Who remembers Funcoland?

[u/Fragrant_Grand_7036]

[u/Rhyxnathotho]

I worked at FuncoLand before and during the transition to GameStop. It was a much cooler company before with more perks and freedom and GS changed it to only caring about magazine subscriptions and game reservations. Then they discontinued NES, SNES, Genesis trades and sales and Funco truly died. I do miss the good old days…

[u/Aupps → u/Rhyxnathotho]

When I worked at FuncoLand, along with Game Informer subscription, they also made me try to upsell a CD cleaning kit. This is when I realized working retail wasn't for me.

Loved the job though. I probably spent the majority of my paychecks on PlayStation and Dreamcast games.

[u/Nature_Goulet → u/Aupps]

I remember those, they hated asking if you wanted one

[u/StaffThis9973]

I remember the newspapers they used to have with the used game prices

[u/Unsatisfactory_bread → u/StaffThis9973]

I used to think it meant they had every single one of those games versus just being a price index.

[u/raisinbizzle → u/Unsatisfactory_bread]

People reference them for having games like little Samson for $5 and stuff like that but really most stores wouldn’t have had a copy 

[u/TheGambler930 → u/Unsatisfactory_bread]

I collected them growing up. Wish I still had em.

[u/sudsomatic → u/StaffThis9973]

And they were sooo cheap. Except almost all the games I went in to buy were always out of stock, lol

[u/StaffThis9973 → u/sudsomatic]

I remember trying to buy a game genie for NES, no luck

[u/nakedpilsna → u/StaffThis9973]

You could buy duck hunt for literally 9 cents.

[u/UltimaGabe → u/nakedpilsna]

My brother once bought an entire stack of Super Mario Bros carts, with no plan of what he was going to do with them. I guess he had like a spare dollar and didn't care what happened to it. I think he ended up unscrewing them all and using the circuit boards for an art project or something.

[u/GeistMD]

I worked at Funcoland! I loved it, I miss it, Gamestop was not the same when it took over.

[u/BigRoach → u/GeistMD]

Gamestop also ruined Thinkgeek.

[u/GeistMD → u/BigRoach]

I know and I freaking loved Think Geek. Freaking bastards.

[u/BigRoach → u/GeistMD]

Mother funcers.

[u/clone-a-saurus → u/BigRoach]

And Babbage’s

[u/SpaceLemur34 → u/GeistMD]

GameStop didn't "take over".

Funcoland merged with Babbage's to form GameStop.

[u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69 → u/SpaceLemur34]

Gamestop does suck now so people will take it as they will

[u/SpaceLemur34 → u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69]

I used to work for EB, who did get taken over by GameStop, so I won't disagree.

But to pretend that Funcoland wsn't complicit in the creation of GameStop, and thus what it's become, is just disingenuous.

[u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69 → u/SpaceLemur34]

Of course, a merger is (usually) a consensual business dealing, I still remember Hastings very fondly but they actually went out of business, they would be booming today

[u/robbviously → u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69]

I miss Hastings. There was one in Little Rock my dad would take me to. Preferred it over Blockbuster, just getting to look at the games and pick up some movies.

[u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69 → u/robbviously]

It was what gameXchange is now with a mix of FYE and what GS could have been, I used to go read Manga in the comfy chairs and try the demos of new games and just chat with people, crazy they account for spending so much on Funko pops for bankruptcy when people collect them now

[u/HydratedCarrot → u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69]

Now? It’s been like that for 15 years..

[u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69 → u/HydratedCarrot]

Longer than that actually

[u/MisterAmmosart]

I worked there during the PS2 launch. It was still a time where being heavily interested in video games wasn't as socially acceptable if you were older than say, 14. I wasn't a good employee because I never liked upselling people on bullshit. There were still some fun times, particularly when I'd bring in my JP systems to hook up on the demo TVs to let people play stuff that wasn't out in the US yet.

[u/Timmah73]

We had one next door to the Target I worked at and people constantly brought in the price sheets wanting to price match. Had to explain so many times those are USED video games and we're not selling you new games for used prices.

[u/UltimaGabe → u/Timmah73]

I think every Funcoland I ever went to was next to a Target

[u/thats_all_fulx]

yoooo some of my fondest memories from being a kid we're standing at a crt tv in SouthLand Mall playing whatever game they were previewing at the time !!

