Take a Tour With Us of the Best Activations at New York Comic Con

Each October, a swarm of cosplayers and fans descend upon the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City for the annual New York Comic Con. NYCC features intricate entertainment brand activations from studios, networks, game publishers and brands.

Scroll through a few of the 2019 activations below.

Snowpiercer

If you’re unfamiliar with the movie and comic series, Snowpiercer is set in an icy apocalyptic future where a constantly moving train circles the now-frozen globe to keep its riders alive. The first class riders enjoy fine food and comfort, while the low class riders are forced to survive off of “Bug Bars.”

At NYCC, TNT brought “Bug Bars” to fans via a vending machine. Fans step through the Snowpiercer booth, tap the interactive vending machine screen, and are served a message from a low class rider about joining the Resistance. After hearing the message, fans are rewarded with their daily ration—a peanut butter, jelly and cricket “Bug Bar.”

As fans exit the booth, they receive an exclusive Snowpiercer poster, one of five created by DC artists. 

Finally, here’s the trailer:

The Expanse

In May 2018, The Expanse was cancelled on Syfy. So why do they have an activation at NYCC? Because just two weeks later, after an outcry from fans, the show was picked up by Amazon Prime Video. As part of the latest trend of networks saving shows after another network pulls the plug, The Expanse is coming back strong for Season 4 on Prime Video. 

At NYCC, Prime Video and agency AKQA brought the show’s Rocinante spaceship to life. As fans step inside, they’re met with authentic show props, a photo-opp that puts them into the Season 4 key art, and a chance to ride in the Rocinante chair. 

Season 4 of The Expanse premieres on Prime Video on Dec. 13.

NBC

In September, NBC launched its “Comedy Starts Here” campaign. At NYCC, NBC and agency Giant Spoon brought three NBC original comedies to life with multiple photo experiences. As fans walk through the activation, they step into the universes of Superstore, The Office and The Good Place. 

Fans can grab a Superstore vest and become Cloud 9 employees surrounded by NBC comedy show themed merchandise on the shelves and in the shopping cart. The in-world products include cans of Schrute Farms beets, Cones of Dunshire, Sweetums candy, and the Sabre Pyramid. 

Next, fans can step into Schrute Farms and take a photo with the largest Funko Pop version of Dwight Schrute in existence, standing 8 feet tall.

Lastly, fans put themselves into the final season key art of The Good Place. As Eleanor would say, the fan experience is forking cool.

Crank Yankers

After 12 years off the air, Jimmy Fallon’s Crank Yankers is back on Comedy Central. If you’re unfamiliar with the original series that aired from 2002-07, the show features puppets reenacting real prank calls. 

At NYCC, Crank Yankers set up walls with retro phones where fans could pick up the receiver and listen in on prank calls featured in the show.

Crank Yankers is currently airing on Comedy Central.

NBA

This year, the NBA extended its comic book theme featured on social media to the NYCC stage. To get ready for tip-off on Oct. 22, the NBA put fans in the game. Fans step onto the court, choose an NBA player to face off against during tip-off, and then jump for the basketball. Each fan is given a video of the tip-off in the comic book theme and told how high they jumped. A leaderboard also shows who jumped the highest for the day. 

They also had an artist live drawing a few key NBA players, and as fans stood in line for tip-off, they could take photos with the NBA Championship Trophy. 

The Birch

Facebook Watch is turning the original short film The Birch into a 14-episode series. At NYCC, fans walk across a woodchip-covered forest floor and step into a vine-covered room, where the Birch, aka the monster, is waiting. After a photo opp with the creepy tree monster, fans can grab a free T-shirt and relax on wooden benches while charging their phones and watching the trailer on a loop. 

The Birch premieres on Facebook Watch on Oct. 11.

South Park

At NYCC, fans have the opportunity to “find out who’s inside you” by walking through the Mephesto Tech Lab with a scientist and taking a few tests.

For those fans not at NYCC, you can still find out which South Park character you’re most like at SPandMe.com. As the website states, “Our scientists have devised a test that will determine your South Park genealogy with perfect accuracy.”

South Park is in its 23rd season on Comedy Central.

SpongeBob SquarePants

In celebration of SpongeBob SquarePants’ 20 years on television, Viacom brought the Krusty Krab to NYCC. The activation allows fans to step into the cartoon restaurant to see how fast they could properly build Krabby Patties. The winner of the interactive competition posed with the Employee of the Month wall for photos. 

SpongeBob SquarePants is in its 12th season and 20th year on Nickelodeon.

Lost in Space 2

Season 1 of Lost in Space premiered on Netflix in 2018, and fans have been patiently waiting for the second season. The Season 2 premiere date and official trailer are set to be released during Saturday’s NYCC Lost in Space panel. UPDATE: The release date is Dec. 24, and the trailer is posted below.

If you’re unfamiliar with Lost in Space, the series centers on the Robinson family, who crash land on an alien planet and have to fight for survival. The Netflix series is a recreation of the 1965 TV series with the same name, which is a reimagining of The Swiss Family Robinson. 

“LOST IN SPACE 2” are the words that greet you as you enter the show floor at NYCC as part of a banner takeover. Will Robinson’s space suit, the Chariot and the Robot welcome Comic Con guests on either side of the entrance.

Here’s the trailer:

Big Mouth

Big Mouth, the TV-MA rated show about teenagers going through puberty with their “Hormone Monsters,” chose an unusual spot for their NYCC marketing—the bathroom. Each stall door features a different Big Mouth character, messages are written on the stall walls, and a Hormone Monster looks at you from the mirror. 

Big Mouth is in its third season on Netflix.

1917

At NYCC, the new movie 1917 created a trailer house outside of the convention center. Fans step inside, take a seat and watch the movie trailer with cast and crew commentary. The pop-up includes AR-enabled walls, a photo filter to unlock and an exclusive NYCC movie poster. Outside of the trailer house, the key art was brought to life with a towering “1917.”

1917 releases in theaters on Christmas Day.

New York Comic Con takes place through Sunday at the Javits Center.