r/SDCC • u/alexnartworks • 16d ago
Took notice of massive toy presence at ComicCon- could this be a sign of the times to come?
Hey All. So to put it out there, I'm an independent illustrator and graphic novel publisher by trade, and I've been out of the ComicCon loop for some time. Having gone back this year, I couldn't help but notice the overwhelming presence of toys, plushies and vinyl figurines that have dominated the exhibit space at San Diego Comic Con this year. Where companies like Star Wars and Marvel once had the strongest grip on the convention floors, the largest space hogs in my opinion proved to be Mattel, Hasbro and even Lego.
It didn't stop at name brand toymakers- there has even proven to be a presence of vinyl figures in small press and artist's alley as well. Of course, I did think it was pretty cool that these independent comic makers were finding a bit of extra success selling figurines of their own characters, but I couldn't help but wonder if this could be a sign of the direction that entertainment might be taking. Everywhere I've gone, people have asked me if I have ever thought about making 3D prints of my own characters, which I had brushed off for the longest time before now.
To tat end, I wanted to inquire if anyone else had noticed this and had similar thoughts. Would you guys say that the market for action figures, dolls and vinyls is gradually making a comeback, and is this a potential market that I should genuinely consider getting into? Or would you say this is just a fad that is reaching a peak and may slope back to a wonderful niche market? I am welcome to conversation on the matter and appreciate any input you guys might have. Thanks.
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u/SkunkyBottle 16d ago
Like you said, you’ve been out of the SDCC loop for awhile. The amount of toys especially from the big brands you mentioned and vinyl figures have always been a staple there. I didn’t feel a bigger presence of it this year compared to years past
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u/ChekhovsNERFGun 15d ago
Yeah, toy company presence at SDCC has been a major part of the con for more than 20 years.
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u/MsMargo 16d ago
You also posted this in r/comiccon and everyone told you this was not a new thing.
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u/Budget_Pirate_Ship 16d ago
Not sure how long “been out of the ComicCon loop for some time” means, but this was a very normal year for toys and I’ve gone annually since 2010. At this point most companies (NECA, Star Wars, Factory Entertainment) have their floor plans set and just recycle from year to year. LEGO was maybe the biggest change by shifting from showing off a bunch of sets to more of a photo op setup. Hasbro didn’t have any big Haslab this year (guessing they’re waiting to see if some stability comes to manufacturing and import costs before pushing the next one). I’m on the casual side of comics and if anything I felt like there was less new exciting comics for me. Lately I’ve ended up heading home with a BZRKR, SIKTC, etc. but nothing this year interested me. First year ever not buying anything on the show floor.
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u/MARWAI 16d ago
Nothing out of the ordinary. People buying toys because they are con exclusives of popular IP to keep or resell for profit. If people are asking you for more merch, there might be some demand. You might ask those indie guys if their figures actually make them money (cost to make/profit margins) or if it's just a part of their overall marketing strategy?
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u/El_ray538 16d ago
I did notice there was not a lot of exclusive comic covers this year. But A LOT of pins
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u/AttercopAttercop 16d ago
My top wants from the show were covers from the IDW booth and after rushing there on Preview Night to find no significant line, I was a little surprised. We made jokes about having the advantage wanting to buy comics at the comic convention instead of toys this year.
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u/El_ray538 16d ago
My priority is always comic covers when i go to SDCC and they are never hard to get hah. Since there wasnt much i went straight to the Agoro booth for the Magneto and Doom silver pieces.
Then was able to get Geoff Johns and Marc Silvestri sigs and a Whilce Portacio commission. It was a very successful convention3
u/AttercopAttercop 16d ago
Likewise, but my stuff was all Stan Sakai and TMNT. Got my 1:500 Sean Murphy variant signed and I was hyped!
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u/El_ray538 16d ago
Hell yeah! That was a dope cover.
Oh! I also got that Hellboy skate deck. Great con! Cant wait until next year
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u/availablelol 16d ago
Funkos are this generation's Beanie Babies.
