NFL ADDS SOME POP WITH NEW LINE OF FUNKO FIGURINES

 

The popular Funko vinyl toys that mimic pop culture entertainment figures is adding the NFL to its ranks this fall.  Debuting just in time for the kickoff of the National Football League's 2014 season is a new line of Funko Pop! figurines that depict some of football's greatest athletes.  Funko's Pop! Viynl toys are modeled in Japanese chibi style which portrays an exaggerated caricature that is small and chubby with stuffy limbs and over-sized heads giving characters the resemblance of small children.  The NFL joins a wide array of licenses that Funko already holds for a variety of entertainment properties including DC Super Heroes, Disney, Star Wars and The Walking Dead among others.

Funko will be releasing toys of 26 players from 19 NFL teams ranging from Detroit's Calvin "Megatron" Johnson to Washington DC's Reggie Griffin III.  Each figure will be 3.75" and come with a removable helmet.  Each figure will also capture a unique feature of a player in his chibi caricature.  For example, Calvin Johnson will have on eye black, Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews  have long locks of hair, Andrew Luck will be sporting his lucky beard, a bandage adorns JJ Watts nose and RGIII will be wearing a beanie.  The lineup of represented players ranges from SuperBowl Champs to ProBowl super stars to some of the top rookies picked up in this year's draft.  Yes Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney made the cut.

Each player is also assigned a number on Funko's 2014 roster of NFL figures:

01 Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
02 Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
03 Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
04 Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
05 Tom Brady, New England Patriots
06 Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
07 DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos
08 Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
09 J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
10 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
11 Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
12 Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
13 Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

14 Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
15 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
16 Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
17 Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
18 Eli Manning, New York Giants
19 Victor Cruz, New York Giants
20 Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
21 Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
22 Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
23 Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
24 Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans
25 Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
26 Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

This isn't Funko's first foray into mocking up sports figures, but will be its first effort with the NFL.  They have also featured NBA players and WWE wrestlers in the past, plus captured Major League Baseball's mascots in vinyl in the past.

Players are sold separately and suggested retail price is $9.99.  Keep an eye out at stores for your favorite players this fall.  Also note that once a wave of Funko toys is released they normally aren't reproduced again which makes them collectibles that are often grabbed up; so if you see a player you want at a store pick him up because you may not be able to find the toy again once it is sold out unless you go to ebay and pay a huge markup.

For more info, visit www.funko.com

Gatorade & DC Comics Team Up to Bring NFL Gridiron Heroes to the Pages of Comic Books

 

Visit the Gatorade website between now and the kick-off of the NFL season and you can enjoy some FREE comic books featuring some of the brightest stars from the NFL. Working in partnership with DC Comics, Gatorade has produced a series of digital comics titled "League of Captains" that involve stories featuring JJ "MegaWatt" Watt, Cam "The Blender" Newton, Peyton "The Sheriff" Manning, Eli "Big Easy" Manning, and Robert "TrIIIple Impact" Griffin III. These digital comic books are part of Gatorade's larger "League of Captains" marketing campaign that also features specially labeled bottles hyping these players special flavors and a contest where you can win your own image on the cover of a comic book. Of course this is all meant to hype up consumers for the return of the football season while the NFL teams are in preseason training camp and get them to pick up some bottles of Gatorade - but hey its a fun campaign and its nice to see advertisers putting some creativity and imagination into their marketing efforts.

The digital comics feature stories about how in addition to physical talent it also takes experience, training, technology, practice and homework to be able to make the plays to win a big game   The comics include flash backs of moments in a players life that helped make them the "player" they are today and sports scenes of the players in the heat of NFL action.  While the stories might be somewhat cheesy the comics feature some great artwork and digital special effects.  These are some fun comic books that have some nice messages about teamwork and homework for kids, an interesting connection to the NFL, and aren't meant to be taken too seriously but rather just enjoyed for a moment by football fans.

When you go to the Gatorade website to view these "League of Captains" comic books there are also some other interactive things you can do while there.  You can create an image of  your own comic book likeness sports super hero...and not just for football but for a variety of sports.  Here I created A Geek Daddy football and futbol players.

There is also a contest you can enter online for a chance to have a comic book cover created in your own likeness. Submit a photo from a game, practice or workout showing how you "Win from Within".  Submissions will be judged and the BEST will be immortalized with a one-of-a-kind comic book cover depicting the winning photograph.  Photo entries are due by September 7, 2014.

Oh, and of course the campaign ties into Gatorade packaging that depicts the comic book images of each of the featured players:  Mega Watt, The Sheriff, TrIIIple Impact, Big Easy and The Blender.  You can pick up these "League of Captains" Gatorade bottles at your local grocery store between now and September 7th.

To check out the comics,  sports character illustrator and photo contest, visit: leagueofcaptains.gatorade.com