The Pop in Pop Culture 

From snack container to souvenir 

As movie studios continue to churn out limited-edition designs and themed popcorn buckets, fans are eagerly acquiring them, sparking conversations about the cultural significance of collecting and the potential for popcorn buckets to become prized possessions.

The limited availability of many popcorn buckets further drives their desirability, as fans compete to obtain the latest releases. 

AMC employee and Edinburg resident Krystal Torres told The Rider that “the bat-signal popcorn bucket … sold out after the first few hours of [theater] opening.”  

Another popular popcorn bucket was the towering sandworm from “Dune: Part Two,” which was famously parodied on “Saturday Night Live.” It was a legendary piece of movie merchandise with secondary market prices on eBay as high as $800. 

Torres said moviegoers often request popcorn buckets based on the film’s popularity.

“‘Aliens’ sold a lot,” she said. “‘Barbie’ was a big one. … It was like a convertible. I actually bought one for a friend of mine.”

The fascination with collecting objects dates back centuries, with the Medici family’s Uffizi Galleries serving as an early example. 

The collection of art and antiquities laid the groundwork for modern museums, showcasing the value placed on preserving and displaying cultural artifacts, according to www.visituffizi.org.

Today, the collecting instinct remains strong, with people seeking out everything from Funko Pops to trading cards. 

Theatre freshman Daniel Reese said he and his friends hope to start a collection of old “Star Wars” action figures that came out around the time “Star Wars: Episode IV–A New Hope” was released because they are “really rare nowadays.” 

 “For some, [collecting] can be showing off,” Reese said. “There’s nothing better than showing a person your collection. … People do take pride in their collection. … For example, some people will just sit in their chair and stare at their collection for an hour and they’ll find fulfillment in that, some enjoyment.” 

Popcorn buckets have emerged as a surprising addition to the list of collectibles. 

“I think it’s …  a sign of the times,” said Jenarae Bautista, curator of exhibits at the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg. “… Museums, pop culture and the community at large say, ‘Hey, Funkos are really cool and really important. We should capture that.’ Twenty to 30 years from now, maybe that’s not the case … but it does represent a time in history.”

Bautista said she prioritizes preserving objects for future generations by considering their material composition and condition.

“I do feel like museums, they’re like libraries,” she said. “All of that history, that content, it needs to be shared.”

The museum curator previously worked as an exhibition collections manager at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History and said the popcorn buckets could hold cultural significance, to be “relevant to at least a larger, you know, pop culture history,” even if their material composition makes them unlikely to last.

She said that in 30 years, her own perspective on the relevance of these objects may change, but “I think it just has to be captured.”

“Funny, punny, odd, it’s reflective of the generation,” Bautista said. “It’s reflective of the year, like, what we thought was important. There’s a whole bunch of world events going on and, you know, people still want a really cool popcorn bucket.”

She said that even seemingly mundane items, such as a regional gas station’s 64-ounce cup, can hold cultural value and be worthy of preservation in major cultural institutions.

“There is a Stripes cup at the Smithsonian,” Bautista said. “And you know, like, only a handful of people will know exactly where that 64-ounce cup came from,” connecting individuals and their regional history to that object.

She said the inclusion of these types of pop culture objects challenges traditional notions of art and what is culturally significant.

“Someone may see that as … a newer trend that has no merit, but we are the new leaders,” Bautista said. “We are the emerging professionals. We are establishing what those standards are.”

She said museums must carefully consider the current relevance of such pop culture objects, as well as their potential future significance in telling stories about people, places and how different generations have responded to them. 

Even if the material may not be built to last, the cultural and historical context the objects represent could make them worthy of preservation and exhibition.