San Diego just wrapped another Comic-Con, and for a few days our hometown turned into the center of the pop culture universe. While the convention floor gets most of the headlines, some of our favorite work each year happens just outside the official convention, at Adult Swim on the Green where our custom Comic-Con inflatables are located. This year our team spent months on four new inflatables for the network’s space at Bayfront Park, and we wanted to walk through what went into each one.
A Weekend That Takes Over Downtown San Diego
Comic-Con International started back in 1970 as a small gathering of comic book fans and has since grown into one of the largest pop culture events in the world. This year’s four-day convention drew more than 135,000 badge holders to downtown San Diego, filling hotels, restaurants, and sidewalks beyond the walls of the convention center. Outside of the convention, there are various brand activations that do not require a badge, and Adult Swim’s space has been one of the most reliable spots for years.
Adult Swim’s Long-Running Home on the Green
For years, Adult Swim has set up its own space at Bayfront Park during Comic-Con week, an even the network calls [adult swim[ on the Green. It has grown into one of the more anticipated free events of the convention, open to the public and running late most evenings throughout the weekend. As the network’s own site puts it, the event invites fans to “join adult swim for a free, fun fest including new shows, custom games and rides, and prizes, laser dance parties, and more.”
Inflatable Design Group has partnered with Adult swim for years to help transform their activation space, building custom Comic Con inflatables that turn an open grass area into a fully branded event. This year’s lineup included four separate builds, each designed to serve a different part of the experience.
This Year’s Comic-Con Inflatable Lineup
From a giant branding centerpiece to an entryway built around one of the network’s most recognizable characters, here is what we built for Adult Swim’s activation this year.
The first piece was the [as] inflatable logo, a set of 3D letters built at 25 feet long and 15 feet tall. These inflatable letterers were placed at the center of the event, where it worked as both a branding moment and the go-to photo stop for anyone passing through the activation.
Next was the Mr. Boss mattress, a customized take on a classic mechanical bull mattress. Instead of a bull, riders took on a mechanical version of Mr. Boss, a character from the adult animated series Smiling Friends. It gave the space an interactive activation and a photo opportunity in one, and it was one of the more talked-about pieces of the event.
Our team also built a 20-foot inflatable owl fitted with laser eyes for the nightly laser dance parties. The owl has long served as an unofficial mascot for Adult Swim, showing up in the network bumps, sign-offs, and a 2010 “owl cultist” marketing campaign. The owl represents the network’s identity as a home for nigh owls, which made it perfect for their dance parties after the sun went down.
The last build was a custom inflatable entryway Rick Sanchez, one of the title characters from the network’s most popular shows, Rick and Morty. Standing at 19 feet tall, the entryway marked the entrance to a dome pavilion that housed a Rick and Morty themed ride inside.
Bring Your Brand to Life with Comic-Con Inflatables
Inflatable Design Group has had the pleasure of building inflatables for Adult Swim and Comic-Con for many years. You can see more of our Comic-Con inflatables, including custom games, photo opportunities, and entryways from past years, on our Comic-Con inflatables page.
If you are planning an activation for next year’s Comic-Con or any other event and want to explore what a custom inflatable could do for your brand, email us at info@inflatabledesigngroup.com and we can help bring your idea to life.