Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Phoenix Suns
By day, Zach Pollard works in Phoenix for a liquor distributor. By night, he can be found in his garage melting down old 1980s figurines, and turning them into limited edition toys complete with professional packaging, that were never made.
On Wednesday night, one of Pollard’s toys, a one-of-one “Suns in 4” guy, sold for $7,000 on eBay.
Being from Phoenix, Pollard naturally gravitated to the viral video of Suns fan Nick McKellar fighting a Nuggets fan in the stands and holding up four fingers, predicting the sweep that eventually rang true.
So, Pollard did what he does, and his figurine of McKellar went viral too, leading to the feverish bidding.
Zach Pollard said he got the idea to make toys from others on Instagram. Making them by hand in small batches helps keep him away from licensing issues and cease-and-desist letters.
He sold a Chevy Chase figure for both “Christmas Vacation” and “Fletch”, a “40-Year-Old Virgin” figurine with pieces of hair pulled off Steve Carell’s character’s chest and others, which seemed like missed opportunities to Pollard.
He did a character from “The Stoned Age” and the director and others reached out to buy some. Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer for the group Tool, is a customer, as is rapper B-Real, who bought a weed covered version of Dr. Greenthumb, a 1998 single from B-Real himself.
While Pollard lacks scale at this point, Wednesday’s price point proves that he’s on his way to making this a full-time job.
“My wife’s a registered nurse so she does well,” Pollard said. “I would love the opportunity to move out of my 9-to-5 job and do this.”
Plus, there’s always the wild card.
McKellar and Pollard have been talking and Pollard, in good faith, is going to give an undisclosed piece of the pie.
It’s not like making figurines is a walk in the park. Some figurines take six hours to make and then there’s the packaging. His printer recently broke down, so the people at the local office store know him well and know what he’s looking for when he walks in.
Years ago, making limited edition niche figures was just a hobby, but with the power of social media and a viral moment, it’s possible that it could be more.
Zach Pollard hopes this moment is his big break.