San Diego Becoming The Epicenter of Popular Culture
San Diego is one of the warmest and most welcoming cities in the United States; one where the people are friendly and it’s always a joy to be here and enjoy the weather. Adding to the sweet comfort of Southern California the nerdiest of the geekiest cultural trends only makes it better. The streets and buildings become incredible billboards and advertisements for some of the most beloved upcoming comics, series and movies.
Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Team Killing It Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!
This year I went to Comic Con to see what cool new toys would come to the G.I. Joe Classified line and I was not disappointed; from Hasbro’s Brand Awareness Breakfast on Thursday to their G.I. Joe panel on Saturday around lunch time; every toy they displayed, every upcoming release they revealed; they all were really awesome and I’m so looking forward to the future of this product line.
All Kinds of Cosplayers Make the Whole Experience Better
It wouldn’t be SDCC without cosplayers. This year and because the convention was at the same time as the release of the Barbie movie, there were a lot of Barbies at the show but some of the most lovely cosplays were unexpected, plus it’s always cool to walk around the city and see cartoon or movie characters in mundane situations.
Lego’s Surfing On Nostalgia With Their Brickbuster Video Store
My favorite booth has to be the Lego one which in a stroke of nostalgia genius recreated a Blockbuster Video store where it showcased some of its coolest products featuring some of the brands and franchises it has in its catalogue. To answer your questions: no, there are not any late fees; and yes, I did get a membership card.
Sonic’s Speed Cafe Should Not Be Mistaken For A Fast Food Restaurant
One of my favorite things about Comic Con is the weird marketing things where one brand completely does something out of the left field, like Sega’s iconic mascot opening a themed fast food joint where you can get hot dogs, burgers, and smoothies.
Hulu’s Animayhem Futurama Experience Was a 2D Delight In 3D
The inflatable Planet Express building and spaceship were a very recognizable part of Hulu’s push for their animation programming; I’m a huge Futurama fan and I cannot wait for its next season to start even if the last season of the show had an amazing ending which offered closure.
An Eclectic Mix Of Everything For Everyone To Find Something To Enjoy
It’s always to see who’s in the crowd and who’s attracted to what booth. From kid-friendly weird plushies to movies based on American and Japanese graphic novels; there’s a lit bit of everything, toys based on horror movies, sneakers based on superheroes, life-size statues of ghosts and aliens; this weird hodgepodge is not appealing to the lowest common denominator but catering to really obscure niches; it’s riveting.
The Coolest Toys Are Definitely The Ones That Are Crowdfunded By Fans
I spent way too much time looking at toys and I got to say that some of the most talked about and impressive ones are being crowdfunded by toymakers and can only happen due to the dedicated communities of fans of a franchise. The Thundercats’ Lair is a piece that everyone at the show gazed upon as its scale is gargantuan and every grown-up looked at it wishing this existed when they were a kid.
Transformers, Mechs, And Gundams Taking Over
You gotta love giant robots; here they were plenty; some of the most impressive props displayed at the convention were these oversized mechanical beasts that many people wish we could see in the real world: a 30ft tall Optimus Prime is very humbling.
Super7’s Cobra Pop Up Store Was A G.I. Joe Collector Wet Dream
I do not collect Super7; as much as I genuinely appreciate the cartoon-accurate figures they make, this is just not for me: I’m more a fan of the G.I. Joe 3 and 3/4 toys from the 80s than the comics or cartoons; I enjoy some of the mythology but I’d pick a generic Cobra Viper figurine over most of the named G.I. Joe characters any day of the week. The store they had was amazing; there were so many different models, all in stock; the display was really impressive. I really enjoyed spending time there looking at everything.
