Exclusive
Michael JacksonFunko POP! babies may have been heard somewhere on the shelf, but they had no business on the company’s side for years … and his estate just put an end to it.
Sources tell TMZ … lawyers for the MJ estate recently commented on Funko POP! still used images from the rare Michael Jackson collection that hit the market on their website almost a decade ago in what the estate considered a way to keep fans engaged.
Fact is … we are told that the estate made a 2-year license deal with Funko in 2011, but that expired in 2013. However, Funko collectors could still access images of the babies in the catalogs of ‘ the website … a no -no for Mike’s Estate.
As for the dolls, the original collection featured 5 – one for Bad, Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Billie Jean and one in a sequined jacket – and they’s still doing pretty well in the version market. In fact, there’s a Smooth Criminal pop on Amazon for almost $ 300.
In any case, Funko got the message, and agreed to draw the pictures of the MJ dolls … so that the MJ Estate was satisfied.
We reach out to Funko … so far, no word back.
