Official Funko press announced last week that the Animaniacs join the Funko Pop! family in November. Yakko, Wakko and Dot are on their way, along with Pinky and the Brain. We got a sneak peek at the Animaniacs Funko figures via an official press release.
Animaniacs Funko Pops Have Pay or Play Contracts
Animaniacs falls firmly in the category of “90s toons that cause severe nostalgia”. The show’s weird premise worked out well thanks in part to the star power backing it up. The Warner Brothers (and their long-neglected sister) are actually creatures living on the WB movie lot. For years, they were locked up in the iconic water tower for creating mischief and mayhem.
To the casual viewer, and the target audience, it’s a premise that makes just enough sense to support the nonsense of the variety-style show. For the movie buff, or the adult revisiting a childhood favorite, the show’s satirical brilliance shines through from even this initial skit.
Eventually, Animaniacs won eight daytime Emmy awards and a Peabody. Songs and skits still inspire teachers to share the now decades-old show in the modern classroom.
The show’s effects on popular culture continues to grow as the characters are immortalized in Funko Pop! figure form this November.
One is a Genius, The Other’s Insane
Besides the Animaniacs themselves, the most popular characters on the show quickly became Pinky and the Brain. These two lab rats spent every night doing the same thing “trying to take over the world!” As the theme song explains, the experiments have created very unique personalities in each of the characters. However, the true genius of the two is left to interpretation.
Once more, the success of the show lies in its complex, adult commentary. Presidents and movie stars alike make appearances delivered by the brilliant voice acting skills of Robert Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche. Both still travel the convention circuit to the delight of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain fans. Paulsen can still deliver his fast-paced “Nations of the World” song flawlessly.
Now the voice actors can put themselves on a shelf. With the amount of love they still have for the show, there’s little doubt that they’ll snag these as soon as they hit the market.
Steven Spielberg Presents: Animaniacs ran from 1993 to 1998. It is now available to stream on Netflix.
Funko Pop! figures of Yakko, Wakko, Dot, Pinky and The Brain will be released next month.
