Sitting down and talking all things collectible at SDCC.
PN’s Sarah Marie Spectrum sat down with Bandai Namco’s Justin Cavender at the Bandai booth on the San Diego Comic Con expo floor to hear all about what’s popular.
Sarah: In all of the stuff that you guys have had, what is your highest selling licensed product, or the most popular?
Justin: Well, I would say for most popular: Dragon Ball is definitely at the front of that line. Dragon Ball and Gundam are two of our biggest properties when it’s all said and done. Especially at a place like this [San Diego Comic Con], where we go all out. Where we have, like the outdoor Dragon Ball activation, where not only is there amazing photo ops and blue displays, dioramas, but we have people building model kits and playing the trading card game or playing the video game. So we can see that we’re really doubling down on Dragon Ball for events like this, because it is so popular.
Sarah: Yeah, I grew up watching Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball.
Justin: Both of those are evergreen anime. Anyone that grew up in the 90s, for sure, are going to be able to tap into that Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball nostalgia, especially with Toonami, you know. A lot of kids coming home from school and then putting on Cartoon Network, and then rock and rolling with Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon. So, yeah, that’s great stuff.
Sarah: I know that Sailor Moon got redone and they’ve brought the streaming back for it. It felt like: let’s bring the millennials back. Out of all the products that you’ve worked with what has been your favorite? Or what has been the most memorable?
Justin: Oh, man, that’s like, asking for needle in a haystack. So Tamashii has made a Voltron, a Die Cast Voltron from their Chogokin line. And when I was a kid, I actually remember buying my Voltron here in San Diego. I used to live in San Diego and I was a little boy, and the box was so cool because the flap at the top opened up, and you got to see all five lines in the packaging. And I thought that was so cool. I had it as a little boy all the way through college. It was in my closet back home, and when I came home from school, I saw it, and I got so excited. I picked it up and I dropped it and broke it, and I was devastated. Oh my god, I’ve had this thing all this time, and now it’s broken. And then Tamashii made one, and it was right when I started five years ago, and I was like: this is like Kismet. New job, new replacement toy. I’m buying this thing so that will always hold a special place in my heart. So that was a long answer, and I apologize, but ultimately, it was a Voltron figure. That Tamashii thing is my favorite.
Sarah: I love that. I saw there’s a lot of Ultraman being sold right now. Is Ultraman a product line that you guys have continually had, or was it brought back for the anniversary?
Justin: So Ultraman has been around for, what, nearly 60 years, and while it is a very signature look, a lot of people here know Ultraman, but don’t really, you know. They recognize the face and the body, but they don’t really know who Ultraman is. And what’s exciting is that Netflix launched Ultraman Rising last month, a animated movie. This beautiful story with a strained relationship between a father and son, and it’s really resonating well with people here in the west. So it’s going to serve as a wonderful sort of gateway to get people into this amazing franchise that has been around for nearly 60 years. So Bandai has always made Ultraman toys, but there is a very niche audience. So hopefully something like Ultraman Rising can open up the doors and allow for new fans to come and join the Ultraman high train. And we’re just really proud of how that turned out. And we’re very excited about the voice actor, Christopher Sean. He’s gonna come by our booth a couple times. He came to our studio, played with the toys, and had a really good time. So we’re very excited about ultimate rising and just the possibilities of what can now come here in the States with Ultraman.
Sarah: Yeah, it made me excited to see a lot of Ultraman. I took a anime history class in college and learned about Ultraman and other retro series. I feel like people are really bringing the retro series back and I’m very excited about it. I know a lot of people are. My last question for you today, and thank you so much for sitting with us: What do you think is your favorite aspect of your job?
Justin: Sarah, I have the best job in the whole freaking world. I love my job more than anything. It is a hashtag dream job, as it were. I love just meeting all kinds of fun and interesting people when I’m at shows like this. I usually hang out down there [on the floor as we are up in the booth] and just kind of see what people are buying and talk to people in line, see what they’re collecting, what they’re into. I can talk about toys all day long. And you know, when people ask, what do I do? I ask them: have you seen the movie Big with Tom Hanks? Well, I’m basically Tom Hanks. I play with toys all day and get people excited for them.. And, yeah, I get to travel. I work with an amazing team. I actually commuted about two hours a day to my job, and then I gotta go on. So, I mean, it’s a journey, but I don’t even care, because I love my job so much. The community with with toys and collectibles is incredible. I’ve met so many people, have so many wonderful friends, and you know, we do like live streams, and we shoot a lot of fun content. So when people see us on the show floor and they’re like, oh my god, it’s the band of guys, or whatever. That’s a really fun feeling. And we were part of a scavenger hunt the other day. It was to get your picture taken with someone from Bandai. And I was like: Oh, that’s so awesome. I was asked: Can I get a photo with you? And I said I guess because I wasn’t wearing a Bandai shirt or cosplay or anything before I realized it was a scavenger hunt. They asked me: you’re with Bandai, right? I’m like: yeah! It was so cool. But again, another long winded answer, I apologize, but just being a part of the community is literally the best job ever. And I’ve met so many wonderful people. I get to travel and I just get to play with toys. Can’t beat that. Thank you so much. My pleasure.
Sarah: Not a problem! I loved chatting. Thank you for your time.
Be sure you check out Bandai Namco and all of their wonderful collectibles and toys!