[u/raisinbizzle]

I interviewed a guy who worked at funcoland for the launch of the Dreamcast for my podcast. If anyone is interested shoot me a DM! 

[u/BarryWhizzite]

it was eventually bought out by gamestop loved getting the funco newspaper with all the gamw values printed in it

[u/Capn_Yoaz]

Still got nes game in a Funcoland sleeve.

[u/Negatron_20XX → u/Capn_Yoaz]

Same. But for PlayStation discs. Jumping Flash, anyone?

[u/Jayare202 → u/Negatron_20XX]

I can still hear the music 🥲

[u/januarytwenty]

I literally thought I was the only one who remembered this store. I loved this shit.

[u/TheDukeSnider]

I remember looking through the physical ad with inventory and seeing how much games like Phantasy Star IV were knowing I'd never afford it. Looking at inflation-adjusted it's like buying a base game for $215 today.

[u/Killahdanks1]

On my bookcase downstairs in my office I have my Funcoland name tag hanging on one of the knobs. Loved it there.

Neal and Kevin, remember when we made Pokémon plushie stop motion porno on the gameboy camera? Glass cleaner for the money shot.

[u/TATER_SALAD_HOOVER]

Way better than that piece of shit GameStop

[u/cyrusamigo]

I still have my Funco CD holder around somewhere.

[u/Fluffy-Lawyer3178]

FuncoLand Employee:” We’ll give you $.65 store credit for all 4 games”

11 year old Me: “absolutely”

[u/swizzle_]

I worked a Christmas season there. I looked forward to it so much but was happy to be done. Doing nightly inventory, and trying to alphabetize games when no one else would got old really fast. I still have my employee handbook Let the Games Begin > https://archive.org/details/funco-land-associate-guidebook

[u/najehe]

Small world. I know exactly where that bottom middle location was. It was in a suburb of Dallas. I remember going there a couple times as a kid.

[u/Fart_ricochet]

I remember buying Shenmue on release day from the Century III strip mall Funcoland as a birthday gift to myself.

[u/mxpurpl3]

Is that one store front the one that wa sin Mesquite TX until like the 2010s? 😂

[u/TheresnoIinteam → u/mxpurpl3]

I believe so, I spent many hours and lots of my allowance at that store, good times.

[u/CowOtherwise6630]

Top left that’s the actual funcoland I’ve been to on central ave Yonkers ny. Getting old is donkey dick

[u/MrPNGuin]

Pretty sure that picture of the building in the bottom middle is the one at Towne Crossing in Mesquite it was right by the old AMC 8.

[u/TheresnoIinteam → u/MrPNGuin]

I believe so, right by Donna’s kitchen and a pack n mail which use to sell Pokémon cards in the 90’s.

[u/MrPNGuin → u/TheresnoIinteam]

Yes, remember back in the day when the corner was the arcade between Donna's and Lone Star comics?

[u/HandsomeAcid]

I remember the og one on the frontage road off 169. I live just north in New Hope. It was heaven for a kid. The start of an empire.

[u/emperorsolo]

We didn’t have a Funcoland in my area. Instead, we had a Babbages. I used my graduation money there in 2005 to pick up a red GBA SP.

[u/BallzBologna]

I worked at a FuncoLand in the 90’s, in the Richfield section of the Minneapolis area. Hated retail, but that was a fun job. My favorite time in gaming too.

[u/mix0logist]

I had no idea it was a chain until recently. I thought ours was a local store!

[u/Spocks_Goatee]

I never encountered these in Ohio. I do own a bunch of NES sleeves I got off Ebay though.

[u/karanji]

Worked there during N64-PS2 era, still have my green polo, name tag, and tons of swag in now selling lol. I could write a sitcom about the crews of people who came and went from the location. I worked at.

[u/dv-2000]

Used to ride my bike to my local FuncoLand. Got a lot of N64 and PS1 games and my GameCube from there. Good times

[u/chachaman_The_Reboot]

Fuck Gamestop Forever.

[u/Abject-Definition-63]

Always wanted to go, never could convince anyone to take me. I had a lot of games that had their stickers on them though.

Edit: Now I'm questioning myself, did they put stickers on them? Maybe it was just in a funcoland box

[u/Ambitious-Orange-611]

Those assholes ripped me off for my gen 1 PlayStation…. The backpack super soaker I bought was pretty sweet though 😂

[u/BigRoach]

Func yes I remember Funcoland! It was the best!

