People collect items for different reasons – some do it for pleasure; some to relive memories of their travels; others delight in having rare finds in their collections. The common items student collect include sneakers and bags. But, do you know of students who collect Coke bottles and Funko Pop figurines?
Five years ago, I Lavayan, 19, a second-year student in the Diploma in Media Production and Design (DMPD) started her Coke collection.
Her first bottle was a glass bottle taken off the shelves of Costco, in the land of Down Under.
Today, Lavayan has a growing collection of over 40 Coke cans and Bottles, from countries such as Australia, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, the United States of America and more.
COKE BOTTLES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
Lavayan said she was inspired by her father, who started his Coke collection during his National Service days. Then, he’d travelled around the world and saw that Coke bottles were unique depending on where you bought them from.
For example, Coke in Japan comes in different forms, some in regular cans, some in glass bottles. Japan even has their own Clear Coke drink!
Today, the father-and-daughter bond over their common love for Coke bottles. When they travel, they look for unique Coke bottles and cans to add to their collection.
Among Lavayan’s extensive collection of Coke bottles around the world, her favourite is the Coke glass bottle from Australia, citing her love for vintage stuff and that the vintage-esque glass bottles have a special place in her heart.
Over the past 2 years, because of the heavy travel restrictions, Lavayan wasn’t able to continue to extend her collection. However, she is earnestly looking forward to the day she can get on a plane, and come back to Singapore with new Coke cans and bottles ready to be displayed.
AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY
While a Funko Pop collection is more common than collecting Coke bottles, the unique thing about Xyla Geraldine’s collection is that hers is worth over a thousand dollars.
What exactly is a Funko Pop?
A Funko Pop is a toy, a square-headed figurine. This worldwide popular toy is famous for having figurines of famous celebrities, actors, comic book characters and many more.
Xyla, age 19, is a second-year Media Production and Design student, fell in love with them when she bought her first figurine at 14, being attracted by their cuteness.
Xyla, who works part-time, spends about $60 to $200 every month on her collection. She said: “This is about a third of my monthly allowance and salary.”
Listening to her gushing about her Funko Pop collection, it is surprising that Xyla wasn’t even a big fan to begin with. “My very first Funko Pop was the Scarlet Witch from Age of Ultron, and from time to time, I would buy a few but because I wasn’t working back then, I couldn’t really afford too many,” said Xyla.
Some may consider collecting these figurines a waste of money, but Xyla begs to differ. She said: “Many of the Funko Pops that I buy will steadily rise in price. One of them is the Funko Pop of Wanda from End Game. I got it for $26 on Carousell back then and now it is worth about $100.” The price hike for the figurine was attributed to the recent hype over WandaVision, a spinoff series featuring Wanda Maxioff (Scarlet Witch) on Disney Plus.
Xyla shared that looking at her collection always cheers her up. She said: “For example,
when I’m doing Home-Based Learning, there are times when I get really stressed and I would just take a look at them and feel so much better.”
Want to start collecting Funko Pops? Xyla advised:
“Find your dealer! They can do the hunting for you. And most importantly, don’t let anyone stop you from collecting anything you love,” She said.
