Thrilljoy, a new collectibles brand that celebrates pop culture through nostalgia and unique designs, had an incredibly successful weekend at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). Temple of Geek spoke with CEO Brian Mariotti about the brand’s aesthetic, how fans impact their design choices, and what’s to come in the future.
Thrilljoy Believes in Fan Feedback when Designing Collectibles
Brian Mariotti spent twenty years working with Funko. He has an idea of what fans are looking for when making collectible purchases. During the interview, Mariotti says:
With Thrilljoy, you want to be cute. You want to be whimsical, but you want to be cool enough that guys will still buy it, and then cute enough for women to still buy it. And then, try to find ways to do things that I think that we’re missing in the marketplace. And for us at Thrilljoy, rarity, making sure everything is produced to the right quantity, not overproduced. Chase pieces, super chase pieces, cards that have certificate of authenticity and hand stamped. All those things are kind of the ethos of what we do, making fans get excited again about collecting vinyl figures. And that’s what we’re trying to do.
Finding the balance between artistic liberty and remaining true to the IPs comes from a solid relationship with licensors as well as Thrilljoy’s Fan Advisory Board. Design is key. Mariotti discusses how Thrilljoy might have some of the best licenses and IPs ever, but if fans are not drawn to the design, then it does not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Their Fan Advisory Board is a system that brings diverse pop culture fans and specialists into the company, who offer their advice on which IPs and products would be the most well-received. Mariotti explains:
It’s about finding people that are younger that love pop culture, finding influencers that love pop culture, finding fans that love pop culture, people that have expertise in things. Like, they might be sneaker heads, they love sneaker culture, or they love anime to a level that is unhealthy. We love that. And so, trying to find a way of putting those pieces of the puzzle together so that those influential people that have that love of pop culture can really benefit us. And I think they end up winning as well. So that’s always been the philosophy when we bring people on.
Thrilljoy values community input, and it shows in their products. The passion for pop culture adds to the draw of these collectibles. The brand moves quickly whenever it receives feedback. Mariotti goes on to say, “They see that, ‘Oh my god, they’re listening to us and they’re making changes in real time,’ and then that goes a long way.”
Exciting Announcements for New Collectibles
At their first-ever massive block party during SDCC, Thrilljoy announced several new designs.
First off, Thrilljoy is partnering with “Hazbin Hotel” and “Helluva Boss” to bring fans of the Hellaverse their favorite characters. This was one of the first IPs Brian Mariotti had hoped to work with from the start! Richard Horvitz, the voice of Moxxie in “Helluva Boss,” helped with the announcement, revealing Moxxie, Fizzaroli, Blitzo, and Loona figures. From “Hazbin Hotel” come Charlie and Alastor figures.
For fans of nostalgia, get ready for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as Animaniacs figures! Voice acting legend Rob Paulsen took the stage and revealed these designs.
Then, attendees were given a first look at all-new designs from pop culture favorites such as “The Lord of the Rings,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” “Wednesday” and “Clueless” designs are also coming, but fans were only teased with titles and no photos just yet!
Horror fans can look forward to figures from “The Conjuring,” “Killer Clowns from Outer Space,” and “Terrifier.”
Keep an eye on the Thrilljoy website and their social media for pre-orders. Don’t miss out on collecting some of the hottest figures in pop culture!
