Funko is closing its flagship stores temporarily as the fight to contain the coronavirus pandemic rolls on. The popular toy-maker has announced that it will temporarily be closing locations in Washington and California in the interest of public health. In the meantime, the company's website will remain up and running, as will its social media accounts.

The announcement was made in a statement Funko CEO Brian Mariotti. This comes as many businesses in the U.S. and abroad have had to shut their doors temporarily as governments have heavily restricted public gatherings. The White House recently recommended that people should avoid gatherings of ten people or more, making the retail business difficult to maintain at this time. Mariotti had this to say.

"There is no higher priority than the health and well-being of the #FunkoFamily. In order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we are temporarily closing our Everett and Hollywood retail locations and have recommended our employees work from home. We plan to actively monitor the situation in the coming days and will take the necessary steps to best protect our employees and fans. Whether a fanatic, super fan, customer, partner or employee, we are all in this together as a #FunkoFamily united by our love of pop culture and entertainment."

Funko had a relatively humble beginning in the late 90s, but has since exploded into a multi-million dollar pop culture behemoth. Capitalizing on making affordable collectibles, most notably the intensely popular Funko Pop! figures, the company licenses characters from all walks of pop culture, including movies, TV, video games and everything in between.

Wildly popular characters such as Batman and, more recently, Baby Yoda, have been immortalized by the company over the years. Some recent additions to the Pop! lineup include Burt Reynolds, Guy Fieri and the Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Speaking further, Brian Mariotti encouraged people to connect with one another by using the hashtag #FunkoFamilyAtHome. The Funko Twitter account also revealed that they will be facilitating "digital fun" and giving fans ways to win prizes during this period of social distancing.

"We want to know how you are using this time to connect with others by using the hashtag #FunkoFamilyAtHome. While our stores are closed, we welcome you to shop Funko.com and follow Funko on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with your #FunkoFamily wherever you are."

The Funko brand became strong enough in recent years for the company to open a chain of retail stores. Unfortunately, they will be closed for now, but that is only temporary. Sales for Funko totaled more than $680 million in 2018. So they should be able to weather the storm and come out okay once things return to normal. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is working on a Funko animated movie, which looks to bring the toys to the big screen, similar to what the studio managed to do with The LEGO Movie. This news comes to us directly from Funko.