‘Golden Girls’ As Relevant As Ever, Thanks To ‘Deadpool’ And Funko Dolls

The Golden Girls seems to have become the guilty pleasure that everyone now admits to, 31 years later. Golden Girls, which starred Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and the still-hot Betty White, was about 4 Miami retirees learning to live life again after their husbands passed on or left them, and it still resonates even today. It seems that everywhere you look, Golden Girls is either being referenced or marketed.

The Merc with a Mouth has long had an affinity for all things Golden Girls — specifically Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy. CinemaBlend noted that both Deadpool the movie and the man who played Deadpool — Ryan Reynolds — honored the 30-year birthday of the series with a few tweets in the show’s honor.

30 years of the #GoldenGirls showering us with fun. #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/rLuhl139HT

— Deadpool Movie (@deadpoolmovie) September 14, 2015

Happy Anniversary, Girls!#escalationpic.twitter.com/PLKkp9oQDx

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 14, 2015

The character’s love for the Golden Girls’ Bea Arthur goes back to Cable and Deadpool #1, a ComicVine forum reports, and IMDB states that in Deadpool, the character can be seen wearing a Golden Girls t-shirt with Bea Arthur on the front when he is dealing with a stalker pizza delivery guy.

The continued popularity of the Golden Girls doesn’t end there. A recent review of Deadpool done by none other than 95-year-old Betty White, the last surviving “golden girl,” has gone viral. White starred with Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in The Proposal as the grandmother of Reynolds’ character, and it would seem that she has not forgotten her former co-star’s talents and good looks.

The clip has gotten over 500,000 views to date and seems to solidify White’s reputation as one of the most popular Golden Girls, in addition to audience’s craving as much Deadpool data as they could possibly get.

In addition, fans of Golden Girls will have their opportunity to collect vinyl figures of the popular characters, thanks to Funko. According to NewNowNext, Funko president Brian Mariotti announced last fall that the series’ main characters would be featured as new dolls in the Funko line, which has steadily grown in popularity.

According to Rolling Stone, Funko got its start in 1998 with Mike Becker discovering he could produce a Big Boy replica toy that he wanted for roughly the same price that it was going for on eBay. Soon, Becker was selling Funko toys out of his Snohomish, Washington, home, and the nostalgic toys became a hit. By 2005, he had grown tired of making the toys and had considered folding the business when Mariotti snapped it up. Funko Force 2.0 debuted in 2010 at San Diego Comic Con, and while it wasn’t a huge hit at the time, Mariotti was sufficiently encouraged to continue his work with Funko and ultimately, the Funko Pop line was born. The relatively low price has turned the Funko line into what Mariotti has termed the “gateway drug for collectibles.”

“Whether it’s the X-Men or Breaking Bad — or heck, Huckleberry Hound — we’re going to find some pop culture phenomenon that’s going to get you into the hobby,” Mariotti said. “And then we’re going to keep you coming back.”

In addition to the Golden Girls references in Deadpool, Betty White’s review of the movie and the Funko line of collectibles that appears to be coming out, a fan of the Golden Girls theme song has hit YouTube with a gospel version of the song that has many jaws dropping.

Now that Funko plans on bowing collectibles based on the Golden Girls characters, it would seem that collectors will have another means of whetting their appetite for pop culture collectibles. Between Deadpool’s references to Bea Arthur and the Funko line producing Golden Girls collectibles, the Golden Girls remains relevant, even 31 years later.

[Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images]