking about that Gimli has ranked this low. Gimli. Already has Funko, Pop dimensions. I don't know if that hurt him.

But this is not what I expected. This low.

Speaking of Warner Brothers, number nine. maybe the coolest Funko pop. I've ever seen. And no one's buying it. The Soprano's Silvio. I will say it doesn't look much like Silvio. But come on.

Number eight. Another. Disappointing Keanu pop. The first video game to appear in this bottom 20 from delayed buggy disaster Cyberpunk 2077, Johnny Silverhand. Keanu can open just about any movie, but he cannot open just about any pop.

Number seven. From the Pop Ad Icons McDonald's Tennis McNugget. I remember this being actually a toy that would come in a happy meal when I was a kid. I will say. This does not have Funko pop dimensions. It is shaped like a McNugget. That might be part of how this ended up so low, it's a fun McNugget. She's like decked out in eighties, tennis gear. She used to be in McDonald's ads. They didn't bring the ads back with the pop. Big mistake. You want to move that Pop, you got to bring back that ad.

Okay. Number six. I apologize if I'm saying this wrong, Ni No Kuni Tani with Higgledy

I gotta be honest. I read this and I did not know. Is this an ad icon? Is this a movie? Is this a video game? So I went into the description. And I'm going to share that with you guys so that you aren't as ignorant as me about Ni No Kuni Tani with Higgledy.

Friend of the king. Becoming a king, takes a lot of work. In fact, if you don't have help from some pretty tenacious friends, you'll probably never be able to rule. Maybe that's why Evan is such a good king after all he has the best friend a guy could ask for. Tani. Let's see, she's a sky pirate, which means she's pretty good at piloting a glider. She's handy with a bow and arrow. So she won't back down. If a big, bad boss shows up, maybe you could use a stalwart ally, like Tani to go along with you on your travels.

This Ni No Kuni Two Pop Tani figure is a great recreation of the spunky character from the video game. She has the classic Funko features of a pop vinyl. Like those big black eyes. She's wearing her standard outfit from the game. And she even has a nice little cape to compliment her outfit.

To top it all off she comes with a little blue Higgledy figurine. She'll be ready to guide you on your journey to become the ruler of Evermore, or at least she'll look great hanging out with the rest of your Ni No Kuni Two Revenant Kingdom collectibles.

Well, I don't know about you, but I learned a lot about Ni No Kuni Two Revenant Kingdom. From that it's some sort of video game. Tani she seems to be a helper to the king character. If you have ever heard of Ni No Kuni or if I'm pronouncing it wrong. Please write to [email protected]. That's N I N O K U N I at V A N dot L I N K. Okay. We're in the bottom five we've got a music pop. Funko pop rocks. Salt and Pepa, Pepa. Now, this has gotta sting for Pepa because I have to imagine if they made a Pepa, they made a Salt. I'm sorry Pepa, Salt is who the Funko "Pop Heads" are into.

Number four was another one that hurt. I had a crush on this character. I think when I was a small child, I can't say that with certainty, but that's what popped into my head when I saw this. Funko Pop animation, Inspector Gadget - Penny. That's Inspector Gadget's neice Penny. Owner of Brain, the dog. She had that little book that was also a computer. I may have had a crush on the book, the computer book, rather than penny. Again, I don't really remember, but this seems like a solid Funko pop,. Does this show run anywhere in reruns? I feel like maybe it disappeared completely. Is penny, even in the inspector gadget movies either the Matthew Broderick version or the French Stewart version?

When's inspector gadget coming back. That's my question.

Okay. Number three. From pop heroes. Wonder woman, 1984, Steve Trevor.

I will say I was impressed with the first wonder woman that they did make Steve Trevor, maybe one of the dumbest worst. DC comics characters wonder woman's boyfriend, Steve Trevor a good movie character. That said he's not a good character in 84. That movie is not good. As the seemingly higher selling Maxwell Lord might say, " I renounce my wish for a Steve Trevor Funko Pop."

number two is another Disney. This is embarrassing for Disney The lead character of a Disney animated film I'm going to pause so you can try and guess.

From Raya and the last dragon. Raya in warrior pose.

Maybe it's the pose, but I gotta be honest. I think it may be Raya herself. Her movie was kind of a bomb and she's just not that popular.

All right. The moment, you've all been waiting for. The lowest pop. If you buy one Funko Pop after listening to this episode, it should probably be the Silvio one, but if you buy two Funko Pops, you should get this one. Because it desperately needs your help. The number one least popular, Funko Pop at fun.com.

Ad Icons - McDonald's Orange and Blue Fry Guys Two Pack.

You get Two Funko Pops when you buy this, it's the steal of the century and no one's going for it. I do think it's an issue that almost no one has any idea who the Orange and Blue Fry Guy are. And like the McNugget, they are not shaped like other Funko pops at all. I'm not sure if McDonald's wouldn't allow them to Funko Popize these characters, or if it's just that they wouldn't really work well as a Funko Pop shape.

A humiliating loss for McDonald's. A decently fun Pop. Like I said, everyone should get the Silvio Pop. Clearly the best of these 20 worst pops. But, Orange and Blue Fry Guys, especially cause they're in last place, which I can only imagine means no one has bought any of them. That's a must buy you could be the first on your block. Or in your city to own this. You're going to want to go to van.link/fun, and that's going to give you the list of all of these lowest ranked pops.

pick your favorite, low ranked pop and get it. And please. write in and tell me what you got at [email protected].

So that's it for the countdown. We're going to wrap up the episode, but some honorable mentions that were near the bottom, but didn't make this bottom 20.

Jungle Cruise Frank. That's the Rock's character. I believe.

Arnold from Happy Days the owner of Arnold's diner played by Pat Morita. Sorry, Chachi Arnold, slightly more popular.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Brad Hamilton as Pirate. Funko, too specific.

Finally with a better ranking than Dracula himself, Bram Stoker's Dracula - Van Helsing.

Van Helsing played by Harvey Keitel in Bram stoker's Dracula. The Harvey Keitel Mr. White Reservoir Dogs Funko Pop is probably the most popular Harvey Keitel Funko Pop. I'm not sure if there's a full frontal, The Piano Funko Pop. I strongly doubt there's a Bad Lieutenant Funko pop. But if you do know of, or have any Harvey Keitel Funko Pops. Please write in and let me know about them at the final email address of this episode, [email protected].

All right. That wraps it up for fun.com. I'm Van Robichaux and this has been The Read.