HBO's IT: Welcome To Derry Merch Reveals New Looks At Pennywise And Another Monster That'll Likely Haunt My Sleep

Of all the upcoming Stephen King adaptations on the way, IT: Welcome to Derry is something of an outlier, in that it’s not directly adapting one specific novel or story, and is instead an extension of the author’s literary canon that will include connections to King’s other characters and stories, while also branching out from Andy Muschietti’s two chapters of IT films. So perhaps it’s surprising that the teasers and promo footage have refrained from showcasing Bill Skarsgard’s return as Pennywise, since the entity is the biggest returning element.

Thankfully, for lack of a more fitting word, we now have our best looks yet at the clown-painted monster that feeds on Derry’s citizens, only they come not from HBO directly, but from Funko, whose IT: Welcome to Derry Pop figures will be up for pre-orders this week in anticipation of the upcoming horror TV show’s October debut. Check out a handful of the early-bird collectibles below.

Now to sweat over my own personal reactions.

• Pennywise (Standalone) - Not much to react to here, since the figure isn't very different from the wave of Pennywise figures that were released for the two IT movies. Even the color scheme is the same.
• Bob Gray - I'm definitely intrigued by Pennywise's normie persona Bob Gray seemingly having a big enough presence in the TV show to warrant his own merch. Maybe the show will offer up some insight into why that name may be of import.
• Pennywise & Wagon - My excitement here is admittedly more for the wagon than for another average Pennywise figure. Sure, it's holding the signature red balloon, but it'd still be nice if the facial expression would be unique. Hopefully the wagon is filled with fair food at least.
• Skeleton Man - Aw yeah. Even in Funko Pop form, I can already tell this sumbitch is going to be a jolt to the eyeballs whenever it appears in the show. As far as I remember, there isn't technically a "skeleton man" from the IT novel, but its noseless face is reminiscent of the hobo that freaked Eddie out in the 2017 movie. Also weird for it to be called a "skeleton" while still having tufts of hair and a shitload of awkwardly placed teeth. That one shortened middle tooth is almost too unnerving.

While not necessary shocking, it is mildly surprising that none of the figures revealed for pre-ordering are of the fully human characters. In fact, DisTrackers also shared another X post for a Funko exclusive Pop figure of Pennywise holding the top half of someone's head upside down like a bowl while holding its tongue out above it. That is the kind of unique look I wish the others were able to utilize. But the fact that there are more Stephen King-related figures to collect is reason enough not to be too critical. But I do 100% want a Dick Halloran Funko figure from this show, especially if it goes for three seasons as it's planned to.

Check out Chris Chalk's Halloran and more in the trailer below!

IT: Welcome to Derry is set to debut in October on HBO, and will be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. Hopefully a more concrete premiere date floats up very soon.