By Désirée Guzzetta
One of the side effects of the exponential growth of San Diego Comic-Con is that more and more studios have set up more and more elaborate off-sites to promote their content. What that means for attendees and non-attendees alike is lots of interactive experiences and, well, lots of free swag!
Like with Con programming and the many delights of the Exhibition Floor, it’s not possible to do and see everything. There was a whole swath of off-site events across from the Convention Center and beyond that I didn’t get to experience. That’s okay, though, because the ones I went to were plenty fun!
Here, in no particular order within each category, are the hits (and one miss) of the off-sites The Nerd Element visited.
The Best
Adult Swim’s Pirate Parrrty – Tucked behind the Convention Center “on the green” was Adult Swim’s event, a pirate-themed party full of games and giant blow-up slides and rooms. There was also a “ship” in the middle with a DJ spinning trippy music while bits of Adult Swim fare such as “Primal” and the upcoming “Common Side Effects” played on a giant screen. In keeping with the pirate festivities, there was an “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” Meatwad-themed ship’s helm one could spin to win prizes, a bean-bag throwing game themed to “Smiling Friends,” and a ladder game themed to “Rick and Morty.” Prizes included a Pickle Rick pool float, a “Rick and Morty” toilet paper holder, and a stuffed Glep (from “Smiling Friends”). There were also giveaways for the first 1,000 folks in line every day, including an Adult Swim pirate hat and a matching eye patch. This is one of my favorite off-sites, made all the more fun not just because Adult Swim gives out excellent swag (seriously, that Pickle Rick pool float must be giant for how much it weighed), but because the staff—all dressed like pirates, natch—were just a bundle of positive energy despite the hot temperatures all weekend. I simply like hanging out there – they don’t rush you out and there’s plenty to do. There was a bonus feature, too: A Rickmobile driving around the city. If you were lucky to find it, you could get a gift such as a pin for the new “Rick and Morty: The Anime” show.
Hulu Animayhem – A top contender for my favorite off-site this year. Not only do I watch most of the shows showcased, including “Futurama,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “The Simpsons,” and “The Great North,” but the way they are all represented in “2D” is a kick and a half. This year featured a donut-making line with free large donuts tainted by an open barrel of radioactive waste (really just green icing and sprinkles), a life-size Slurm Factory with free tastes of Slurm (someone near me said it tasted like Ecto Cooler), and a booth where you could dance with the Belcher Family (added in a video you could send to yourself after). Games included putting Roger the Alien’s innards back inside him, a sword-pulling wheel for the new show, “Hit Monkey,” and a “stress test” for “Solar Opposites.” There’s a lot of cut-outs of the characters from each show for photo ops, and free swag on the way out. Although the event is not timed, there’s a natural flow to keep people moving throughout (and you can skip parts if you like). It’s obvious Hulu put a lot of thought into each show-themed part of its giant installation behind the Convention Center, and it paid off for them, given the hours-long lines of people eager to go inside each day it was open.
AVA Fest – AVA Fest was presented along the back of Convention Center and adjacent hotels to promote “Abbott Elementary” on Disney/ABC. The AVA stands for “A Very Abbott” and not Ava, the outrageous principal played by Janelle James, though there was a giant cut-out of her inside. The Fest included carnival games, a “Yo-Yo” swing carnival ride, and a replica of the front of Abbott Elementary itself, where a drumline periodically performed. Though there were no prizes for the games (you get bragging rights as Ava would do), visitors were given two tokens to redeem for gifts. Games included a strongman bell and a dunk tank, and each portion was themed to one of the characters from the show (my favorite was “Mr. Johnson’s Closet of Curiosities,” which included a baby Yoda and some of his cleaning supplies). Fitting for something Ava herself would throw, the Fest had a big party atmosphere but also the more gentle side of Janine (Quinta Brunson, creator of the show) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams), making it a quintessential off-site to visit.
The Next Best
Paramount+’s The Lodge – Now in its second year, The Lodge has gone from an SDCC-adjacent off-site to a cross-country touring event. Each section of The Lodge is dedicated to one of Paramount’s titles, including “Star Trek,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (TMNT). By far the most popular section was “Star Trek” because you could get a free custom T-shirt. The experience is timed, so if you got in the long line (which The Lodge wound up capping via ticket distribution because of a reported “mess” the first night it was open), you spent most of your time standing around. The Lodge also featured a photo op with Patrick Star from “SpongeBob,” a free slice of pizza from Turtle Tower Pizza, and two free beverages (either non-alcoholic at the pizzeria or alcoholic in the bar room). I had the most fun in Jellyfish Fields, and getting to smell the different scents in the perfume room for each character in “Ghosts” was fun (you even got a sample to take home), plus contributing to a crime board for “Criminal Minds: Evolution” was fun.
FX – This year’s FX activation across from the Hilton Bayfront Hotel featured only two interactive parts to go with the props and photo ops, but they were fun. The first was The Bear Restaurant Pop-Up, which was very popular. You could take a photo in a booth under a “The Bear” sign, and peruse a wall of wine before receiving the chef’s special of the day (when I went, it was an apron like those worn on “The Bear”). We also received “Bear”-themed toothpicks on the way out. There was also the Fearless Hellevator, an “elevator ride” through several levels of Hell-acious video clips from “American Horror Story.” Both were fun experiences, but the rest were just props from other FX shows (though I did love seeing the “Creepy Nadia Doll” from “What We Do in the Shadows”) and standing in lines for free swag. Granted, it was *nice* swag, and FX did have what was probably the most sought-after freebie at SDCC—a personalized “sun shade” (don’t call it an “umbrella”!) that was difficult to obtain because of the hot weather and the very long wait. Although I enjoyed the experiences, I did wish they had more to do as in years past, even if it was just sitting in little pods listening to clips from “Archer.”
The One Miss
Focus Features – As part of a celebration for the 20th anniversary of 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead” and the release of the “Funko Fusion” action game, which has a “Shaun”-inspired level, one shop on Fifth Avenue in San Diego’s Gaslamp was transformed into the Winchester Tavern from the film. The “tavern” featured bloody handprints everywhere, a bar area and booth, a jukebox with a dead body hanging out of it, and other details from the movie that it inspired it. Free swag included a poster for the game and a free “Winchester Plan” beer. The problem with the latter was—you couldn’t drink it in the tavern because it wasn’t a real bar and they didn’t have a liquor license. It was also obvious from the fresh paint a friend found on his arm after learning on the booth that the mock-up was barely completed before it opened. I felt bad for the staff who had to run around telling people not to drink their beers because those people either didn’t hear the bartenders explain you couldn’t drink on the premises or ignored them. On the other hand, there was some really cool merchandise to purchase, and you could test out the Funko Fusion game if you could get to it before the timed experience ended and they had to clear the room for the next set of patrons.
