Question of the Week #10: What's the best free swag you've received at SDCC?

Question of the Week #10: What’s the best free swag you’ve received at SDCC?

This year, in an effort to feature more attendees, rather than featuring just one per week — we’re featuring lots of you! We’ll have a new question each week, so be sure to keep an eye on our social media channels for each week’s question. Without further ado let’s get into this weeks question:

Ricky Campbell
Pittsburgh

After 17 years of memories it’s hard to choose a favorite. This is definitely a contender, and it was from 2007, my second year attending SDCC. The Tonner Doll Company had a booth and they would hold a raffle a couple of times each day, with each raffle having multiple winners. The prizes varied from gift cards to dolls, you never knew what the prize would be until right before they drew the ticket. You had to be present to win so I made a point to be at as many drawings as possible but wasn’t having any luck. Well on Saturday afternoon I was at the booth for one of the raffles and my luck was about to change. The prizes would get bigger with each drawing. For the final drawing of that raffle the prize would be for either a Wonder Woman or Batgirl doll. A Wonder Woman doll was the ultimate prize, in my opinion at least. A young girl was pulling the names and the Tonner employee running the raffle told her to look at my shirt (Apollo & Midnighter from The Authority) and pull the last name. She reached into the bucket handed the slip over and I hear “Ricky Campbell.” In shock I step forward from the crowd to collect my prize when the guy decided to throw a curve ball. I would NOT get to pick between Wonder Woman or Batgirl, a stranger would! I went from total exhilaration to nervous shock in the blink of an eye. He stopped a woman and asked her if I should get the Wonder Woman or Batgirl doll. Here I thought I had just won the greatest raffle prize ever but I could end up with Batgirl. Nothing against Barbara, she’s great, but she was no Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman, who is my favorite superhero and for whom I have more collectibles than I can count. As she is processing what has been asked of her I as calmly as possible point to the Wonder Woman wristband I’m wearing, hoping she’d get the message. She looked at us and said “I like Batgirl more but I think he should get Wonder Woman.” I was over the moon; I thanked her and the Tonner employee profusely! I could not believe I had just won a $125 collectible Wonder Woman doll! I was on cloud nine the rest of the day and the rest of the con! That Wonder Woman Tonner doll is proudly displayed in a curio cabinet in my Wonder Woman-themed guest room.

Madison Davila

My group once got a PS4 from a Cloak and Dagger pop up!

Shannon Wilson
Hampton, VA

I’ve only been to SDCC once and that was last year, but my husband and I loved the free personalized umbrellas at FX! Definitely used them a lot to provide shade during SDCC and still use them to this day!

Jay L
Belmont, CA

Comic Con 2019. The Detective Pikachu offsite. On Preview Night, the line wasn’t too long so we gave it a try. Not only was the experience neat, but the Pikachu ears were some of the best swag we’ve ever gotten. Still have them today on display.

William Richter
Chula Vista, California

I guess the best swag that I have received is the real cowboy hat at the Westworld offsite in 2017. I had to spend the night waiting in line (and came within a few people from missing out) but that was one of the most immersive experiences that I have experienced at Comic-Con and really worth it.

Also in the running:

Lego Minifigure (Zebra Batman)
Deadpool vs. Wolverine Popcorn Bucket

Didn’t get and was coveting last year was the Alien facehugger.

Troy T
Washington, D.C. area

Over the years, I’ve picked up a lot of free swag at Comic-Con, but one item stands out above the rest: a signed illustration of the Joker by the artist Lucio Parrillo.

It was Sunday in 2019, about an hour or so before the exhibit hall was set to close. My friend and I were taking one final lap around the show floor, reminiscing about the great moments we’d had over the past few days. As we neared the DC booth, we noticed a moderator on stage deep in discussion about all things DC, while Lucio was live-sketching the Joker. A projector displayed his drawing on a big screen above. I’ve always loved the “live drawing” panels at SDCC—they’re one of my favorite parts of the con—so we decided to hang out and watch.

As Lucio sketched, the moderator announced that the finished illustration would be given away at the end of the session. The catch? You had to answer a trivia question—one so tough that, earlier in the day, no one in a whole panel room had gotten it right.

Naturally, my hopes sank a little. I’ve been reading comics for decades and know a lot of lore, but the way he hyped it up, it sounded like the kind of question even die-hard fans might miss.

As the session wrapped up, the moderator turned to the crowd and asked, “Are you ready for the impossible question?”

Then he shouted, “What’s the name of the Joker’s secret hideout?”

Without hesitation—almost instinctively—I yelled, “Ha-Hacienda!”

The moderator’s jaw practically hit the floor. “How did you know that?” he asked, clearly stunned. I’d answered almost before he even finished the question. He kept repeating how no one earlier had come close, and here I was blurting it out like it was common knowledge.

What he didn’t know was that I’m a lifelong Batman fanatic, and the Joker has always been my all-time favorite villain. Of course I knew it… even if I had doubts before the question was asked.

It was the perfect ending to an amazing Comic-Con.

Elisabeth Aguilar

Los Angeles, CA

The best Swag I’ve received was from my first time at SDCC. I was walking the floor and reached the SyFy booth where they were giving this little Battlestar Galactica Cylon away.

I managed to get the last one for the day and I’ve now had it for almost 18 years. It’s survived a little brother and multiple moves. All limbs still intact 🙂

From a Galaxy Far, Far Away…

Santiago
Argentina

There is so much free stuff that I absolutely love!

One needs to be the sticker of Gary, king of the con from Val (and who doesn’t love Val?)

I love this keychain from Our Flag Means Death:

All the prize mules wins that I got over the years, including stuff like this:

Daniel Gurrola
San Diego, CA

The best swag I have ever received has kind of been an experience more than an item. In 2010. It was the summer of Scott Pilgrim and I had joked with my friends that I was going to try to find Edgar Wright to make him show me the movie a few weeks earlier than its release at Comic-Con. I got to meet him waiting in line for a signing at the Scott Pilgrim experience earlier in the day. I got to meet him in my Wallace Wells cosplay and he was a big fan. My friends and I got into the panel in Hall H, and at the end it was revealed that about a thousand of the attendees were going to get see the world premiere with the cast at the Balboa theater. Me and my friends were part of that lucky group and it was an experience I couldn’t believe, especially after the movie was over and the band Metric played a four song set for the crowd. They are one of my favorite bands and it was just such an amazing night.

The next day I went back to the Scott Pilgrim experience, and bumped into Edgar wright and got to talk to him for about half an hour about the movie, he remembered me as Wallace. It’s still surreal to this day, but by far my favorite thing that’s ever happened to me at Comic-Con. I’ve had my fair few celebrity run-ins, but this will always be one I’ll treasure the most.

Along the way, I got to meet some pretty cool stars of the movie too, including Aubrey Plaza and future Oscar Winner Kieran Culkin..I have some of the giveaway shirts from the experience including one signed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead

This will be 20 years of Comic-Con as well, and I’m proud of the small part of Comic-Con I carve out with the events I run during a couple of nights of the con.

Patti Buckley

San Diego, CA

Supernatural panel 13th season anniversary with Kansas Live singing “Carry on my Wayward Son”

Swag:

A miniature Baby!!!

They also gave us a concert-like T-shirt which was also awesome!!!

Runner up:

GOT offsite

Funko Night King w/ GOT tote and T-shirt

Ray Aquino

Few years back got handed a Krypto plush from DC booth!!! Modeled by Kona!!!

Derek

It was our second year at Comic-Con and we learned from our mistakes from the first time.

I was at Funko Fundays while I got tickets for my mother & father for The Walking Dead Celebration Party. I tell them to just make the most out of it and whatever happens, happens. My event finishes before them so as I walk from the Marriott to the Gaslamp, I scan my ticket to go in and I see my mom with a full bag of TWD goodies.

She randomly got picked for TWD trivia & won the grand prize which came with a poster, bag full of pins, an Upper Deck TCG Box and shirts.

Best offsite & best goodies we ever got all thanks to AMC.

Marshal
Los Angeles, CA

My best free swag was easily the sick cowboy hat I got from the Westworld experience back in 2017!! That experience was so immersive and so cool! Top 3 things I’ve ever done at SDCC!

Deon Sinquefield

One of the best free swag that I got at SDCC was a poster for Amazing Spider-Man 2 (the 2023 PS5 video game) that I got signed by Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales/Spider-Man), Laura Bailey (Mary Jane Watson), and the late great Tony Todd (Venom). A friend got me hooked up to see them in Hall H which lead to me getting a ticket to the Marvel Booth, where not only did I get to meet the cast, but the poster that they all signed. I did get to spend a few minutes talking to Tony Todd and expressed my gratitude for all of his films. Then I made him laugh out loud when I told him that Candy Man doesn’t mess with anyone as long as you “keep his name out yo mouth”.

Todd Cassel
Phoenix, Arizona

Late in the 2014 Con, I chanced upon a booth featuring this free Sharknado BluRay (long before all the sequels that couldn’t hold a candle to discovering the original) and a poster that was then autographed in person.

I have no idea why they gave me the movie for free, as I know they were selling it earlier in the Con, but I suppose it was just their sensing an appreciative fan.

Staci
Los Angeles. CA

The best swag I’ve gotten is the poster from the final Game of Thrones panel. The poster itself was maybe no big deal but I took it with me to the last Emmys that GOT was nominated. I had a red carpet seat. The cast pretty much ignored everyone except me and my poster! Both Kit and Emilia crossed the red sea of the red carpet to come sign my poster. Thank you, Comic-Con!

Darren

So actually there are two:

Both from 2009, and the first being clues given to a location in Gaslamp that was the retro arcade “Flynns”. We received handfuls of coin tokens for showing up, just like the classic film!

Second was a double decker bus we caught from a clue to wait at a hotel location. The bus took us to a roller rink just South of the convention center where it was all Robot Chicken themed and we met Seth Green who gave us wristbands!

Ariel Estandarte
Orland Park, Illinois

My favorite free swag came from my very first Comic-Con in 2009. It was a Star Trek foam Vulcan salute. I’ve cherished it ever since and still have it today. That year I only had Thursday and Sunday badges and I knew I had to come back again.

Scott Daigle

Best panel swag: was always from HBO who gave attendees of their Game of Thrones panels a whole swag back with GOT book, notebook, sling bag, and pens. But my personal favorite panel swag was the free shirts after the Archer panels.

Best Exhibit Hall swag: has gotta be the WB poster tubes. Useful little souvenir.

Best Offsite swag: the Conan Pops back in the day. I never got to go to the show but did manage to score a Stormtrooper Conan pop.

However, my most memorable and valuable free “swag” was a business card I received from some crazy dude cosplaying as Bryan Cranston at the Con. I got a chance to tell him how cool I thought his mask was and he shook my hand, thanked me and handed me his business card saying he made the mask. Ill keep it always. #IFYKYK

Jennifer Seghers

I’ve gotten some great swag, face-hugger mask included, but this splat-happens shirt from Rotten Tomatoes’ “Your opinion sucks” panel with Leonard Maltin and other film critics facing off against the audience is something I wear regularly.

Christina Sinwelski
(@Lastmealcosplay)
Brooksville, Fl

My favorite freebie last year, was an autographed The Boys poster from the amazing Laura Jean Shannon and team, they were walking the floor and absolutely loved my cosplay. It was amazing listening to them point out different aspects of my “tray of food” for my Ronald McDonald cosplay.

We also loved the pickle Rick float and the Futurama pins from the Hulu offsite.

We couldn’t let the readers have all the fun, so some of the team here at the Unofficial Blog wanted to get in on the action as well. Let’s see who some of their favorites are.

Johnny Du

Westworld hat from 2017! It was the closest I’ve come to doing an overnight line (and only because the line was indoors). I went back downtown around 1:30am and waited in the Hilton Bayfront lobby. Hotel staff let us sit in the lobby but wouldn’t allow anyone to sleep (and would enforce it). Finally, Steve from the Campfire (who was doing the offsite) came over and handed out wristbands around 5:30am to guarantee us lucky few a time slot. Totally worth it. Best offsite ever!

Andy Wagner

This is, by far, the easiest question to answer. My favorite piece of swag is the Conair nose hair trimmer from the 2022 IMDboat swag bag. Now, I know what you’re thinking, because my wife and I thought it, too, when we first saw it. Every question you’re asking yourself trying to wrap your head around this concept is the same question we asked. As we went through the bag, we said, “Oh, cool! A Fire Cube!… and a nose hair trimmer? OK, why not…,” but that nose hair trimmer is the best piece of grooming equipment I ever received. After three years, I’ve only had to change the batteries once, and the blades are still sharp. No wild nose or ear hair on me since 2022. Thanks, Amazon, IMDb, and Conair!

Evic Oropilla

One my fav swag from SDCC not just because I am a Tron fan but the process to get them was one of the best planned scavenger hunts SDCC has had.

Kerry Dixon
(@kerrydixon)

The best thing I ever got at Comic-Con is far and away my Westworld cowboy hat. The entire experience was so immersive, and I’m still not sure how they got our personalities so closely matched. I maintain in my heart I want to be a black hat… but I think they probably got the white part right.