Funko: Creating a new animated web series for a pop culture brand

Client

Funko Animation Studios, the animation production arm of Funko Inc., is renowned for producing licensed pop culture collectables.

Challenge: Creating an animated web series

Funko Animation Studios set out to create an animated web series.

The concept was a talk show hosted by their mascot, Freddy Funko, with Huckleberry Hound as the sidekick, interviewing various pop culture figures in their Funko Pop forms.

They needed a screenwriter to develop concepts, a treatment, and scripts for the show, focusing initially on Batman & Robin and Freddy Kreuger for the first two episodes.

Approach

Process Design

Our approach included:

• Talk Show Research: We delved into the history of talk shows across the USA, Britain, and Europe to identify common segments like cold opens, chat segments, and gameshows. This helped us compile a list of potential segments for the Funko show.

• Format Concepts: We brainstormed how each segment would work, drawing inspiration from popular shows. For example, we suggested a segment similar to Top Gear’s ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car,’ where Funko Pops would race to escape their boxes.

• Format Creation: We narrowed down the segments with the client, finalising the flow of the talk show.

• Intellectual Property Research: We researched each character’s preferences, speech cadence, and vocabulary to ensure authenticity and compliance with rights holders.

• Beat Sheet Creation: We developed detailed outlines (beat sheets) for each episode, mapping out every event from start to finish.

• Screenwriting: We crafted concise scripts no longer than five pages each, ensuring the episodes remained under five minutes.

Solution

Talk Show Research

The client knew they wanted a talk show, but we needed to define what made a talk show distinctive. We researched talk show formats from different regions to understand essential segments, which guided our segment list creation.

Our research involved watching numerous shows and analysing their structures, which helped us understand the nuances of what makes each segment engaging and entertaining.

Format Concepts

We then conceptualised each possible segment, envisioning how they would work.

For instance, we proposed a recurring game show segment inspired by Top Gear’s ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car,’ where Funko Pops raced to escape their boxes.

We also suggested a “Pop Culture News” segment where Freddy and Huckleberry discuss current events in the world of pop culture, adding humour and relevance to each episode.

Format Creation

With the client’s input, we refined and finalised the show’s segments and overall flow.

We developed a comprehensive show format that included a mix of interviews, games, and comedic skits.

This format was designed to keep the audience engaged and entertained, ensuring a varied and dynamic viewing experience.

Intellectual Property Research

To integrate pop culture characters seamlessly, we researched their unique traits and limitations imposed by rights holders, ensuring each character stayed true to their origins.

We meticulously reviewed character guidelines, watched relevant media, and read character biographies to capture their personalities accurately.

This step was crucial to ensure that the portrayals would be authentic and approved by the rights holders.

Beat Sheet Creation

Post-research, we outlined each episode in beat sheets, detailing every action and dialogue point. The beat sheets provided a clear roadmap for the episodes, ensuring that all key moments and interactions were planned out.

This step involved close collaboration with Funko Animation Studios to align on the vision and ensure all creative elements were included.

Screenwriting

Upon client approval of the beat sheets, we wrote the scripts, ensuring they were engaging and concise, each script no longer than five pages to keep episodes under five minutes.

The scripts included witty dialogues, humorous interactions, and engaging monologues by Freddy Funko and Huckleberry Hound. We also incorporated visual gags and comedic timing to enhance the overall entertainment value.

Results

• The client approved the show format, segment concepts, and scripts, leading to the creation of the first two episodes of the Freddy Funko Show series.

• These episodes garnered a combined viewership of 3.3 million views.

• The format’s success led to a full-season rollout, establishing the show as a hit in the pop culture space.