Funko’s Retro Video Games Mystery Minis are a compact arcade crossover rather than a set devoted to one license. Revealed at London Toy Fair in January 2017, the assortment combines characters from PAC-MAN, Ms. PAC-MAN, Q*bert, Centipede, Frogger, Mega Man, and Dig Dug. This particular product uses the Q*bert arcade-cabinet box: an angular little carton decorated with Q*bert, Coily, the cube pyramid, and the game’s comic-symbol speech bubble.
A blind box disguised as an arcade cabinet
The packaging is the cleverest part of this release. Instead of a standard rectangular character box, each carton resembles a miniature upright arcade machine, complete with a sloping marquee and printed screen and control area. Seven cabinet themes are documented for the assortment: Centipede, Dig Dug, Frogger, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, Ms. PAC-MAN, and Q*bert.
Do not treat the cabinet artwork as a contents clue. A Q*bert box can hold any figure from the shared assortment; it does not promise Q*bert or Coily. That distinction matters when comparing sealed examples, because the box design itself can be a collecting lane separate from the vinyl figure. Someone building a package set may want all seven cabinets, while a loose-figure collector is chasing the twelve-character checklist.
The twelve figures on the box
The photographed back panel presents twelve designs in a three-by-four grid:
- PAC-MAN and the red ghost Blinky
- Ms. PAC-MAN and a pink Ms. PAC-MAN ghost
- Q*bert and Coily
- Centipede
- Mega Man
- Frogger
- Dig Dug, Pooka, and Fygar
That is a notably enemy-friendly lineup. Q*bert is paired with Coily, while Dig Dug receives both Pooka and Fygar; PAC-MAN representation includes two yellow heroes and two ghosts. Mega Man is the outlier from the arcade emphasis, but his compact blue silhouette fits Funko’s small vinyl format naturally. Funko’s original announcement named the major game families and dated the set for 2017, while the package’s licensing block also carries 2017 notices.
What the package does—and does not—say about rarity
No character odds are printed on the photographed Q*bert box. The back shows each design once without ratios such as 1/12, 1/24, or 1/72, and the official reveal does not publish a rarity table. That means none of these twelve should be called a documented short-packed chaser on the evidence available here. A character may be popular or harder to find in today’s resale market, but desirability and present-day scarcity are not substitutes for printed assortment odds. Funko also did not present any of these as an official capital-C Chase.
For sealed-box buyers, that uncertainty is part of the product: the cabinet art is known, but the figure remains genuinely unconfirmed until opening. For figure-specific collecting, an opened box with the original inner bag and matching carton may be a more practical target than gambling on old sealed inventory.
Condition points for a shaped 2017 box
The cabinet silhouette creates more vulnerable edges than a plain cube. On the photographed example, the clear outer wrap shows wrinkles and reflections, while the slanted top edges and lower corners show light rubbing or compression. Collectors should ask for straight-on photos of the front, back, both sloped shoulders, bottom flap, and wrap seams. Check that the cabinet profile has not been crushed flat and that the back-panel lineup and tiny licensing text remain readable.
Also separate wrap wear from cardboard damage: scuffs or creases in loose plastic can look dramatic under bright light even when the printed panel beneath is intact. Conversely, a tight wrap can hide whitening along a fold. The box is marked for ages 3 and up and carries a small-parts choking warning, useful details when confirming that a photographed carton belongs to this release.
Why the Q*bert box stands out
Q*bert’s is one of the most successful cabinet treatments because the original game’s cube pyramid already reads like miniature arcade-screen art. The orange character, purple Coily, and impossible-looking blocks remain recognizable at box scale. It is therefore a strong display piece even if the pull inside comes from another game family—and a neat artifact from a crossover that spans several publishers instead of staying inside one franchise.