Gifts / Sports & Toys

In August, Funko, an American pop culture collectibles company, announced an important appointment, hiring Michael Hyde as the company's senior vice president and managing director of the Far East, to comprehensively enhance Funko's operations in Asia.

It is reported that Hyde has many years of rich experience in the toy industry. He has worked in Mattel in brand management, marketing, product development, etc. He has worked in the Character group for 17 years, responsible for its Far East operations, and is currently a director of the ICTI Ethical Toy Program.

After taking office, Hyde will be based in Hong Kong and Dongguan, China, and will be responsible for supply chain management, logistics, quality assurance, procurement, and international direct shipping in Funko's Far East Region, reporting directly to Funko CEO Andrew Perlmutter. At the same time, he will work with the company's product team and Asian sales team to comprehensively strengthen and enhance the company's operations in the Asian market.

The appointment reflects Funko's ambitions for the international market.

As early as 2019, Funko has already begun to make some moves in the Asian market, choosing Bandai as its exclusive distributor in Japan, hoping to expand the market influence of POP! resin figures in Japan. In recent years, China, where the trendy play market has been extremely hot, has naturally been included in Funko's overseas expansion goals and has begun to increase its weight. At present, well-known toy retailers such as Toys "R" Us, Hamreth, Bubble Mart, and Kule Chaowan are Funko's partners in China.

Funko's just announced results for the second quarter of 2022 show that net sales in regions other than Europe and the United States accounted for only 6% of the company's, with an increase of only 1.2%. The international market will undoubtedly be the company's future focus.