Seinfeld: Jerry's Apartment
Funko Mini Moments
Funko has finally done it! They made a product that doesn't disgust me in any way! While it's not surprising that Funko would go after one of the greatest sitcoms of all time in their quest to engulf and market every facet of pop culture with their soul-less, black eyed, vinyl POPS line, this entry is a total shocker. And a most welcome one: notable Seinfeld characters with a build-a-playset gimmick! Giddyup!
Jerry's apartment comes in six pieces, each packaged with a minifigure. Some sections are bigger than others, while the smaller pieces come with additional set dressing like the couch, table, chairs, coffee table. The detail is great for as small as it is, and it should check most "must-have" boxes for die-hards: little things like Jerry's cereal boxes, rarely-used computer station, fridge magnets...even Superman has some representation (just enough to skirt copyright laws). They only took one liberty with the overall layout: access hallway to Jerry's bedroom is missing. They went with a straight hall to the bathroom, but kept the bike hanging on the wall. Oh well, Little Jerry here doesn't come with a girlfriend-of-the-week to necessitate total accuracy here.
The figures, though simple and cartoony, capture the essence of the characters, and are way cuter that their larger POPs counterparts. Mouths, Funko? They work to save your plastic doppelgangers from Uncanny Valley territory. They stand about 2-inches tall on average, Kramer getting a little more height with his hair, of course.
Character selection works for the most part. You get the big four plus Newman, who makes sense since he lives in the building and is commonly seen at Jerry's front door. Uncle Leo is a bit of an oddity. I know he must have been in Jerry's place a handful of times, but it's hard to recall. I think of him more when it comes to stop-and-chats on the street or out and about, stopping to irk Jerry with some cousin Jeffrey news. Though if not Uncle Leo, I'm not sure which other character would be better suited for this set...Frank Costanza (one of my favorites) or Mickey? Both were Kramer business associates that dropped in from time to time. Oh well, Uncle Leo is still great (if not difficult)!
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| "Hello, Newman..." |
Funko usually tries to ruin completists' collections and fuel terrible aftermarket prices with chase variants...this line is no different. At least they are just wardrobe variants for the main characters (surprised they didn't go super-cheap on an eyebrow-less Uncle Leo) that I can pass on without feeling my set is incomplete. As iconic as the puffy shirt is, it's one episode. Standard Jerry is all I need. I did, however get lucky on the best of the bunch...Amazon delivered me the chase George, which features his red-orange style jacket (No, not the Gor-Tex one) that runs through a bulk of outdoor shots, pop-ins, and seasonal episodes.
I would love to see this line expand to, say, Monk's Diner and have a reason to get more mini-staples of the show. I'd even go for a Del Boca Vista wave, though I imagine this is a one-and-done. Funko doesn't really have a great track record for seconds. Either way, this is still one of, if not the best Funko outing ever. Maybe there are some other classic series that deserve the full-set treatment in the works? (*crosses fingers for "Cheers"*)
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| "Mary Hart's voice! Don't you see?!" |
