The Must-Have SDCC Cards to Chase from KAYOU

For trading card collectors and fans alike, the real thrill of San Diego Comic-Con isn't just getting into the show – it's scoring the hottest merch! This year, KAYOU has turned SDCC into the ultimate chase with a slate of promotional (PR) trading cards that can only be found across three locations: the San Diego Convention Center, the Interactive Zone at Petco Park, and Tito Rick's Garage.

Leading the chase is KAYOU’s exclusive collaboration with BOOM! Studios and My Little Pony. Fans can chase six cards that come together to form a panoramic illustration of the Mane 6 by legendary My Little Pony artist Andy Price. At BOOM! Studios' booth (#2229), fans can pick up an SDCC-exclusive blind bag, featuring a BOOM! Studios comic book cover paired with its matching KAYOU trading card – plus two additional random cards to collect!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizzeria

 

We had the chance to check the TMNT Pizzeria during their grand opening weekend. If you grew up with the TMNT, you need to visit them in Santa Monica, CA. Nostalgia at it's finest. The attention to detail. Free video games. The party van, TGRI, pizza, drinks, Michelangelo, exclusive merch, OG tmnt cartoons. The dining area inside is limited but they have more tables outside.

SIDESHOW & HOT TOYS RETURN TO SDCC IN 2026

Sideshow and Hot Toys return to San Diego Comic-Con with an all-new booth (#2401) inspired by the true spirit of Comic-Con: celebrating our fandoms, together!

From longtime collectors to first-time attendees, fans will find a newly redesigned home away from home, welcoming them to connect, explore, and experience the characters they love. There will be hundreds of products on display, including new reveals by the very best creative studios from around the world, including Sideshow, Hot Toys, Premium Collectibles Studio (PCS), Insight Editions, Prime 1 Studio, PureArts, Infinite Statue X Kaustic Plastic, Infinity Studio, Jimei Palace X Cosmic Creations, Asmus Collectible Toys, and more!

Visit Sideshow's COMIC-CON LANDING PAGE for all the latest information as it's revealed — updating daily throughout SDCC! 

Hasbro and Nintendo Announce "Legend of Zelda" Toy Collaboration

 

Hasbro, a leading games, IP and toy company, today announced a new licensing partnership with Nintendo to create products based on the popular Legend of Zelda franchise. This multi-year collaboration is set to begin in 2027, starting with the first reveals of three 6" scale figures at San Diego Comic Con (July 23-26, 2026). 

“For decades, The Legend of Zelda franchise has captivated fans through its deep lore, unforgettable characters and enduring sense of discovery,” said Billy Lagor, President Toys and Board Games at Hasbro. “By combining Nintendo’s iconic storytelling with Hasbro’s leadership in action and role-play, we’re delivering toys that invite fans to play, explore and forge their own epic adventures.” 

Ever since its first title, released in the US in 1987, the Legend of Zelda series has mixed exploration and discovery with action and adventure. Link and Zelda’s eternal battle against Ganondorf forms the centerpiece of these epic tales from the world of Hyrule. 

We'll definitely be checking out the first reveals during SDCC! Stay tuned to our IG.  

Wētā Workshop returns to San Diego Comic-Con 2026

From left: Wētā Workshop’s Lisa Birchall, Richard Taylor and Lottie the dog

Wētā Workshop, the multi-Academy Award-winning creative studio, is set to make an impact at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026, taking place 23–26 July at the San Diego Convention Center. Fans and collectors can find Wētā Workshop at Booth #3613, where an extraordinary line-up of talent, exclusive product reveals and fan activations await.

Keepsake Trading Cards Debuting First ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE Collection at SDCC

 

KEEPSAKE TRADING CARDS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP FOR ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE TRADING CARD COLLECTION 

Collection Debuts Exclusively at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Featuring the First-Ever Signed ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE Trading Cards from Artist Mike Deodato

SAN DIEGO, CA – July 2026 – Keepsake Trading Cards, a producer of premium and collectible trading cards, today announced a partnership to produce official trading cards for ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE. The collaboration will make its debut at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 with a limited, convention-exclusive product available only at Keepsake's booth (#135).

