While Comic-Con was peppered with first looks and tidbits about upcoming films and TV shows, it was also marked by new spins on nostalgia.

Examples of some of these nostalgia-tinged vehicles include Coyote vs. Acme (August 28), Ghost Rider (2028), Black Panther 3 (December 15, 2028), Carrie (Amazon Prime, October 7) and Blade Runner 2099. These first looks were all part of the  recycling of content at Comic-Con and it was the smaller IPs that were a lure for licensing.

In those cases, often it was the larger toy companies with bulging IP portfolios that were licensing it out to erstwhile competitors where it would receive more focus.

Loyal Subjects, for example, is preparing a collection based on Hasbro’s Popples, an IP the toymaker acquired through buying Saban Entertainment in 2018. The Popple TV series, which first aired in 1986, is continuing its return to the toy aisle with Spin Master being the latest licensee. Loyal Subjects is also a licensee for Hasbro’s Mobile Armored Strike Kommand (M.A.S.K), a franchise that debuted in 1985 with an animated TV series and accompanying a Kenner toy line. Hasbro acquired Kenner in 1991 after purchasing Tonka.

Meanwhile, former Funko executive Brian Mariotti’s Thrilljoy returned with its PIX! figures and licenses for WK Kellogg Co.’s Tony the Tiger, Universal Pictures’ The Exorcist, Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice. Spin Master acquired the Fuggler IP from creator Louise McGettrick in 2018, then later sold it to Libertas in 2023. Since then, Libertas has signed licensing agreements with Wow! Stuff (hand puppets), PMI Toys (keychains, pencil toppers), and others.

“An IP may not generate enough revenue to be a priority at the big companies to warrant investment,” a licensing executive said. “More of those brands are available now [for licensing] where the company owns the underlying IP and licenses it out. If that licensed IP gets people to start paying attention to it, the IP owner can always step in and make the investment. The bigger companies own lots of IPs and even if they could make an investment, they cannot do so with all of them.”

And beneath surprise appearances at Comic-Con by actors Johnny Depp (Ebenezer, November 13) who is making a return to the big screen after a seven-year absence, and Ryan Reynolds (in a Deadpool costume discussing Avengers: Doomsday), there were other properties that mined the show for licensing.

For example, artist Brian Cook, the creator of the “Butts on Things” drawings, took a booth as he sought to expand a concept that began with a doodle on a coffee cup in 2016. The drawings have since taken shape with Artooty Droid Butt and Steambutt Willie luggage tags. Similarly, illustrator Helen Wu’s art, inspired by the South American native capybara animal known for its Zen-like demeanor, has spread across apparel, home goods, footwear, and accessories. Wu has landed more than 50 licensing agreements, including those with Zara and Walmart with Hybrid Apparel.

Loyal Subjects highlighted its collectibles based on Japanese videogame developer Pocketpair’s Palworld, a monster-taming game that features an open world populated by animal-like “pals” that tote guns to battle and capture for base building, travel, and combat. The game was first announced in 2021, launched for Early Access on Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC via Steam and Microsoft store, and PlayStation 5 in 2024 before being was fully released in July. It has 287 characters and more than 850,000 active players, with the game having hit its peak with over two million concurrent players in early 2024.

“It is all about nostalgia and sometimes that means the ‘island of misfit toys’ where companies have IP that they are not comfortable putting out because there isn’t enough meat on the bone but ourselves and other companies can take a swing and put some shine on it,” says The Loyal Subjects CEO & Founder Jonathan Cathey. “There are many people where that IP had an impact on their lives, and those beats do mean something. There is a fandom for everything. We can supply the beats and the more Easter eggs there are in the products, the more it means to fans.”