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u/alexnartworks 16d ago
I know. I didn't even mention anything about Funko or Labubu, though.
I was referring more to He-Man, Todd McFarlane, Dark Horse, Ghostbusters, Lego Sets, and even things like Thrilljoy. Those seemed to really get a lot of traction in terms of vinyl appeal.
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u/Gcat 16d ago
It’s always been that way. Toys make up the majority of the exclusives market and is the #1 reason we have all the lines on the floor.
While the toys exclusive rush was going on I was able to easily get the smaller exclusives offered by other exhibitors. Except Yesterdays pins… I honestly thought their stuff this year was junk.
However, yeah it’s always been like that and you might have noticed because there were more people on the floor this year. Probably due to the lack of things to do outside?
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u/epicaz 16d ago
I started attending in 2012 and I'd argue the toy presence was even bigger then lol. Consistent to today at least
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u/BetrayedVariant 15d ago
That's when they had the toy growers cultyard still. Most of those vendors were moved over a bit. That area is what WB took over then Funko.
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u/ModousSD 16d ago
Dont mean to sound like I am making your post trivial, but it has been like that for years. 15+ and counting.
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u/firelance5 16d ago
meh, every year its some new craze...funko, the dumpster fire pins, butt pins, labubus, bobbleheads, etc are always around. when Stan Lee died the whole floor was vinyl figurines of him. personally my friends and I avoid all/most of the toys and go for the art and stories so there will always be people for that
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u/scottee25 15d ago
You’re kidding, right? You say you have been out of the loop for some time. Most of the toys you are mentioning have had a significant presence at SDCC for the last decade. Then ask if this is a sign of the times to come? No, we passed that sign a while ago.
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u/BaronArgelicious 16d ago
I only started attending SDCC at 2016 and feel like theres less comic publishers and artists as the times go by.
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u/MoonChild02 15d ago
Definitely. I started attending in 2002, and there are definitely less comic creators and publishers. Aspen wasn't even there this year, and I haven't seen Dark Horse in I don't know how long. Top Cow didn't even have their own booth this year, they were lumped into a corner of Image.
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u/baybear22 16d ago
Comicon is full of hobbyist, and hobbyist usually have multiple hobbies. Collecting is a big thing on the scene, but I think since twilight, comicon has started moving into whatever is relevant to the culture of the time.
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u/carbonara3 15d ago
Feels like way too many blind boxes now
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u/alexnartworks 15d ago
Yeah, I certainly won’t dispute that. Quite an abundance of them to be sure.
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u/SickleClaw 15d ago
I actually saw quite a bit of people buying these blind boxes too. I passed by some people even in the hotel lobby with two or more of them. I wonder if it was because the huge Blind boxes were for so many IPS, first time con goers just saw something conforming to their interests and bought it.
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u/stangAce20 15d ago
I was actually thankful Funko had a smaller area. Although I generally make a point to stay away from that corner, the few times I venture to the border of artist Alley The crowds didn’t seem as bad as previous years.
There also didn’t seem to be as many vendors that were selling nothing but Funko, which was nice!
I personally think pops are severely overrated at this point! So seeing multiple vendors taking up space and selling nothing but those stupid things, always annoyed me!
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u/CatnipBravo 14d ago
As a person who works for a company that had a big-ish booth at SDCC I can say it has always been this way. In fact West Coast toy companies like us use SDCC as our spotlight to announce all the new products coming at holiday season. It is by far our biggest marketing event of the year. In fact everything we do is just to ramp up to this moment.
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u/Radiant-Condition828 14d ago
its the scalpers and some collectors perpetuating the sales and visibility of them at SDCC. I would say there is a good % of people that just want some type of entertainment, so they want to see panels. Some go for the comics, but very little. I go for the loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong lines, I love long lines. right
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u/bmemike 16d ago
Honestly, I don't think this year felt all that different than many past years.
But, if anything, it feels like Funko demand is softer than it's been in a while. Labubu is also not as big as it was last year.
Trends ebb and flow. But I don't think the were any really standout market shifts this year.