The SDCC-exclusive release will not be available anywhere else, in-store or online. Each box, priced at $30, contains one guaranteed encased Signagraph card featuring hit characters from the Ultimate OZ Universe, including the Lion, Dorothy, the Hungry Tiger, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Glinda, H.M. Wogglebug T.E., Jack Pumpkinhead, Mombi, and more. The full base set spans 20 cards, with every card in the collection numbered to 50 copies or less.

Signing Event with Mike Deodato

To celebrate the debut, Keepsake is hosting an exclusive signing event with renowned Ultimate OZ Universe artist Mike Deodato on Friday at 1:00 PM at Booth 135. The first 50 collectors to purchase a box each day of the show–Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday–will be entered into the signing, where they will have the opportunity to receive the first-ever signed ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE trading cards.

Full Breaker Release Coming Q4 2026

Following its SDCC debut, Keepsake will follow up with a full breaker release in Q4 2026, giving the wider collector community the opportunity to experience the ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE collection. 

IDW BRINGS SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER EXCLUSIVES TO SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2026

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 10, 2026) – IDW Publishing is heading to San Diego Comic-Con and going all-out to celebrate its slate of summer blockbuster comic book launches.

Located on the show floor (#2729) and featuring an all-new booth, IDW Publishing is proud to offer fans in attendance eight stunning exclusive covers, plus free giveaway collectibles!

Nickelodeon Powers Up Comic-Con® International: San Diego 2026 with "Fun-ergy Factory" Booth & "Fun Flows Here" Outdoor Experience at SDCC 2026

 

Nickelodeon is inviting fans inside its FUN-ERGY FACTORY at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026, to help generate fun, unleash slime and get soaked in the ultimate celebration of kid-ness. The FUN-ERGY FACTORY brings the brand’s signature spirit of play to life inside its 1,800-square-foot booth (#4113) on the convention center floor, where kids of all ages power the experience through interactive challenges, immersive moments and must-share photo opportunities inspired by Nickelodeon’s beloved franchises, including SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

New this year, Nickelodeon expands beyond the convention center with “Fun Flows Here,” a larger-than-life outdoor activation designed to supercharge kid energy on an even bigger scale through a partnership with The New Children’s Museum in downtown San Diego. Free to the public July 23-26, this multi-activity destination, located at the Museum park (200 W. Island Ave.), is built for nonstop play and kid-at-heart nostalgia, giving fans the chance to receive Nickelodeon’s highest honor: getting slimed.

Jazwares Announces Exclusives and Schedule for SDCC 2026

 

Comic-Con season is officially here, and Jazwares is bringing the exclusives! This year's exclusives span some of today's biggest fandoms, including Marvel, KPop Demon Hunters, Squishmallows, Star Wars, Pokémon, AEW, Five Nights at Freddy's, and more, with products available exclusively at the convention or through Jazwares Vault while supplies last.

DesignerCon Pasadena 2026 - Back Home to Where it All Began

DesignerCon made it's way back home to Pasadena this year during Father's day weekend!!! They sold out of online ticket sales but they did have tickets available in person starting at 1pm. It's been a long time since the very first show so many years ago. The designer toy & collectibles scene has grown exponentially over the years. Dcon grew so big that they had to move it to Anaheim to hold all the interested artists & companies that wanted to exhibit at their show. DesignerCon was built with the support of local indie artists and small companies who took a chance and exhibited at the show as well as the support of collectors who attended every show to purchase art, collectibles, exclusives or to simply hang out with other collectors. 

A couple of years ago, DesignerCon moved from Anaheim to Las Vegas which alienated many local So Cal artists and small companies from exhibiting in Vegas due to logistics and if there were enough interest from collectors to want to travel to Vegas. It felt great to be back in Pasadena! Check out our photos below via our IG to view all the photos. 

