Before I even knew what he would look like, I had to order this Frank Zappa Pop! Vinyl Figure. Sure, he died before I was in high school. Yeah, I don't have every single one of his records - and sure, his greatest influence on popular culture was largely before I was born. But isn't "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" a fantastic album?
I buy precious few Pop! figures, mostly because I think the format is brilliant (I wrote about Funko Force 2.0 as the very first Figure of the Day when the entire goal of it was "one picture and 2-3 paragraphs tops." Oops. Nowadays, I just pick up a Funko figure when the format absolutely clicks, or if it's of a personality or license that has few to no other figural collectibles. Who else is going to do oddities and cult favorites Twin Peaks but Funko or maybe Super7? I had to get Frank. I'll get Captain Beefheart too, should he ever come to be.
As usual, they did a great job nailing the facial hair and the other hair, too - it's long but not too long, shaggy but not too shaggy. The funny thing, though, is it's not an outfit I recognize - I've got dozens of Zappa albums and read a bunch of books, but didn't recognize this particular outfit so I assume the kids liked it, or it was popular in the 1970s. The original photos on Google show the musician in this outfit, but the stars are ripped up and the very tall top hat is also fairly faded. This seems a little too cleaned-up, but wear-and-tear don't tend to show up often on Funko figures.
Articulation is the neck. And that's it. I don't think I'd mind a jointed arm or two here and there.
If this is the only Frank Zappa figure we ever get, I'm not terribly happy that the hat makes him back-heavy and he falls over. After all, he's not a famous hat guy. Funko expertly captured the spirit of one outfit that I wouldn't recognize if I hadn't searched for it. I would have gone with the "Lumpy Gravy" look, with the "Pipco" shirt, but that's me, and I don't have to answer to licensors or shareholders.
I'm really happy to have this figure, but I'm also kind of cranky he can't stand up for more than a few seconds without falling over - so he's probably going to hang out in his box. Sorry, Frank. I'd love to see another Frank Zappa figure down the road with a guitar or without the hat, but I'm grateful we got this one because I assume there isn't exactly a big audience for Zappa toys in 2022, 29 years after his death so his audience is mostly grandparents, weird dads, and even weirder teenage boys. (Of which I may be one.)
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