Stygimoloch (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pop! Movies by Funko Inc.)

It was inevitable. Funko has now found its way onto the Dinosaur Toy Blog. Since this is the first Funko review on the DTB I suppose a brief introduction of the company is in order, not that it’s needed. Funko has managed to spread its tendrils into virtually every pop culture fandom imaginable and even if you don’t collect them, I know that at least a few readers here have a couple Funko figures around their home.

Although they produce a variety of pop culture themed merchandise Funko is most well known for their Funko Pop! line of “bobbleheads”, with their large soulless black eyes, big heads, and simplified cartoonish features. I put bobbleheads in quotes because although some do have heads attached to springs that make them bobble, most are affixed directly to the figure and aren’t really bobbleheads at all.

Funko Pop! vinyl figures have proven to be immensely popular and part of it is due to their diversity. Movie, television, video game, comic book characters, musicians, politicians, authors, actors, sports stars, and TV personalities have all received the Funko treatment to the point that you would be hard pressed to find a Funko that didn’t appeal to your interests. All that said, I don’t collect Funko Pops, although between me and my wife we have acquired a small random assortment of them, which brings us to the subject of today’s review.

With the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Funko finally started pumping out Jurassic Park/World figures. The human characters had the expected Funko charm and appeal, particularly the “wounded Dr. Malcolm”, but the dinosaurs didn’t translate as well with a couple exceptions. One of those exceptions, in my opinion, is the Stygimoloch which had earned itself a starring role in Fallen Kingdom.

The outlandishly decorated head of the Stygimoloch lends itself well to the Funko Pop! aesthetic. The head is as large as the entire body but in this instance it’s not as visually unsettling as it is on most of the other Funko dinosaurs. On the contrary, the enlarged head works in this figure’s favor. It’s gnarly, interesting to look at, and stinking adorable too. The Funko Stygimoloch stands about 4” tall to the top of it’s horns and because it’s so top heavy it comes with a flat, clear disk that serves as a base, with a small rod that inserts into one of the feet.

The focal point of this toy is obviously its head and that’s where the most attention to detail has been concentrated. A mosaic of irregularly shaped scales adorns the face, and an assortment of small horns decorate the forehead and cheeks. Striations and grooves are etched into the horns.

Larger horns are present on the back of the head, behind the skull dome. The eyes are large, shiny, and black, nostrils are sculpted on the snout, and a beak is sculpted with a cute little smirk. The head sculpt is visually pleasing, charming, and well executed.

The body of the figure is understandably treated more as an afterthought, with minimal detailing. Some scalation is present along the back and upper legs but the rest of the body is smooth, save for a few skin folds and wrinkles. Four fingers are present on the pronated hands and four toes on the feet. All the nails aside from the hallux toes are painted gray.

The paintjob is visually striking, but the execution varies, if you’re buying one of these in-person pay close attention to the eyes. Out of the three specimens I examined this was the only one where the black paint was applied directly to the eyes, on the others it was off center, overlapping the area around the eye socket. Considering how important the eyes are for Funko figures I would consider this a severe oversight.

The figure is painted with a two-tone brown coloration, the body being mostly an orangish brown color. A dark brown mask runs over the eyes, along the back of the head and neck, and down the back and tail. Some dark brown splotches are painted on the knees and forearms too. The underside of the jaw and underside of the body are white. The horns are painted white and the application on them is rather sloppy, or incomplete with the brown skin coloration evident on the base of many of the horns. Dark gray spots are painted on the white skull dome.

The Funko Stygimoloch is a fun, enchanting little figure that has so far served me as a nice little desktop companion. Although I don’t collect Funko, and the Funko dinosaurs don’t appeal to me, this one has enough going for it to make it enjoyable and unique. For me, it’s not likely to serve as a gateway to the other Funko dinosaurs so don’t expect more reviews of them, unless I find the Dilophosaurus. I got my Stygimoloch at Target for $8.99 but it is also available online at various retailors.