The Animation Lover’s Holiday Gift Guide
Nick Fix. Viacom has been doubling down on creative partnerships for its classic brands — which is good news for Nicktoons fans! Earlier this year, Hot
Topic debuted the SpongeBob X Lisa Frank line, joining its Retro Nickelodeon collection. Box Lunch has a great variety of exclusive apparel and accessories — from Rocko Boxer Briefs ($17) to the Danielle Nicole X Rugrats Baby Bottle Coin Purse ($19), even collectible toys and unique toon-inspired dog collars.
Coveting Cartoon Network. The CN online shop is your go-to for the perfect gifts for cool, toon-loving kids (and grown ups). Anyone would be happy to sport a We Bare Bears Cali Stack tee ($25), stay cozy in a cute and subtle Summer Camp Island Sweatshirt ($40) or Are You Puff Enough Pullover ($50), or celebrate love in all its forms with Steven Universe Enamel Pins ($13-16). We also love the Teen Titans Go! Night Begin to Shine Funko POP! Raven and Beast Boy ($15 each). Urge to splurge? Snag an Adventure Time Limited Edition Guitar ($999) by ASG Guitars, featuring an illustration by Jason Edmiston — perfect for composing a heartfelt ode to the end of a great show.
Wreck the Halls. Bring home the fun of Disney’s big holiday release with a variety of goodies. Soak up the plugged-in creativity in The Art of Ralph Breaks the Internet (Chronicle Books,
$40). Make a playdate with interactive Wrecking Ralph figure ($28), Laughter & Lights Vanellope Plush ($16), super-fab Fashion Yesss ($19) or Funko POP! Knowsmore ($13). Or wear your love on your sleeve with new apparel, like the Vanellope Leggings ($29) & Hoodie ($45) from Hot Topic.
Fantastic Gifts and Where to Find
Them. A new Wizarding World movie means new magical merch to get your favorite Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw — heck, even a Slytherin. WB’s HarryPotterShop.com has got you covered (literally) with a Crimes of Grindelwald Niffler Beanie ($21) and a variety of cool tee/ hoodie designs, from subtle stacked Wands to the elaborate Beast Sigil or the excellent quote There Are No
Strange Creatures Only Blinkered People ($25-40). Of course, there are Funko POPS! of favorite beasts … And, we wouldn’t turn down a Baby Niffler Plush
($20) or one of the gorgeous Wand & Collector Box sets ($40), either.
Winter Is Coming. Any true knight of Westeros would love to have a bottle of Diageo’s White Walker by Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky ($36) or any/all of the eight Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection ($30-$65) waiting under the tree. It’s the perfect sip to keep you warm while you read George R.R. Martin’s new history of House Targaryen, Fire & Blood (Bantam, $35), and wait for Game of Thrones season 8 to arrive on HBO in April. HBO Shop has lots of apparel, accessories and home goods to make up a custom GoT gift basket — as does BoxLunch.com, where you can find a great Danielle Nicole x Game of Thrones bag or backpack to cram it all in.
Don’t Worry, You’ll Guro into It. One thing we love about the animation/comics/ nerdery licensing boom is that you can finally get merch featuring less mainstream titles and artists from around the world. Case in point: the beautifully creepy Junji Ito apparel collection at Hot Topic, perfect for the horror manga fan on your list (tees $20-25, long sleeve tees $27, sweatshirts $39-44, patches $6).
Oh My Disney! Amidst the avalanche of WDS brands and their piles of product, here are a few eye-catching playthings new this year: Disney Doorables (MooseToys, $4 each), My Friend Fancy Nancy (Jakks Pacific, $35), Star Wars Ultimate Co-Pilot Chewie (Hasbro, $130), Star Wars Jedi Challenges Kylo Ren Starter Kit (headset, beacon & lightsaber; Lenovo, $200), Avengers Hero Inventor Kit (littleBits, $150), Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors articulated figures (Hasbro, $20 each) and the Incredibles 2 Interactive Edna with Voice Recognition (Thinkway Toys, $35). Plus, gorgeous new Taschen books The Star Wars Archives, Walt Disney’s Disneyland and Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History, each $200.
If you’ve got a serious Marvel fan on your list, there’s a variety of high-end options that will really impress. The Manga Realization Kabukimono Deadpool (Bandai, $90), Wakanda Baseball Jersey (Mizizi, $80), Captain Marvel Faux Leather Jacket (HerUniverse, $80), Wolverine Cosplay Mini Backpack
(Loungefly, $68) and Marvel Legends Series Infinity
Gauntlet (Hasbro, $100) are all great opt i ons, and easier to wrap than the Deadpool Pinball Machine from Stern ($6,000)!
You Got Sole! Longtime readers know that we’re suckers for cool footwear collaborations featuring our favorite characters. Some recent highlights are the Disney x Vans collection tied to Mickey &
Minnie’s 90th birthday (SK8-HI Sorcerer’s Apprentice, $80),
Diadora x Rick and
Morty apparel/footwear capsule for Foot Locker, adidas x Beavis and Butt-head skate apparel/ shoes collection (3MC in black, $70) and adidas x Dragon Ball Z, rolling out new designs through the year. Hey, almost everyone needs shoes!
Merry Rickmas! Need something that says, “I’ve got holiday spirit, but also a superiority complex and a drinking problem?”
Festively schwifty gifts inspired by Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty got ya covered. Entertainment Earth has a variety of ornaments (including Pickle Rick and Plumbus) for $6-$10 as well as a faux fur-trimmed stocking ($14). And pop-culture apparel design shop Numskull has added two R&M looks to its hilarious holiday sweater collection, which come with free gift box and bonus pin ($50).
What a Load of Horse Stuff. Everyone’s favorite equine has-been will return for a sixth season on Netflix, but in the meantime you can delight your friends with BoJack
Horseman POP! Television vinyls ($100 for
set of five on Amazon) and a sassy Mr. Peanut
Butter “Key to Being Happy” shirt from
HappinessTees ($20). You can have fun horsin’ around Hollywood with the BoJack
Horseman Monopoly game
($40) and count the days til your comeback with 2019 Art
of the Art Calendar inspired by
iconic paintings ($15). Of course, every ultimate fan needs the informative and
lovely BoJack Horseman: The Art Before the Horse
from Abrams ($35).
Buildable Fun. Head over the shop.LEGO.com for new buildable playsets and figures inspired by your favorite franchises, including: Star Wars set Be- trayal at Cloud City ($350), Ninjago ship Destiny’s
Bounty ($160), fancy Hogwarts
Castle ($400) and an ultra cool Voltron ($180). There are also irresistible pop-culture BrickHeadz duos, like Homer Simpson & Krusty the Clown, Groot & Rocket or Jack Skellington & Sally ($15-19). ◆
Happy Birthday, Totoro! It’s the 30th anniversary year of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved film My Neighbor Totoro, which is the perfect excuse to spread the fuzzy forest spirit love. RockLove offers a limited collection of handcrafted silver jewelry with three charming, three-dimensional sculpted designs by Allison Cimino ($79-$89).
Bluefin teamed up with Japanese manufacturer Sun Arrow fora lovable new nine-inch plush (with leaf hat!), at Barnes & Noble for $30. And online shop Vio has a whole range of full-color, all-over print hoodies and tees inspired by the world of Studio Ghibli — many now on sale!