Pop Insider's Collectors' Choice Awards Reveals Nearly 90 Finalists Across 16 Categories

The Pop Insider's inaugural Collectors' Choice Awards drew nearly 90 finalists across 16 categories, selected by a panel of more than 20 licensing industry professionals and pop culture experts evaluating entries on originality, quality, fan appeal, market impact, and overall relevance within pop culture.

The finalist pool reflects how far the licensed merchandise market has stretched. Franchises spanning KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, Stranger Things, Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and Star Wars appear across categories that range from Best Collectible Line and Best Fandom Collaboration to Best High-End Collectible, Best Limited-Edition Drop, Best Con Exclusive, and Best Retro Revival. Industry-facing honors include Licensing Program of the Year, Retailer of the Year, and The Underdog Award, rounding out the 16-category structure.

Specific finalists already generating attention include the Swarovski x DreamWorks Shrek Home Collection, the Monster High Skullector Coraline Doll from Mattel, McFarlane Toys' Poppy Playtime action figures, Jazwares' FIFA World Cup 2026 Squishmallows, and Funko's Pop! Nooks Winnie the Pooh in Honey Tree. The program also spotlights collaboration-driven releases like Crayola x Alex and Ani and Girls Crew x Looney Tunes, alongside collectible book releases including Superman: The Art and Making of the Film from Abrams Books and Harry Potter: The Storyboards from Insight Editions.

The Collectors' Choice Awards operate on a hybrid voting model. The panel of industry experts determined the finalist shortlist, and public voting opened February 1, running through the full month at thepopinsider.com. The overall Collectors' Choice Award recipient will be determined by whichever category accumulates the highest total public vote count.

Winners across all 16 categories will be announced March 18, 2026. The Pop Insider, launched in 2018 and produced by Adventure Media & Events, LLC, publisher of The Toy Book and The Toy Insider, describes the program as designed to "spotlight innovation and fan-first thinking" by highlighting "the brands, creators, and companies shaping the licensed merchandise landscape." It is the only multimedia publication in North America dedicated exclusively to licensed merchandise, and the Collectors' Choice Awards represent its first formal recognition program in that space.

The breadth of this finalist class, from a Swarovski crystal Shrek drop to tabletop games to convention exclusives, makes the overall winner calculation genuinely unpredictable. The category that mobilizes its fan base most effectively by the end of February takes the top prize on March 18.