Handmade by Robots Debuts Five SDCC 2026 Exclusives at the Icon Heroes Booth

 

Icon Heroes is proud to welcome Handmade by Robots to the KB Toys presented by Icon Heroes booth (#4344) at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, where fans will find five convention-exclusive collectible vinyl figures along with select new releases available throughout the show.

Known for transforming iconic pop culture characters into premium vinyl collectibles that resemble hand-knit toys, Handmade by Robots has become a fan favorite for its distinctive blend of craftsmanship, creativity, and collectible appeal.

KAYOU Announces SDCC Debut with a Multi-Stop Fan Experience Across San Diego

 

KAYOU Makes San Diego Comic-Con Debut:

Here for the Superfans with One Epic Experience at Three Locations

Across America’s Finest City

 

Global Trading Card Powerhouse Levels Up SDCC (July 23-26),

Celebrating New Cards Featuring Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters,

MY LITTLE PONY, NARUTO, and tokidoki

 

Explore KAYOU’s Walls of Fandom in the Interactive Zone at Petco Park; Shop the KAYOU Collection at The Shumi Company (Booth #4934, San Diego Convention Center);

Connect at Fan Meetups & Trading Events at Tito Rick’s Garage

Alliance Authentic launches Funko, Handmade by Robots & Vinyl collectibles

Alliance Authentic Expands Its Preservation Platform Across Collecting, From Vinyl To Funko To Handmade By Robots

Newly Preserved Vinyl From Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles, Zara Larsson, Charli XCX, Karol G, Hayley Williams, And Angine De Poitrine

Launching Newly Preserved Figures From Funko And Handmade By Robots

KAWS: FAMILY Exhibit at SF MOMA

 

KAWS: FAMILY Exhibit at SF MOMA ends May 3, 2026. This was the first time we had the chance to experience the larger than life sculptures from KAWS. Being in the Art Toy / Low Brow Art scene for many years, KAWS' figures were always sought after and highly collectible. So getting the chance to get up closer and take a look at the huge Companion, Chum etc... and the crossovers with pop culture characters such as The Simpsons, Sesame Street and so on was one of many things to cross off the bucket list. 

If you're able to check out any KAWS exhibit near you, we highly recommend you stop by and check it out. 

More pictures from the SF MOMA exhibit can be seen below:

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Collected Con Los Angeles 2026

Collected Con is coming to the West Coast. They've been in Chicago since they started back in 2024. If you don't know by now, the show takes place next month, April 25-26 at Magic Box in Los Angeles, CA. Get your tickets now HERE. They have limited VIP tickets still available as well as a weekend pass and single day passes. They also have an after party on Saturday which is a separate ticketed event at Lucky Strike LA from 7pm-11pm. So Cal has been missing a dedicated designer art show for a couple of years now since DesignerCon moved to Vegas. There's a lot of great artists and small companies that will be exhibiting at Collected Con such as Refreshment Toy who will be coming from Japan, 100 Soft and so many indie artists that you're just going to have to come to Collected Con yourself and see who else will be there. Stay Tuned for our coverage of Collected Con next month.

DesignerCon Returns to Pasadena in June

 

 

Recently announced was DesignerCon returning back to its roots in Pasadena on Father's Day weekend, June 20-21, 2026. This show will bring back the focus of the smaller companies and artists that made DesignerCon a success. It was a small community of artists and companies that really embraced the designer and indie art toy scene from low brow art to graffiti culture and everything else in-between. DCon Pasadena was THE SHOW to be at to get your art and work seen. 

As DesignerCon grew, it outgrew the Pasadena Convention Center and needed a bigger venue to fit everyone that wanted to exhibit and to allow more people to attend. They moved to Anaheim before leaving California to Las Vegas a couple of years ago. Dcon Las Vegas will still take place in November and will still be the bigger show out of the two. 

