Where Are All the Late-Night Host Funko Pops?
A guide to the few Funko Pops late-night TV fans *can* buy.
Years ago, I took the time to notice a glaring oversight of American pop culture capitalism, specifically at the intersection of toy collectors and film: There’s no official action figure set for the cast of DINER.
At the time, I wondered why my investigative reporting didn’t result in my earning a Pulitzer Prize. But now I finally understand why: The whole time, I was overlooking an even more insane void in the film/TV action figure universe: late-night talk show hosts.
Off the top of your head, tell me: How many late-night hosts do you think have official Funko Pop figures?
Go ahead. Take a guess.
WRONG.
(I assume. I can’t actually hear you.)
The answer is a measly TWO. Across the whole history of the medium—one of the greatest exports of American pop culture—there are only TWO late-night talk show hosts immortalized in Funko vinyl for their work in the genre.
If you really wanna dig deep, you could argue there’s three. But that’s a generous three. Why? Let’s take a look…
CONAN O’BRIEN
As the host with the most internet nerd-based fandom — I’m allowed to say that because I’m one of them — it’s no surprise that Conan is by far the most represented late-night personality in the world of Funko.
He’s got an entire line of Pop figures featuring Conan in various depictions: from outfits he wore in Conan Without Borders to Conan cosplaying as dozens of different movie characters — everything from Marvel to Jurassic Park to Chucky to The Joker to Ghostbusters to you get it, right?
But it all started with a vinyl figure of the blue-suited host of TBS’ Conan, released for San Diego Comic-Con in 2015. While that one’s impossible to find on the cheap these days, there’s a more, uh, suitable alternative: For SDCC 2018, Funko made a line of Pop figures that depict Conan progressively ripping off a suit to reveal a superhero costume underneath. The first one is Conan in a gray suit, and the figure is otherwise identical to his inaugural Funko release.
(Also of note is the full-orange version of the same pose, made in 2019 to recognize Conan’s 25 years in late-night.)
JOHN OLIVER
John Oliver got a Last Week Tonight-branded Funko Pop, a year after Conan got his first one. (The body mold is identical to Conan’s, right down to the pose—but what other way is there really to depict a late-night host? In fact, that’s yet another argument for Funko expanding their line to include every other familiar face who has ever stepped on a monologue mark and said “Welcome to the show.”)
PAT SAJAK
There’s one other TV host who (1) hosted a late-night show, and (2) has a Funko Pop figure depicting him as a TV host… It’s just not the late-night show that they immortalized him for. Pat Sajak’s got one for Wheel of Fortune. Still, it’s a close-enough representation of what he looked like hosting The Pat Sajak Show from 1989-1990. Turn that Wheel-branded gold card into a blank blue card, darken his hair a bit… and you’ve got yourself a late-‘80s late-night Pat Pop! That’s a fun phrase to say, huh?
MAGIC JOHNSON
Magic Johnson has a bunch of Funko Pop variants, too. But—inexplicably—they all memorialize him as the all-time greatest point guard in the history of basketball, and not as the host of talk TV’s venerated The Magic Hour. Does hosting a talk show for *eight weeks* mean nothing anymore?
CHEVY CHASE
Chevy Chase does not have a figure in Funko’s line of SNL characters. He does not have one in the Community line. But he does have a couple as Clark Griswold from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
But none of those roles are as iconic as his turn hosting 1993’s The Chevy Chase Show. Does hosting a talk show for *six weeks* mean nothing anymore?
ARSENIO HALL
While not honored for his Arsenio Hall Show (either version), Arsenio is available as a Funko Pop figure in the form of his character from Coming to America, Semi. However, he dons a more formal attire here than he did when hosting his show.
JAMES CORDEN
James Corden does have a Funko… in a way. See, he voiced a character named Percy Patterson in the 2018 animated musical comedy pic Smallfoot (because if it’s a musical and it’s on a screen, Corden’s probably in it). Well, the Percy character got the Pop treatment. Not to take anything away from Corden here, but this hardly counts, even when widening the goalposts of who qualifies for this post, as I’m doing now — because the character (and, subsequently, this figure) weren’t designed in Corden’s likeness.
ALEC BALDWIN
Alright, let’s just get this one out of the way as fast as possible.
Alec Baldwin hosted a late-night show for MSNBC. It was called Up Late with Alec Baldwin. It premiered in October 2013. It was canceled in November 2013. (It brings me no joy to have to admit this to you, but it actually had one of my favorite talk show sets ever.)
Alec Baldwin voiced Boss Baby. Doesn’t count, not in his likeness, see Section Corden above.
Alec Baldwin was in Beetlejuice. That movie has Funko Pops. His character, Adam Maitland, has a Funko Pop. But you can’t see his face. Eligibility nixed.
Does hosting a talk show for *five episodes* mean nothing anymore?
Honorable Mentions
Because I don’t know how to stop digging until I hit rock bottom, here’s this:
Three (3) Daily Show correspondents/contributors have Funko Pops from other projects that are specifically based on their likenesses: Steve Carell (as various versions of Michael Scott in The Office), Leslie Jones (as Patty Tolan in Ghostbusters: Answer the Call), and Ed Helms (as Andy Bernard in The Office).
The Takeaway
It’s actually, truly, genuinely, I-mean-this-so-sincerely insane that these three hosts have not yet gotten the Funko treatment:
Jimmy Fallon: Between how many merchandising opportunities and brand partnerships The Tonight Show pursues, and Fallon’s time on SNL, I was shocked he didn’t have one yet.
Johnny Carson: Sure, he’s not a modern personality, but Funko customers respect pop culture icons, and he’s absolutely one of those.
David Letterman: What’s true of Johnny there is true of Dave here, and he’s got the added aspect of being culturally beloved in the sense that he remains a part of the conversation within Funko’s probable demographic.
Your move, Funko.