San Diego Comic-Con is about many things – starry panels where studios introduce their newest and buzziest movies and shows; meeting and interacting with some of your favorite comic book writers and artists; gathering with like-minded folks who share your fandom. It’s also about getting the most exclusive and highly sought-after collectibles on the planet.
And some of those collectibles are coming from Mondo, the division of Funko responsible for high-end collectibles, vinyl records, art prints, merchandise and much, much more.
TheWrap spoke to Hector Arce, Sr. Director, Creative and Product Development and Peter Santa-Maria, Sr. Creative Director, about the company’s plans for this year’s San Diego Comic Con, which you can keep track of on their official site – with much more left to be revealed.
What does San Diego Comic Con mean for Mondo? The company has always had such a big presence at the convention and it seems to grow each year.
Arce: It’s wild to me to see how much Mondo has grown its presence at SDCC over the years. I remember many years ago I was one of those fans running when the doors opened to get in that giant line, just for a chance to buy anything. Back then it was a very modest booth run by the core team, being there to meet with the fans, engage and share Mondo art with all of SDCC. Fast forward to today, several years later and I’m on that other side (super surreal to me to this day) And what I can say is that while our booth is much bigger, fancier, and amazing looking with some serious production value and an incredible booth design by Nolan Fleming, at our core we’re still that ragtag, scrappy group. We still want to meet every single one of the fans, share our love for movies, comics, and pop culture with everyone there and show off all the hard work done by this incredible team. I always say that SDCC is our Super Bowl, and we show up ready to go all out with some surprises, some awesome artwork, collectibles, and records. In the end it’s the moment our year builds up to and getting to share that with all the awesome people that come by our booth is still one of the best things in the world for us!
You’re going to be introducing prints, records and collectibles connected to some of the biggest franchises – everything from “Jaws” to “Ghostbusters” to “Mad Max.” Is there a property or product that you’re particularly excited about?
Santa-Maria: Each one of these partnerships is such an incredible opportunity to create something definitive for fans of the characters and franchises. Every single project is mind blowing for our team because we know what a privilege and responsibility it is to be a steward of the property for the time we are working on it. Having said that, I will always want to work on Godzilla!
As an animation enthusiast, what can you tell us about “Over the Garden Wall” and “Rocko’s Modern Life?”
Arce: I’m just so freaking excited to be doing some collectibles for these two shows! Being a 90’s kid I grew up watching Nick Toons, and Rocko’s Modern Life has always been one of my favorites. Getting a chance to make a truly faithful collectible for this show is a dream come true. Over the Garden Wall on the other hand is a newer show, but it has become a cult classic, and an instant must watch for me every single Halloween. The show is simply incredible, and the characters just ooze with creativity.
We’re beyond honored to be the first company to put out some official collectible figures for this show and we’re pulling out all the stops! This is one of my favorite cartoons of all time, and we poured so much love into these Mondo Squads, that I hope we bring a smile to long time OTG fans. Mondo Squads is the best category to stick these two incredible shows in. These are more so maquettes that feel like they’ve jumped out of the screen, filled with swappable parts and easter eggs.
In addition to showing products on the show floor, you’re involved in several panels, including your own Toy Talk Live, plus panels dedicated to Toho’s Godzilla universe and the “Friday the 13th” Jason universe. What can you tease about these panels? If people can only attend one panel, which one would you encourage folks to join?
Santa-Maria: When it comes to the Mondo panel, we plan all year to make sure anyone who takes the time to attend walks away thrilled with what’s coming next from our team. SDCC panels are all about deep dives, sneak peaks and exclusive reveals and we have that in spades! I can tell you that there are so many this year that I have trouble keeping track of them! I really can’t wait for people to see where we are taking our legacy lines and what new lines are on the horizon!
Being invited to attend the Godzilla panel is a huge honor and we are looking forward to talking about the records, prints and figures we have been working on as well as announce something really special, we’ve been keeping secret! And then being asked to host the Jason Universe panel is something that hasn’t quite set in yet. That one I just get to geek out and ask questions about my favorite slasher icon of all time and finish with gifting a print to the other Jason fans in the crowd. It’s like party after party celebrating these icons we grew up with and continue to revere!
How important is Comic-Con and these various panels to maintaining and building the Mondo brand and awareness for that brand?
Santa-Maria: I can honestly say that I look forward to spending time at our booth and panels more than anything. The social aspect where we can talk, share insight, and answer questions is what makes Comic-Con so important. You never know who is learning about Mondo for the first time. I equate these panels with live shows for a touring band that’s on the come up. We want to wow everyone with the results of our hard work but even more importantly, meet and befriend everyone over the movies, comics, music, and figures that bring us together.
What else can you tease about Mondo’s presence at San Diego Comic Con?
Santa-Maria: Well, I can say that internally we can’t believe what we accomplished this year. In addition to all the great releases and exclusives that are sure to please fans of our work, the reveals…the reveals are on another level. Any ONE of them would be a showstopper but combined? You all aren’t ready.
