An image of Birana Bisono standing in front of a wall of Funko Pops
Funko pop art: Bisono poses in her bedroom in Queens. Photo: Mark Ostow
Student Life

Collecting Funko Pops
Five minutes with Briana Bisono ’28

By Nyra Delph ’28 / Fall 2025
November 21st, 2025

My first Funko Pop was Harry Potter that my mom gifted me when I was seven. My mom started collecting pennies and stamps at an early age, so this drive for collecting was passed down to all the women in the household. I started to become more like her when we went to collectible stores and she would say, “Pick out your favorite characters.” Now, I have around 130 to 150 different Funko Pops.

One of my favorites is Matt Murdock from Daredevil, who is rare because Funko Pops stopped producing it. For my 18th birthday, I went to a Funko Pop collection near my house, and I saw Matt Murdock, and I started screaming. I had to get him. And there, he was like $50 so I was, like, snag!

Deep Funko

As a Dominican, I can’t help but see echoes of home in this act of collecting. We persevere with pride, even when resources are scarce. We decorate with intention, turning modest spaces into shrines of memory. Funko Pops help me realize how I engage with history, my identity, capitalism, and nostalgia—it’s not just about merchandise but me being unapologetically myself with creating something that I get to enjoy.

I love what Murdock fights for—underdogs. He stands up for POCs and other marginalized communities, against police corruption in the show, which inspires me to go into becoming a forensic scientist.   

Another favorite character is Edward Scissorhands because I love gothic things, and it was one of the first movies my older sister and I bonded over. We are seven years apart and I barely knew her. During Covid she came home from college, and for Halloween we binge-watched Tim Burton films.

The character I relate to the most is Doctor Strange. Coming from a Dominican family, spirituality wasn’t just limited to religion but woven into the ways of life. There’s a saying that translates to “there are things you can’t see but feel them.” Just as Strange had to let go of Western logic to tap into the mystic arts, I had to learn that intuition is just as valid as science. 

I see them as a pop-culture museum I’ve curated myself. Each box feels like a gallery label, and each figure tells a story—not just of its origin, but of why I chose it. I collect them to remember, to feel connected to the cultural moments that shaped me as a person.

What do you think?
See what other readers are saying about this article and add your voice. 
Related Issue
Fall 2025
Related Class