For the past four years, Aaron White has been building a pop-culture collection worth more than Dh150,000.
But this is not a numbers game for the British IT professional, who lives in Dubai. Each model, poster and comic book he adds is selected for its rarity or artistic interpretation.
Take the figure of Sheldon Cooper, a character from US TV sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which is one of more than 600 Funko Pop! models – distinctive plastic figures with large heads – that occupy several shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling in a bedroom in his villa.
"These guys from The Big Bang Theory with their Star Trek costumes on was specially created for the San Diego comic convention," he says.
“So while most Funko figures cost about Dh47, Cooper cost me about US$100 [Dh367]. I also got the other characters from the show as a birthday present for my wife,” he says, pointing out the models of Raj, Leonard and Howard from the Emmy Award-winning US show.
Many of White’s prized purchases grow in value because of their rarity and collectability.
“But I’m never going to sell them because they all hold a special place for me,” he says.
He bought a Princess Leia figure for Dh145 a few years ago, which shot up in value last year after the death of actress Carrie Fisher who played the character in the Star Wars films. Its estimated value is now Dh1,200, according to the Pop Price Guide website. A model of Elvis in a 1970s outfit that he bought for Dh30 is now worth Dh425.
His collection is a passion that has occupied White’s spare time for the past four years when he is not working as an IT executive, or powerlifting.
A former Middle East general manager for Hitachi Data Systems, and a CrossFit Level 1 and weightlifting trainer, he started by collecting action figures of his favourite Marvel Comics character, Iron Man. That grew into a fondness for models, which he started collecting during his travels.
“I was a huge Marvel fan as a kid, and then the movies came out and I thought they were so cool and done really well in the large screen format, so I ended up going to conventions and began buying action figures,” says the 43-year-old, who is currently between jobs.
He has an eclectic mix of Marvel collectibles, from 45 large Iron Man action figures to a limited edition model of Fantastic Four villain Dr Doom in a classic throne pose, which cost US$2,000.
He also has several limited-edition prints of comic-book posters produced by fine art publishers Washington Green, in collaboration with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee for Castle Galleries in the UK, all signed by Lee, the creator of many characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man and Daredevil.
“Every time I would go to the UK for business, I’d bring back a few prints,” he says. “It was painstakingly heavy but worth it.”
But White finds collecting Funko Pops the most fun. “A couple of years ago I was at the Las Vegas Comic-Con and that was when I found my first Funko,” he says. “I came back with two huge boxes of 140 Funko toys from the United States, mostly DC [Comics] and Marvel Comics characters.
"Then I got into Warner Bros collectibles, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and Star Wars. I've also bought [models based on] my wife's favourite licences, such as Harry Potter, Sesame Street and Minions, as well. Now I have more than 600."
White spends a few hours each week researching the items he would like to invest in.
“But over the course of four to five years, all that time adds up,” he says. “I’ll go to Australia, the Philippines or the US and I’ll buy a couple of boxes because they have such a broad range and release so many figures. I take my time and think about what I want. The thing with Funko is that they are so much fun to collect, though they take up a lot of space.”
He also has a monthly Funko Pop! subscription box delivered to him from the US, each of which contains a surprise doll.
“Courier companies love me,” he says, with a laugh.
White says he often gets quizzical expressions when he explains his offbeat hobby to people.
“When people ask me what I do with them, I say it’s just something with which I connect to other people on Instagram,” he says. “There is a big international community of Funko collectors and comic collectors. And people want to see this stuff online.”
White says that as Marvel and DC’s cinematic universes expand and more movies and TV shows are made, collecting figures is no longer just for children or geeks, but he admits it does help him to stay young at heart.
“Marvel has been a part of me since I was little, and to come back and relive it a little as an adult gives me a bit of a nostalgic feeling,” he says.
“And I really appreciate the iconography and the artistic work that goes into creating these. Comics should be considered art because they are made by super-talented people, who actually changed the way we perceived right or wrong, good and evil as kids, and still do. Some of them approach social issues of abuse and discrimination, which are all relevant today.”
aahmed@thenational.ae
