The Pop Insider reveals the finalists for its inaugural Collectors’ Choice Awards, a new awards program designed to spotlight excellence across licensed merchandise and pop culture fandom.
The awards honor products, collaborations, companies, and experiences that exemplify creativity, innovation, and strong fan connection across categories, including toys, collectibles, fashion, beauty, home goods, gaming, and branded experiences.
The Collectors’ Choice Awards bring together both industry expertise and fan enthusiasm. A panel of more than 20 licensing industry professionals and pop culture experts evaluated submissions from 2025, resulting in nearly 90 finalists across 16 categories. Finalists were selected using a multi-point criteria that considered originality, quality, fan appeal, market impact, and overall significance within pop culture.
We created the Collectors’ Choice Awards to give standout pieces, companies, and experiences the lasting recognition they deserve and make sure they live on, not just on collectors’ shelves, but in the spotlight where they belong. The first-ever Collectors’ Choice Awards Finalists represent creativity, passion, and fandom. We can’t wait to see which ones resonate most with fans, but all of them deserve their place in pop-culture history.
The finalists represent a diverse range of entertainment properties and merchandise formats, including apparel and beauty collaborations, high-end collectibles, tabletop gaming, retail experiences, and limited-edition drops. Recognized brands and franchises include KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, Stranger Things, Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and more, reflecting the breadth and evolution of today’s fandom-driven marketplace.
2025 Collectors’ Choice Awards Finalists
Best Apparel/Accessory Line
- Crunchyroll — My Hero Academia x NBA x Hyperfly Expanded Collection
- Hasbro — PEPPA PIG and Hill House Home Collection
- JanSport — Stranger Things 5 x JanSport Collaboration Line
- Kellica — Harry Potter Diagon Alley Advent Calendar
- Loungefly — Wicked: For Good
- Universal Products & Experiences — Wicked For Good x Ines Di Santo
Best Beauty Collaboration
- Glamlite — The Lord of the Rings x Glamlite
- Glamnetic — Glamnetic x Fanatics
- Jazwares — Blue Meadow Squishmallows Fragrance
- NYX Cosmetics — NYX x Wednesday
- SHEGLAM — The Matrix Resurrections Full Collection Set
- Universal Products & Experiences — Lush x Wicked: For Good
Best Branded Experience
- Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America — Tamagotchi USA Road Trip
- BBC Studios — Doctor Who: UNIT Black Archive Immersive Experience (SDCC 2025)
- Edelman — Dove Men+Care at New York Comic Con
- Mattel — UNO Social Clubs
- Paramount — Nickelodeon Land at The Land of Legends / Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Antalya
- The Walt Disney Company — The Key to Disneyland Interactive Experience
Best Collectible Line
- Funko — Pop! Vinyl KPop Demon Hunters
- Hasbro — Marvel Legends
- Jada Toys — Street Fighter Action Figures
- McFarlane Toys — DC Multiverse Batman Returns Deluxe Wave
- Moose Toys — FANDROP
- Playmates Toys — TMNT Mutant Mayhem Knockoff Knockout 2-Packs
- The Loyal Subjects — M.A.S.K. MDU
- The Nacelle Company — Star Trek 1:10 Scale Action Figures
Best Con Exclusive
- Funko — Batman 15th Anniversary Pop! (SDCC)
- Hasbro — G.I. Joe Classified Cold Slither Commemorative Set
- Hasbro — Star Wars Vintage Collection Jedi Spirits 3-Pack
- Jazwares — Pokémon Squirtle Squad Plush Pack
- Thrilljoy — TMNT Bebop SDCC 2025 Exclusive
- Upper Deck — Convention Exclusive DC Trading Cards
Best Fandom Collaboration
- Cloudco Entertainment/Basic Fun! — Stranger Things x Care Bears
- Cloudco Entertainment/Basic Fun! — Wicked x Care Bears
- Funko — KPop Demon Hunters x Pop! Yourself
- Hasbro — Transformers x NFL
- Paramount — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla
- Sanrio — Hello Kitty x Strawberry Shortcake
Best High-End Collectible
- Agoro — Agoro Blind Boxes
- Basic Fun! — Arcade Classics Ultra Series
- Hasbro — Robosen G1 Bumblebee Auto-Converting Robot
- McFarlane Toys — Spawn #1 Resin Statue
- PCS Collectibles — TMNT Underground 1:1 Diorama
- Wēta Workshop — Masters Collection: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Home Goods Line
- Coleman — Coleman x Stranger Things
- Homesick — Gilmore Girls Collection
- Paladone — The Icon Range
- Toynk — Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus Fleece Throw
- Trove Brands — Owala Disney Princess Collection
- Universal Products & Experiences — Wicked for Pottery Barn
Best Limited-Edition Drop
- 100 Percent Soft — Magical 8-Bit Dumpster Fire Vinyl Figure
- Factory Entertainment — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Phaser Replica
- Loungefly — Wicked Glinda & Elphaba Mini-Backpacks
- Mondo — Juggernaut Prisoner Variant Vinyl Figure
- Monogram International — NBC Jack Deluxe Bank
- Paramount — Appa Wood-Carved Skate Deck
Best Retro Revival
- Alamo Drafthouse — Godzilla Collection
- Hasbro — G.I. Joe Cold Slither
- McFarlane Toys — Batman: The Animated Series Figures
- Playmates Toys — Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Reignition
- The LEGO Group — LEGO Game Boy
- The Loyal Subjects — My Pet Monster
- The Loyal Subjects — Popples
Best Tabletop Gaming Collaboration
- Free League Publishing — ALIEN Evolved Edition
- Goliath — The Sims Board Game
- Hasbro — Dungeons & Dragons: Stranger Things
- Ravensburger — Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons
- Spin Master — Disney Villains Chess
- Ultra PRO Entertainment — Pokémon Trainer Expert
Licensing Program of the Year
- DC Studios — Superman
- Jazwares — Squishmallows
- Marvel Studios — Fantastic Four
- Netflix — Stranger Things
- Universal Products & Experiences — Wicked: For Good
- Warner Bros. — Jaws 50
Merch Maker of the Year
- Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles
- Jazwares
- The Nacelle Company
- Upper Deck
- Hasbro
- RSVLTS
Product Designer of the Year
- Mighty Jaxx — Jason Freeny
- OHKU — OHKU
- TOMY International — Chris Huisman
- TOMY International — Matt Synowicz & Brennan Hunt
Retailer of the Year
- Entertainment Earth
- Pop Mart
- Toynk
- Target (for Wicked: For Good)
- Walmart Marketplace
- Whatnot
The Underdog Award
- Banbo USA / Five K Ltd — Banbo Sockers Collector Figures
- Geek Orthodox
- OHKU
- TOMY International — Jixelz Remix Collection
Public voting for the Collectors’ Choice Awards will take place from Feb. 1 to 28, 2026, allowing fans to weigh in on their favorites across all categories. Winners, including the overall Collectors’ Choice Award recipient, will be announced March 18, 2026. The overall winner will be determined by the category with the highest number of votes.
Mark your calendar for Feb. 1 and start voting here, at thepopinsider.com.
