Nickelodeon Announces Plans for San Diego Comic Con

NICKELODEON BRINGS O-TOWN, HILLWOOD, BIKINI BOTTOM, AND MORE TO LIFE AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL:

SAN DIEGO JULY 20-23, 2017

Network Offers Immersive Fan Experience Based on Its Iconic Rocko’s Modern Life,

Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and More

BURBANK, Calif.--June 26, 2017--Nickelodeon will immerse fans in three decades-worth of iconic characters and shows as it brings Rocko’s Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to life at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2017. From a 23-foot-tall pineapple under the sea to O-Town, Hillwood and the sewers of NYC, Nick will showcase its fan-favorite characters and popular shows with one-of-a-kind activations, panels, talent signings and interactive experiences.

Every day of the convention, Nickelodeon’s booth (#4113) will feature: a 23-foot-tall pineapple, housing an interactive gaming experience, allowing fans to literally step inside the world of SpongeBob SquarePants; a life-size replica of Helga’s shrine from Hey Arnold!; a retail area featuring a custom t-shirt station and one-of-a-kind, exclusive collectibles; costumed-character appearances; and autograph signings with the voice casts and creators from Rocko’s Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nick animation creators Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), Chris Savino (The Loud House) and Billy Lopez (Welcome to the Wayne), and more.

Nickelodeon also will present four panels during the convention: Rocko’s Modern Life: Return to Earth!, a reunion with the original voice actors and sneak peek at the upcoming TV special; Hey Arnold!: From Hillwood to the Jungle!, celebrating the return of the beloved characters in the upcoming TV movie with past and present casts and a live musical performance; Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a dive into the thrilling story arcs in season five; and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom, a behind-the-scenes look at the new stop-motion Halloween special, along with a live table read of a classic episode picked by fans via social media.

The following is the full rundown of Nickelodeon’s activations:

PANELS

·         Rocko’s Modern Life: Return to Earth!

Thursday, July 20: Fans will be shouting, "Oh my!" and "SPUNKYYY!," when Nickelodeon’s beloved and wacky series Rocko’s Modern Life lands in San Diego. Original show creator Joe Murray, Cosmo Segurson (director) and the voice cast of O-Town’s popular residents--Carlos Alazraqui (Rocko), Tom Kenny (Heffer), Mr. Lawrence (Filburt), Charlie Adler (Mr. Big Head and Mrs. Big Head)--will dive deep into the lore of this animated classic and what to expect from Rocko’s return to the TV screen, including an exclusive sneak peek at the special.  The panel will be moderated by Marc Snetiker (Entertainment Weekly).

·         Hey Arnold!: From Hillwood to the Jungle!

Friday, July 21: Rejoice in the return of Arnold, Gerald, Helga and all of the Hillwood neighbors, with the series’ classic voice actors Lane Toran (Arnold), Jamil Walker Smith (Gerald), Francesca Marie Smith (Helga), and Anndi McAfee (Phoebe) and the new generation of talent featured in the upcoming TV movie--Mason Vale Cotton (Arnold) and Benjamin “Lil’ P-Nut” Flores, Jr. (Gerald). This panel will also feature a live musical performance by composer Jim Lang and an introduction to never-before-seen footage of the TV movie by show creator Craig Bartlett. The panel will be moderated by Marc Snetiker (Entertainment Weekly).

·         Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Friday, July 21: Executive producer Ciro Nieli will explore the thrilling story arcs and give fans an inside look at season five of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Joining the discussion are legendary creators and collaborators Kevin Eastman and Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), as well as the talented voice cast from the series: Sean Astin (Raphael), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Greg Cipes (Michelangelo), and Eric Bauza (Tiger Claw).  The panel will be moderated by Andre Meadows (Black Nerd Comedy).

·         SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom

Saturday, July 22: Celebrate Halloween in July as Vincent Waller (supervising producer), Marc Ceccarelli (supervising producer) and Mr. Lawrence (story editor, voice of Plankton) are joined by Chris Finnegan, Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero (Screen Novelties) to share behind-the-scenes footage from the upcoming SpongeBob SquarePants stop-motion special. Plus, see panelists Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward) and Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) do a live table read of a fan-picked classic Halloween episode and also be on the lookout for a special appearance by one of Bikini Bottom’s spookiest citizens. The panel will be moderated by Claudia Spinelli (Executive in Charge, SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon).

DAILY BOOTH ACTIVITY

·         SpongeBob Pineapple Experience: Attendees can step inside this 23-foot, larger-than-life pineapple straight from Bikini Bottom and immerse themselves inside the world of SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or The Loud House for an interactive game and video capture experience. 

·         Customized T-Shirt Station: Set against a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles New York cityscape, fans can purchase a t-shirt from the retail shop and customize it on the spot with characters and art from their choice of seven fan-favorite Nick shows: SpongeBob SquarePants, TMNT, Hey Arnold!, Rocko’s Modern Life, The Loud House, Rugrats and Danny Phantom.

·         Hey Arnold! Photo Opp. featuring Helga’s Shrine: Fans can take photos with Arnold and Gerald, plus visit a replica of Helga’s shrine and have the opportunity to see their Hey Arnold! social media content appear in the shrine’s real-time feed. 

·         Autograph Signings: Signing opportunities with Nickelodeon talent include: SpongeBob SquarePants voice talent; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice talent and executive producers; Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie voice talent and creator; Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling voice talent and creator; and Nick’s current series creators and executive producers Butch Hartman (Bunsen is a Beast), Chris Savino (The Loud House) and Billy Lopez (Welcome to the Wayne).

·         Costumed-Character Appearances: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; SpongeBob SquarePants and friends Patrick Star, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward Tentacles; and Saban’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Ninja Steel will make appearances at Nick’s booth at select times during the convention. 

·         Retail: Attendees can purchase Comic-Con exclusive figures and collectibles, the summer edition of the Nick Box, t-shirts and more.

·         Giveaways:  Enter for a chance to win special prizes over the course of the convention.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 38^th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc.