New York Comic Con (NYCC) may bring the fun, but Thrilljoy knows how to deliver the thrills.Â
The collectible company returns to the show floor, this time for its second birthday following last year’s relaunch. Following its success at this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego, Thrilljoy brings the excitement to NYCC, bringing a new range of exclusives and announcements.Â
For those not in the loop, Thrilljoy develops officially licensed collectibles featuring pop-culture moments. Blending creativity and craftsmanship, these limited-edition pieces feature fandoms across horror, animation, fantasy, movies, TV series, and more.Â
If you like fandoms such as Harry Potter, Nickelodeon, Disney, and DC Comics, you can find the latest collectibles at select partner booths. At NYCC, Thrilljoy’s must-haves will be available at Toy Temple (Booth No. 2473) and 7 Bucks A Pop (Booth No. 1333, 4329).Â
After a successful first day, Thrilljoy’s Co-Founder Brian Mariotti and Director of Marketing Karissa Marston took time to speak with The Pop Insider about their successes, surprises, and supportive fan community.Â
How is Thrilljoy evolving following the typhoon that caused challenges during last year’s NYCC?
With us, it’s always about implementing new licenses and dealing with new licensing partners. So we’ve learned that, as the world changes, not everything happens on time. Despite these obstacles, and with prior experience at Funko, we at Thrilljoy know how to handle situations, recognizing that there will always be variance.
What fun is Thrilljoy bringing to NYCC 2026?
We’re supporting our partners this year. We have a big show on Saturday at Whatnot [Booth No. 1000], and we had a TikTok live show on opening day. We also have exclusive items at Toy Temple, and 7 Bucks A Pop. Thrilljoy is also meeting with our fan advisory board and connecting with fans to hear their feedback.
Next year, we’re going to be here with a big booth and tons of programs — we’re excited about that!
How important is the thrillseeking community to Thrilljoy
When we recently lost a prominent member of our fan community, it took everyone by surprise. We’ve seen some partners make donations, and we are as well, but we were truly touched by the fans donating food and money — that’s what it’s all about.
It’s these moments that make me feel really good, knowing we’re creating a positive environment where we can all get together and talk about how we can support each other. We want to be the company that fans can adore, and seeing fans rally around during a time of loss makes us feel like we’re doing something good.
What kind of community-building moments did Thrilljoy experience this year?
We ended up at Megacon and did a big block party there. It was then that we realized it’s one thing to sell collectibles and another to build a community.
We’re going to meet our fans where they are, whether it’s at comic cons like this, fan events, or big pop-culture moments. Whatnot is huge for us. It allows our fans to have conversations on Whatnot, and provides us with a way to touch base with the community.
What has been your favorite Thrilljoy moment in 2026?
Megacon was such an eye-opening experience for us. At Comic Cons, the fans are already there, and it’s just a blessing that they also want to shop with us. But at Megacon, it was the first time that we were like ‘Oh my gosh, they flew here. People are traveling for us. People want to be a part of this community so much that they’re coming from across the country.’
It was really eye-opening to see how strong the community is and how excited they are about what we have coming up. It was like we were there with our family; it was a small family of a thousand people, but we were all hanging out together.
Anything you’d like to say to your community?
We want to say ‘thank you’ to our fans. We are doing this for the love of the game, and we want them to always feel they can collect the rarest things.
We want to continue to outdo ourselves and be better than ever. Despite all our speed bumps, we’re so thankful that the fans have stuck by us through typhoons and packaging mishaps, while giving us grace to learn and grow. We want to ensure that they are getting the best of the best.
Our fans also have a lot of fun things coming to them in 2027!
