The mystery is the product, not the character inside.
As Pixar prepares to return audiences to the world of living toys on June 19, Funko has seeded the cultural moment with a licensed collectibles line that arrives before the film itself — a reminder that in modern entertainment, anticipation is its own marketplace. The collection blends nostalgia for beloved characters with the deliberate mystery of blind box mechanics, reflecting a broader human appetite for surprise, ritual, and the small joy of the hunt. Merchandise has long preceded meaning; here, it is designed to deepen it.
- Funko has launched vinyl Pop figurines and blind box mystery minis tied to Toy Story 5, hitting shelves weeks before the film's June 19 theatrical debut.
- The blind box format — sealed packs hiding one of twelve possible characters — deliberately withholds satisfaction, driving collectors to buy repeatedly in pursuit of rare variants like Forky and Karen Beverly.
- New characters Lilypad, Blaze, and Karen Beverly are introduced through merchandise before audiences even see the film, blurring the line between marketing and storytelling.
- The strategy mirrors the Labubu-driven blind box craze, transforming a single movie release into a sustained collecting cycle that extends well beyond opening weekend.
Pixar's fifth Toy Story installment arrives in theaters June 19, but Funko has already moved to capture fan attention with an officially licensed collectibles line designed to build momentum before opening weekend. The vinyl Pop lineup brings back Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and Bullseye alongside Lilypad — a new smart tablet character whose story role remains deliberately mysterious in marketing materials. Each standard figure stands 3.75 inches tall and ships in a numbered window-pane box suited for display collectors, with preorders live on Amazon and a June 10 delivery date.
Beyond straightforward character figures, Funko and Pixar are leaning into the blind box collecting trend that brands like Labubu have made a cultural force. Sealed mystery mini packs — smaller figures at 3.4 inches — conceal one of twelve possible characters, pushing buyers to open multiple boxes in search of rare pulls. Sticky Hand qualifies as a rare find, while a super-rare chase variant pairs Forky with Karen Beverly, a character new to this film. Blaze, a pet pig who befriends Jessie in the story, rounds out the lineup.
The timing is no accident. Merchandise campaigns like this one are engineered to create a second wave of anticipation while giving retailers time to stock shelves. For Funko, the Toy Story franchise is among its most dependable licensing properties, and the blind box mechanic transforms a single theatrical event into months of sustained collector engagement — turning the simple pleasure of a childhood film into an ongoing, gamified pursuit.
Pixar's fifth installment in the Toy Story franchise arrives in theaters on June 19, and Funko has already stocked shelves with an officially licensed collectibles line designed to capture the attention of fans before opening weekend. The vinyl figurine collection features the familiar faces of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie alongside a newcomer to the cast: Lilypad, a mysterious smart tablet character whose role in the story remains deliberately vague in the marketing materials.
Each standard Funko Pop stands roughly 3.75 inches tall and arrives in a numbered window-pane box meant to appeal to collectors who display their figures rather than open them. The figures are available for preorder now on Amazon, with a June 10 release date that gives collectors nine days to receive their orders before the film hits theaters. Bullseye, Jessie's horse and a returning character from earlier films, gets his own Pop release as well, scaled slightly larger at five inches wide to accommodate the animal's proportions.
But Funko and Pixar are banking on more than nostalgia and straightforward character collecting. The partnership also includes a blind box mystery mini line that taps into the collecting frenzy that brands like Labubu sparked over the past year. These smaller figures, measuring 3.4 inches, come sealed in unmarked packs so buyers don't know which of the twelve available characters they'll receive until they open the box at home. The mystery element drives repeat purchases, as collectors hunt for specific variants or the rare chase versions.
The blind box roster includes characters both familiar and new. Sticky Hand appears as a rare pull, while Forky and Karen Beverly—a character introduced in the new film—exist as a super-rare chase variant that collectors will pursue across multiple box purchases. Blaze, another new character who befriends Jessie in the film, brings a pet pig into the collectibles lineup, adding another figure to the hunt.
The timing is deliberate. Merchandise launches like this one typically precede theatrical releases by weeks, creating a secondary wave of anticipation and giving retailers time to stock inventory. For Funko, which has built its business model around the collectible vinyl figure format, the Toy Story franchise represents one of the most reliable revenue streams in the entertainment licensing space. The blind box component adds an element of gambling that keeps collectors engaged long after the initial purchase, turning a single movie release into months of sustained merchandise sales.
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Funko release these figures before the movie even opens? Isn't that backwards?
Not at all. The figures create a second reason for people to engage with the franchise before they ever sit down in a theater. It's anticipation building on anticipation.
But if someone buys a blind box and gets a character they don't want, doesn't that frustrate them?
It does, which is exactly why they buy another one. That's the whole mechanism. The mystery is the product, not the character inside.
So Funko is essentially selling the act of collecting itself, not the figures?
Precisely. The figures are the vehicle. What they're really selling is the compulsion to complete a set, the thrill of the rare pull, the display on a shelf that says you were there from day one.
And the movie itself becomes almost secondary to that experience?
For serious collectors, yes. They'll see the film, sure, but the real engagement happens in the hunt for variants and chase editions. The movie is the excuse; the collecting is the point.