We are looking forward to DCon coming back to where it all started. Those were some of the best times especially when the designer toy scene was taking off. Meeting up with other collectors that we would bump into at other shows and matching message board names to faces. So much nostalgia and good times with a lot of great people in the designer toy community. 

We hope to see some of the OG collectors that we haven't seen in a few years, come out to DCon Pasadena. You can purchase tickets for Dcon Pasadena HERE.  

Super7 Peanuts Holiday Fun! Fun! Vinyl Figures

 

Super7 originally released their Peanuts Holiday Fun! Fun! Vinyl figures via Walmart as their exclusive. Our local Walmarts sucked and never got them. Their online store had most of them out of stock but a couple of weeks ago Super7 added them to their online store so we gladly snatched these up. Most if not all are still available as of this posting. They are 5-inches tall. Retail is $20 each or you can purchase the set of 6 for $120 via Super7’s online store.

Here’s all 6 figures out of their boxes. Really cute and affordable. 

 

DesignerCon 2025 Recap

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DesignerCon 2025 took place November 14-16, 2025 at The Expo at World Market Center in Las Vegas. This year marked DesignerCon's 20th Anniversary. How has it been 20 years? We've been attending DCon since their days in Pasadena and then to Anaheim as the show kept growing every year. This year had more exhibitors and a lot more attendees compared to last year. 

Kaleidos Creative x Dcon The Official Launch Party took place Thursday night, November 13th at Notoriety. Photos can be seen HERE.

Custom Kairos at Dcon can be seen HERE.

Custom Vans Shoes can be seen HERE. 

Here's more pictures from DesignerCon 2025 HERE. 

DesignerCon 2025 was awesome! Medicom, Punk Drunkers, How2Work, 3D Retro, GSF, MVH, Sunguts, Creature Bazaar, Paul Kaiju, Toy Art Gallery, My Plastic Heart, ToyQube, Leen Customs, Pretty Done, Rokimoto and so many more. If you haven't made it to Dcon since they moved to Vegas, make sure to save the dates for November 13-15, 2026. See you next year!!! 

Kaijufornia Vol. 2 Recap

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Kaijufornia Vol.2 took place on September 27th, 2025 at Bear Cave CCG in Northridge, CA. We were in So Cal and decided to check it out while we were down there. We were unable to attend last year's show. It was a chill event with a small group of local toy makers such as The Beast is Back, Uh-Oh Toys, Secret Handshake Toys and more. If you are in So Cal, this is a show that you should attend. Easy to get what you want with minimal crowds and lines. No date has been announced for next year yet but we will keep you posted when we find out. In the meantime, check out our pics above for a slideshow of what you missed. 

LA Comic Con 2025 Recap

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LA Comic Con was held September 26-28, 2025 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We haven't been back in quite a few years. The show really has expanded using different halls for the artist alley, Horror Zone, Akiba Station and the main hall with a variety of exhibitors such as Refreshment Toy, Saturday Morning Cards, Dave & Busters and many more. One bit of advice is that if you need to park your car in one of the convention center parking lots, you really need to arrive early. Finding a parking lot with available space can be very hard. There are third party parking lots but note that they charge more than the convention center parking and even raise the price throughout the morning when they know people are desperate for parking. 

This show has really grown over the years and have a lot of different exhibitors compared to other shows such as Door Dash with their Giant Door Dash Bag giving out surprise gifts. You don't know what they will give you. Some people won iPads, Funko pops, external hard drive, gaming controllers, gift cards etc...or you can get a dud like a twinkie which someone did get and was not happy after having to wait in line. The wait in line did take a long time. Maruchan was also exhibiting at LACC and they had free sample flights of their noodles. The line for that was super long too. Yakult and Kopiko were there giving out free samples. If you live in the LA or So Cal area and haven't experienced LACC, you should. If you are local, rideshare would be your best bet to avoid parking headaches. Thank you LACC for inviting us. As of this posting, the dates for next year's LA Comic Con has not been announced yet. Check out our photo coverage above to see what you missed out on this year.