Josh Lake's Office: A Funko Story

Josh Lake, DJDS Athletic Director, is known for his astonishing office filled with Funko POPs. While many students just see them as ‘little toys’ very few know the heartwarming story behind them. 

Funko POPs are small figurines that can be distinguished by their large eyes and bobbleheads, among many other exaggerated features. These figures can take on hundreds of faces, such as pop culture idols, characters from popular Television shows, superheroes, and many more in a variety of styles, stances, and attire. 

While today Funko POPs have gained relative popularity, this has not always been the case. When the company Funko was founded in 1998 they were called Wacky Wobblers. However, these did not rise to popularity until 2002 when an Austin Powers Funko POP was released. From then on Funko POPs have been a hit. 

Before the passing of Josh’s mother, one of the most important things to her was just not to become a complete adult and keep the childlike curiosity and passion. Josh Lake’s Mother was always a big supporter of not only collecting but also the process of collecting and the enjoyment of adding to your collection. She passed away 7 years ago and to honor her Josh decided to start collecting Funko POPs that are now shown in his office. 

“After a couple of years of collecting it became something that is kinda cool to view and to hang out in,” said Josh Lake “I went from just collecting stuff to sort of collecting with a purpose, to outfit the room so students and those who come to camp here have a safe space where they can come in if they're having a bad day and connect with your favorite superhero or their favorite TV show”

 For now, Josh has sort of put a hold on purchasing and collecting Funko POPs, now it is mostly about managing and maintaining them. 

Those who collect Funko POPs, such as Josh, can either display their POPs in the original plastic packaging, preserving their condition, or like many others, remove them from their boxes in order to create unique displays. Josh, on the other hand, does a mixture of both. 

“Watching other students and kids appreciating, it really is cool to see,” said Lake “I think my mom is looking down going ‘Good job Josh, I’m proud of you’.”