What an interesting year it’s been. In so many ways, the pop culture, collectibles, and fandom industries have continued to be shaped by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some fan conventions came back in person this year, while others stayed entirely online. Long-delayed blockbusters finally made their way to the big screen as we all fell in love with Ted Lasso at home. This list of our most-read stories from 2021 covers all of that and more!
Keep scrolling to see which 10 posts were the most popular with our readers over the past 12 months. And a happy new year to you, Pop Insider readers!
1. CHECK OUT THE NOMINEES FOR THE 2021 CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS
Did you vote this for this year’s Anime Awards, way back in January? It’s hard to believe that it’s almost time for the 2022 nominee reveals!
2. 2021 CONVENTIONS: WHAT’S CANCELED, POSTPONED, AND STILL HAPPENING
It was a crazy year for convention schedules! We’re glad we could help keep things straight with this ongoing list.
3. FUNKO’S TARGET CON RETURNS WITH NEW, EXCLUSIVE POP! FIGURES
This February Funko collab was the first of many fandom-fueled collector’s events from Target this year!
4. NYCC: FUNKO REVEALS VIRTUAL CONVENTION PLANS, EXCLUSIVES
Funko may not have been on the NYCC show floor, but they still had fans’ attention during the con.
5. NYCC: EXCLUSIVES HEADED TO THIS YEAR’S CONVENTION
A few of the online exclusives are still up for grabs … Just saying.
6. BE A GEEKACHU FOR PIKACHU WITH POKÉMON TCG SHINING FATES EXPANSION
It’s been a big year for Pokémon, but this late-2020 announcement was a clear favorite in the fandom!
7. TED LASSO FANS: THERE’S AN OFFICIAL AFC RICHMOND SHOP
We (still) believe in this merch.
8. CHANNEL YOUR INNER DISNEY VILLAIN WITH A NEW DISNEY VILLAINOUS EXPANSION
Check out Disney Villainous: Despicable Plots.
9. MARVEL VILLAINOUS GETS ITS FIRST EXPANSION
We’re sensing a theme here…
10. THE FIRST ‘SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS’ TRAILER IS HERE
It’s no surprise that the first trailer for one of this year’s top movies broke into our top 10!