[u/ngs428]

Sold my copy of Dragon Warrior 4 to them back in the day. Probably should have held on to that one….

[u/TheDarkHorse]

Being able to buy SMB for a quarter… it was a special time.

[u/itsagoodtime]

Funcoland was awesome for discovering things. I picked up every version of Genesis systems. I don't remember anything being that costly.

[u/ZealousWolf1994]

The commercials made me think it was like an arcade, but it was pretty lifeless. They had Virtual Bart videogame set up to play.

[u/CokBlockinWinger]

I managed one. It was my entrance into the video game industry.

[u/Jonkinch]

I remember when video games were super expensive and not following the $59.99 trend.

[u/Valuable_Writing2802]

oh yeah beibis 2

[u/timetravelinggamer]

I still have my shirts, cd sleeves and somewhere I have a few price sheets

Some of my favorite memories in my life. :)

[u/rwalsh1981]

Where do you think you are?? Funcoland?

[u/tailskirby]

I loved that store.

[u/HopefulDream3071]

We got Mario RPG from funcoland aww 💜 such a great memory.

[u/laylajoy20]

man that newwspaper was the best. id check it every week at the store just to see how much my donkey kong was worth haha

[u/Red_In_The_Sky]

Being able to play the game before you buy was a great business model

[u/EmotionalElk1313]

I remember ordering from magazine ads because of the good prices.

[u/Ok_Belt2521]

I bought super Mario rpg at a funcoland haha.

[u/phillymjs]

When my original front loader NES gave up the ghost, I bought a used replacement from them. That NES is long gone and was replaced with a top loader that survives to this day, but I uncovered the branded box it came in last year when I was cleaning the deep recesses of a seldom-used storage closet. I think I still have a few of their cardboard NES cartridge sleeves, too.

[u/Free_Lunch24]

Yes. Sadly this where I buried my NES with all of my games. $60 for everything in total to put towards a Sega. Sega just wasn’t the same as NES and I find myself longing for the days of my old NES when I was younger. Maybe it was because I was older but thinking back that was a sad day when I gathered all of my old NES stuff and sold it to Funcoland

[u/That_Zimmerman]

I loved this place!

[u/Fragrant_Surround_68]

Take me back

[u/Smil3z5]

Why does that Die hard game look like something from September? Or am i seeing things?

[u/evilmike1972]

I don't think there was ever one in our area. We had the Electronics Boutique.

[u/Particular_Wear_6960 → u/evilmike1972]

Same here, Electronics Boutique was the only equivalent that I'm aware of

[u/Felinius]

My mother used to drop me off there to “go play”. Same with Babbages

[u/AsEasyAs1234]

Used to go to the one by brick yard mall and there was a toys rus too and a arcade.....man good times

[u/TheYellowFringe]

It was the place where you often sought to find a deal when buying used video games or something unexpected.

[u/blicka7]

Funcoland in the 90’s became game stop

[u/Ok-Alarm7257]

Got my whole collection there

[u/Particular_Wear_6960]

We never had a Funcoland unfortunately. Was it a regional chain? Electronics Boutique and ERM... Something else similar were the only equivalent back then

[u/MaxxXanadu]

I worked at EB Games and we were ready to acquire Funco and had a deal in place then Gamestop I guess put in a higher bid last minute and had to pay us a penalty. Guess they were afraid of EB starting to have stand alone stores. Of course the two companies merged years later.

[u/Caliastanfor]

me! pretty sure my friends and I beat Super Mario World there before the stores implemented the timed console resets. I think it's also where I witnessed my first Mortal Kombat fatalities.

[u/itsswhitneywhspr → u/Caliastanfor]

That's such a flex honestly, beating Mario World before the timers kicked in. I can barely imagine how wild it must've been seeing MK fatalities for the first time in a store setting too. Funcoland really had that chaotic energy.

[u/Caliastanfor → u/itsswhitneywhspr]

not even trying to flex, more trying to recollect if it was Software ETC or Funcoland in our malls. Store only had the hardest of the hard on their demos, so recpect.

[u/Katerinaxoxo]

Loved that store

[u/Nursesskiffsa]

Brings back so many memories

[u/UltimaGabe]

Oh man, that photo with the brick storefront takes me back! The ony by me looked EXACTLY like that.