Burbank's iconic Bob's Large Boy is the muse for Funko's new $300 assortment

Rising up in small-town Richland, Washington within the Nineteen Sixties, Funko founder Mike Becker would eat at Bob's Large Boy each few months along with his household. Whereas the restaurant is greatest recognized for its “double-deck” burgers layered with a triple bun, two thick patties and double American cheese, Becker remembers the fiberglass determine that greeted diners on the 'entrance entrance dearer. “Large Boy was all the time one of many friendliest and happiest mascots,” says Becker. “Once I was a child, that fiberglass statue was taller than me, so it all the time had a pleasant affect and people huge large smiling eyes.”

When Becker began Funko in 1998 from his storage in Snohomish, Washington, the primary figurine he produced was a Bob's Large Boy bobblehead, or Wacky Wobbler, the model's title. From its humble beginnings 1 / 4 of a century in the past, Becker has grown the vinyl gathering enterprise right into a billion greenback, publicly traded firm.

A man wearing a black sweater sits at a booth at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. — Funko founder Mike Becker.

Crowds of Funko fans gather outside Bob's Big Boy in Burbank for the launch of Project Fred. — Crowds of Funko followers collect outdoors Bob's Large Boy in Burbank for the launch of Challenge Fred.

Now, Funko is launching a brand new line of high-end collectibles referred to as Challenge Fred on March 7, which is known as after the corporate's mascot, Freddy Funko. Becker, who bought the corporate in 2005 however continues to function its senior vp of artistic and leisure, hosted a gathering to have fun his debut in the present day, February 27, on the 75-year-old Bob's Large Boy years in Burbank.

The primary determine within the line options Freddy Funko impersonate Bob's Big Boy. The collectible fabricated from arduous vinyl stands practically a foot tall and is priced at $295. Solely 750 of the restricted version collectible figurines had been produced. As a part of the launch occasion, the Bob's Large Boy statue in entrance of the restaurant was changed by a duplicate of the Challenge Fred mannequin.

Whereas Bob's Large Boy isn't a family title like, say, Mickey Mouse or Luke Skywalker, Becker continues to look to the bright-faced, wide-eyed boy sporting a purple checkered jumpsuit for inspiration. “We may have simply collaborated with the most recent Marvel film or Star Wars or Warner Bros. or one thing, however we selected to do that for us, for the followers, for the previous individuals who began with Funko,” Becker says. “Be sure you dance with whoever introduced you in, you already know?”