Pop culture retail brand Funko is taking another step into the crypto space, teaming up with Warner Brothers to offer a physical and digital comic book collectible exclusively through retail giant Walmart.
The “phygital” bundle includes a comic book cover from DC’s “The Brave and the Bold,” in both printed form and as a non-fungible token (NFT) redeemable online.
Funko’s aim is to “marry the two worlds” of physical and digital collecting, CEO Andrew Perlmutter said in an interview. DC fans who purchase the collectible can connect their crypto wallet and claim the NFT online, minted on the World Asset eXchange blockchain (WAX) – a network that supports 60 million NFTs (including ones issued previously by Funko, Topps, Atari and other mainstream brands) and 30,000 dapps.
Funko has been making strides in releasing NFT components to its flagship “Pop!” action figures for the past year. In August 2021, it kicked off its digital asset extension with its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection, allowing users to purchase both figurines along with an NFT.
Starting Oct. 7, Funko will begin selling the 30,000-unit “Brave and the Bold” collection at Walmart.
“We think this is a great opportunity to test out what this could look like with retailers, and if we wanted to expand our NFT business to physical retailers as well as digital”.
