It is with a heavy heart that Funko recently announced the layoffs of Mondo’s original employees, effectively ending an influential era for the popular vinyl-collectible company.
Mondo – now part of the Funko corporate family – began in 2004 as the brainchild of a small group of film industry aficionados. From the very beginning, they focused on creating culture-inspired collectibles with a distinct aesthetic. As Mondo grew in success, their products garnered acclaim from both movie-lovers and the mainstream.
In 2019, Funko acquired the majority stake in Mondo, attempting to capitalize on the brand’s nostalgia-filled designs and irreverent takes on pop culture. However, the move was criticized for not reflecting the core ethos of Mondo, eliciting concerns that its original vision was being diluted by its new majority owners. Last month, these criticisms became a reality when Funko laid off the entirety of Mondo’s original staff, ending an era of truly unique and original collectibles in the process.
While Funko is still producing Mondo branded items, they’re no longer remotely close to the quality of the original team. Without their influence, the company’s products are quickly becoming indistinguishable from the content played over their corporate parent’s giant speaker in the sky. That’s a shame, because Mondo brought something truly special to the table, bettering the vinyl toy community with every single release.
What’s worse, the layoffs represent a potential grey area for the genre’s future prospects. Often championed as a low-cost, diverse hobby, vinyl toys have grown in popularity over the last few years. However, losing Mondo’s creative force likely means fewer ambitious projects and even fewer unique designs. As a challenging job market continues to shutter dreams, talented artists could now find it even harder to make a living in the world of vinyl collectibles.
As such, it’s important to remember the unique contributions of the original Mondo crew, and the amount of joy they brought to the community. From here on out, it’s up to Funko to continue their legacy by maintaining the quality and originality of Mondo’s products, before it’s too late.
