Funko releases statement on Mondo’s future, says poster business will live on

It was reported last week that Funko has laid off several Mondo employees and shut down its poster business. Some of the people who were fired included the co-founders of Mondo Mitch Putnam AND Rob Jonesas well as senior creative director of Mondo Eric Garza.

It was reported that “They killed the poster division, which is a shock considering this is how Mondo started, along with a division for cutting-edge experiences and products called The Lab, which was run by Mondo co-founder Rob Jones, who was also fired in the process. Mitch Putnam, another co-founder, also received the ax. As of now, the only two divisions of the company that remain are the toy and record divisions. But insiders tell TheWrap it’s unclear how long these divisions will remain as part of the Funko portfolio.

Well, Funko have now released a statement regarding Mondo’s future stating that the poster business will continue. The statement reads:

Funko has been obsessed with Mondo and the amazing products it has been making for years. We believe Mondo is an artist of pop culture taste and he always has his pulse on all things cool.

Since there is a lot of misinformation about Mondo’s recent leadership change and poster division currently out there, I can tell you that our strategy is very clear.

While we reduced our overall workforce by about 10% at Funko, most of the company-wide layoffs weren’t at Mondo.

The Mondo poster business will continue, period. We believe that making extremely limited runs of posters, most of which are 150 pieces or less, unfairly limits access to fans. Many of these posters are bought for the sole purpose of launching them at a much higher cost to the fans who really want them. The posters are created by some of the most amazing artists working today. Our goal is to make larger (limited but not ultra-limited) print runs that allow more fans to participate in this world-class expression of pop culture art. We also believe expanding the scope of pop culture to include TV properties, sports, anime, and music will have an incredible appetite from both Mondo fans and pop culture fans alike.

Funko will be investing heavily in vinyl record production in the near future, allowing Mondo to deliver records to more fans. We currently plan to build a nearly 70,000 square foot record pressing factory meets future record store meets live music event space in San Diego. The space will have a dedicated 4,000-square-foot Mondo art gallery as part of the vision.

Funko is also going to great lengths to invest heavily in some of the most amazing licenses around to build the pop culture portfolio for Mondo’s high-end collectibles division. These are dream licenses that Mondo has wanted to work with for a long time but was unable to due to financial restrictions before purchasing them.

We are 100% committed to providing all possible support for the people of Mondo, so they can continue to build amazing products that reach a larger and more diverse fan base through expanded licensing, better distribution, and a better overall experience for fans. their fans.

Brian Mariotti

Mondo’s co-founders were the heart of Mondo and it is still sad that they will no longer be at the helm of the ship. But Funko are looking to expand the band and make it bigger, so that everyone has a chance to own these great collectibles. I personally liked the exclusivity of the limited edition posters. I’ve never flipped any of the posters I’ve bought, but I also like that they’re super limited and worth more than they were when I bought them.

But great art is great art, and if they keep bringing in great artists to deliver great art, fans will keep buying it. What do you think of Funko’s big plans for Mondo?

A note to Mondo fans from Brian Mariotti. pic.twitter.com/5yVTDrvcNi

— WORLD (@MondoNews) March 30, 2023