Review: SDCC cannot be confined within a single building

‘American Dad’ and the infamous golden turd photo op at Hulu’s Animayhem experience at SDCC 2024

Activities outside of the San Diego Convention Center present fun opportunities to interact with fans’ favourite TV shows and movies.

One of the things that sets San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) apart from other conventions is its size. Not only is it the most attended fan event in the world, but it also spans far beyond the walls of the San Diego Convention Center. Outside the building is a wide selection off-sites, activations and pop-ups, offering con attendees more opportunities to engage with their fandoms and studios the chance to promote their new or beloved properties. SDCC takes over much of the downtown area, closing streets and hosting events within several blocks of the convention centre.

Hulu’s Animayhem off-site always faces high demand as it features photo ops with animated fan-favourites, including The Simpsons, Futurama, American Dad, Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, Solar Opposites and newer TV shows, Krapopolis, Hit Monkey and Grimsburg. This year, attendees could tour Futurama’s Slurm Factory, which ended in a free cup of lime soda, and sample a Simpons-inspired sweet treat from Springfield’s LardLad Donut factory. But the big change was an increase in interactive activities: a Solar Opposite machine tested attendees’ stress levels and awarded them a Goobler-shaped stress ball for relief; groups were assigned the task of reassembling American Dad’s Roger the Alien’s internal organs in under a minute — an unexpectedly difficult mission; and individuals pulled Samurai swords from a block in hopes of finding the “Bonsai Master’s Sword” and the chance at a special Hit Monkey pin set. Before exiting the experience, everyone received a cartoon-ish waist pack that matches last year’s backpack and the choice of Futurama or Solar Opposites pin sets.

Nearby was a recreation of Abbott Elementary’s “AvaFest,” a small-scale carnival inspired by a similar event put on by the school’s teachers on the popular television show. At the off-site’s centre were theme park swings, which only required a short wait because of the number of people who could ride at once. That said, this experience gets the award for most efficient and well-organized lines. Although the queue for swag — a tote or trucker hat with a patch featuring a custom-picked phrase from the series — wrapped around the central attraction, there was staff on hand to hold people’s spots while they experienced some of the adjacent activities, including a water gun race and funny photo ops. This made the wait seem far shorter and kept with the spirit of the event.

FX also returned to offer fans experiences and swag connected to two of its biggest shows: What We Do in the Shadows and The Bear. The former included a photo op, as well as full-sized white umbrellas that on-site artists personalized with your choice of name or 10-character word and spooky icon. Each creation was unique, including the symbols, as no stencils were used for any of the elements. The other main attraction was a recreation of the show’s title restaurant. Customers were first invited to indulge in a photo op in a fashionable booth seat before sitting at the bar, where the head chef called the staff to order and served each guest a stainless-steel cloche covering a dish. Lifting the domes simultaneously revealed The Bear-inspired swag, which ranged from most desirable yet very limited aprons, hats, kerchiefs, notepads or bottle openers.

On the opposite side of the convention centre, fans would find an activation for Peacock’s newest series, Those About to Die. The epic drama from executive producer and director Roland Emmerich is set in the corrupt world of gladiatorial competition, exploring the intersection of the Roman Empire’s sports, politics and dynasties. The experience transported fans to the Circus Maximus, where they joined coloured teams representing each of the show’s chariot factions. Upon entering the arena, each team member had the opportunity to take the reins and try to guide their chariot to victory with methodical flicks of the leather straps. However, any wins were purely for bragging rights as each participant received a golden chariot pin when exiting.

Further up the street was the return of the ever-popular Paramount+’s The Lodge, which offered a variety of interactive installations for some of the streaming platforms top shows and movies. The hottest ticket inside was for personalized “Starfleet swag,” i.e., customized t-shirts with options from a curated list of Star Trek franchise-inspired insignia. Fans of the supernatural comedy, Ghosts, could stop by Woodstone Manor’s Olfactory Atelier to experience the scents of the show — a collection of specialized perfumes that displayed a unique homage to the spirits in the series. However, guests were warned they smelled Isaac at their own risk. Fun for all ages was Bikini Bottom’s Jellyfish Fields from Spongebob Squarepants, where participants tried catching paper jellyfish with SpongeBob’s most trusted net, “Ol’ Reliable,” in an effort to win 25^th anniversary bubble bottles and/or sunglasses.

The Lodge has also been a source of sustenance for con-goers with this year’s activation featuring cheese or pepperoni pizza slices from Turtle Power Pizza, a Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles–themed pizza parlor, which also offered lemonades representing the turtles’ four signature colours. Adults could also enjoy themed alcoholic drinks via Tulsa King’s BRED2BUCK Saloon. The activation was rounded out by photo ops for Criminal Minds: Evolution, Dexter: Original Sin and IF, as well as temporary airbrush tattoos applied in an Ink Master-inspired space.

Less rewarding was the Shaun of the Dead pop-up, which recreated the Winchester Tavern from Edgar Wright’s horror comedy classic. Inside, visitors found photo-ops with some key set pieces, including the zombie in the jukebox and animated windows with undead silhouettes scouring the glass. A highlight was supposed to be a sneak peek of the Shaun of the Dead-inspired level of “Funko Fusion,” a co-op videogame developed by 10:10 Games, and a collectible poster, but hidden in a corner of the room, it was difficult to even get a glimpse. Nonetheless, all guests over 21 received a complimentary can of the “Winchester Plan,” a European-style lager courtesy of Beer Zombies Brewing Co., featuring special artwork for the event. However, many felt the bar was a glorified merch booth, primarily selling 20^th anniversary souvenirs also available via their online retail store.