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Funko Releases an Official Statement About the Future of Mondo; Poster Business Continuing

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1 year ago

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Funko is doing a bit of damage control in the wake of last week’s big news about the future of Mondo, which was purchased by the company less than one year ago. Last week it was reported that the Mondo division of Funko was hit with massive layoffs that included the two co-founders of the popular Mondo brand, Rob Jones and Mitch Putnam.

The Wrap reported last week, “They killed the poster division, which is a shock considering that’s how Mondo started, along with a division meant for cutting-edge experiences and products called The Lab, which was run by Mondo co-founder Rob Jones, who was also laid off during the process. Mitch Putnam, another co-founder, also got the axe. As of now, the only two divisions of the company that remain are the toys and records divisions. But insiders tell TheWrap it’s unclear how long those divisions will remain as part of the Funko portfolio.”

In their own statement this week, Funko insists that Mondo’s mega popular poster division will continue, and they’re generally downplaying those reports from last week.

“Since there is a lot of misinformation about the recent change in leadership and the poster division of Mondo currently out there, I can tell you that our strategy is very clear,” writes Funko’s Brian Mariotti. “While we did reduce the workforce by about 10% across Funko, the majority of the company-wide layoffs weren’t in Mondo.”

Mariotti continues, “The Mondo posters business will continue, period. Our goal is to make larger edition size runs (limited but not ultra-limited) that allow more fans to participate in this world-class expression of pop culture art.” The official memo also suggests that Funko will be “investing heavily in the production of vinyl records” under the Mondo label.

“We are 100% committed to providing all the support we possibly can for the folks at Mondo, so they can continue to make amazing products that reach a larger and more diverse Fanbase through expanded licenses, better distribution, and better overall experience for the fans,” Mariotti’s letter – posted to the official Mondo Twitter account – concludes.

This statement paints a pretty rosy picture about the state of Mondo at this point in time, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that there’s a lot of damage control at play here. If the founders of Mondo are no longer on board the ship, at what point is Funko’s Mondo no longer the Mondo we know and love? And why exactly have the founders been let go, you ask?

These are questions we still don’t have answers to. But at this point in time, we can’t exactly say our concerns from last week have been assuaged. Stay tuned for more as we learn it.

In the meantime, you can read Funko’s full statement on Mondo below.

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Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

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The Further

5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including a ‘Scooby-Doo: Zombie Island’ Blu-ray Double Feature

Published

21 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Matinee 4K UHD from Shout Select

Shout Select proudly presents Matinee on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on June 25. The 1993 comedy has been newly restored in 4K from the original negative, supervised by director Joe Dante, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound.

John Goodman stars as a filmmaker loosely based on B-movie legend William Castle. Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin, and Lisa Jakub round out the cast. Charles S. Haas (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) penned the script.

Special features include: a new commentary by film critics Drew McWeeny and Eric Vespe; new interviews with Martin and David Clennon; interviews with Dante, Moriarty, Jakub, production designer Steven Legler, editor Marshall Harvey, and director of photography John Hora; MANTastic! The Making of a Mant; vintage making-of featurette; and more.

Suspiria Button-Up from Middle of Beyond

I’d drape myself in Suspiria‘s lavish aesthetic every day if I could. Middle of Beyond’s new button-up shirt — with an all-over print featuring many of the film’s iconic visuals — is the next best thing.

It costs $60, and you can complete the outfit with matching shorts for the same price.

Stopmotion Blu-ray from IFC

Stopmotion will bring your nightmares to life on Blu-ray on June 11 via IFC Films. The British psychological horror film marks the feature directorial debut of Robert Morgan (ABCs of Death 2).

In her review, Meagan Navarro said, “Morgan’s knockout debut opens up the veins of a turbulent artist, delivering one creepy melding of mediums to an unsettling, powerful degree.”

Aisling Franciosi stars with Tom York, Caoilinn Springall, Therica Wilson-Read, and Stella Gonet. Morgan co-wrote the script with Robin King.

Special features include: Behind the Scenes of Stopmotion and interviews with Morgan and Franciosi.

John Carpenter Shirt + Flexi Disc from Fright Rags

Fright-Rags has released John Carpenter’s latest single, “He Walks By Night,” on flexi disc with a matching shirt featuring artwork by Aaron Lea. Limited to 500, the set costs $45 and is scheduled to ship the week of May 24.

The track appears on Carpenter’s new album, Lost Themes IV: Noir, due out May 3 from Sacred Bones Records.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray from Warner Archive

1998’s Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and 2019’s Scooby-Doo Return to Zombie Island will be released on Blu-ray together as a Hanna-Barbera double feature on May 7 via Warner Archive.

Zombie Island is directed by Jim Stenstrum (Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost) and written by Glenn Leopold (The Prowler). Frank Welker, Billy West, Mary Kay Bergman, B.J. Ward, Scott Innes, Adrienne Barbeau, Jim Cummings, and Mark Hamill star.

Return to Zombie Island is directed by Cecilia Aranovich (Harley Quinn) and Ethan Spaulding (Avatar: The Last Airbender) and written by Jeremy Adams (Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge). Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Matthew Lillard, and Kate Micucci star, with an appearance by Cassandra Peterson as Elvira.

No special features are included, but pre-orders are only $14.99.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan.

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