From Harry Potter, from Disney, from Game of Thrones or from Naruto. The Tenerife Isabel Cruz collect up to 320 toys Funko, figures with large heads and small bodies that caricature popular characters that appear in books, series, movies or even people you know in real life. The young woman, who is 27 years old, is journalist, singer and collector, three passions that make her stand out on social networks TikTok, Instagram and YouTube under the name With F from Funko.
It was in 2017 when Isabel started her collection after an acquaintance gave her a gift Funko from Harry Potter, a saga that she is very fond of. From there, he began to investigate these figures and fell “prey to madness.” First, he shared the images and videos he made with the dolls on his personal Instagram profile, until he realized that his collection could interest other people and decided to create specific accounts where he could share his love with the huge community that exists around it. to the Funko
“Suddenly you see that there is an immense world of people who take photos of their figures and who also try to recreate a bit what is the setting of that movie or series to which the character belongs. It is not simply taking photos of a shelf, but creating montages and that kind of thing ”, the young woman explains about a hobby that goes beyond collecting dolls.
In addition, Isabel wanted to “give a spin” to everything that involves “recreating” the world of the characters and went much further: she mixed her knowledge of video editing, communication and singing to create fun scenes in which she recorded herself performing a paper next to their Funkos. In one of these videos he even captured what these dolls would be like if there were a version allusive to the typical costumes of the Canary Islands, an invention that he accompanied by singing the Hymn of the Canary Islands.
Although he started collecting alone Funkos of the universe created by JK Rowling, currently has a collection made up of 320 figures and valued at around 7,000 euros. These dolls allude to different films, series, books or artists: “You start with a small collection, but then you put little eyes on others you like, as has happened to me with Disney and some animes,” says Isabel, who He assures that in this way he remembers “moments of his life” and that, above all, he is “nostalgic” to collect because many of these figures belong to characters he liked in his childhood.
The Funko What makes you most excited is that of Harry Potter entering platform nine and three-quarters, a figure that he was looking for for months but whose price did not fall below 80 or 90 euros. Each of these dolls usually costs about 15 euros to start but can reach thousands of euros. So when they put their Funko desired at a “normal price”, he bought it running: “The day the box came home and I opened it, I was so moved that I burst into tears.”
Another factor that can increase the price of one of these figures is that it is signed by someone related to the character it represents or that it has been sold in one of the four annual conventions that are held and in which they are sold. Funkos exclusive or very limited editions. In the United States, the phenomenon around these figures is comparable to that of vintage or high-end cars for the price that collections reach.
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel Cruz, a 27-year-old from Tenerife, collects dolls Funko because this way he saves memories of his childhood and also expresses with them all his creativity in the networks / Photo: SERGIO MÉNDEZ
Isabel considers that this ‘fever’ for Funko is very positive for those who have always been labeled “geeks”: “I, for example, had always liked Harry PotterBut when I was little that made you look like the weirdo. However, now people exploit their tastes, expose it on social networks and everything is more normalized ”.
On how his acquaintances have taken his hobby, he points out that “there are a variety of opinions.” Some friends have their own collections, others do not understand it and have even told him that with what he has spent he could “have paid the entrance of a house or a car”. However, he remains that his parents have been “hooked” on the world Funko and they have even created their small collections at home.
