Convention - SDCC 2025 : Inside the LEGO Booth Fans Are Calling the Best of the Convention

By Mulder, San Diego, Convention Center, 23 july 2025

Every year, San Diego Comic-Con turns the San Diego Convention Center into a sprawling celebration of pop culture, but in 2025, The LEGO Group managed to create something truly special — a Comic-Con inside Comic-Con. Booth #2829 wasn’t just another vendor space filled with merchandise and promotional posters; it was an immersive, meticulously designed fan experience dubbed “San Diego LEGO-Con”. At its core stood a jaw-dropping LEGO diorama of the convention center itself, built from more than 200,000 bricks and populated by over 8,000 minifigures, each telling a miniature story from Comic-Con’s 54-year history. This wasn’t a static display meant to be admired from afar — fans were invited to participate in its evolution. The “Build Your Own Booth” activity allowed attendees to design their own tiny convention booths, some of which were integrated into the massive diorama by the end of the day. Each participant walked away with an exclusive San Diego LEGO-Con pop badge and a printed guidebook, the kind of collectible that will inevitably become a cherished memento for convention regulars. Even for those not attending in person, LEGO extended the experience digitally, offering exclusive poster downloads and unique torso designs through the LEGO Insiders program.

The booth itself was a vibrant hub that combined visual spectacle with interactivity. Suspended overhead were giant LEGO-themed banners styled like classic comic and movie art, creating a canopy that immediately set the tone for the playful but meticulous attention to detail that defines LEGO’s best fan experiences. In the center of the action, the massive brick-built convention center diorama functioned as a “con-within-a-con,” complete with hidden Easter eggs referencing iconic Comic-Con moments and pop culture milestones. Visitors could embark on the LEGO Side Quest scavenger hunt, a show-floor-wide game that sent them chasing photo challenges, solving riddles, and hunting down hidden builds. Completing the quest could score participants premium swag packs, while one lucky fan per day took home a coveted grand prize. This gamified element didn’t just keep attendees coming back — it added an extra layer of community spirit, as fans traded hints and shared discoveries, all in the name of unlocking LEGO’s rewards.

Of course, Comic-Con wouldn’t be Comic-Con without big reveals, and LEGO delivered in spectacular fashion. The global debut of the LEGO Game Boy (72046) was a nostalgia bomb for gamers, a 421-piece near-life-size recreation of Nintendo’s legendary handheld, priced at US $59.99 and shipping October 1. It wasn’t just for display — the build included tactile A/B buttons, a working cartridge slot, and two interchangeable cartridge builds: one for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and one for Super Mario Land. The cartridge swap felt exactly like the satisfying click gamers remember from the 90s, proving LEGO’s mastery of tactile nostalgia. Batman fans were equally spoiled with the reveal of the LEGO DC Batman Arkham Asylum (76300), a sprawling 2,953-piece set priced at US $299.99 and packed with 16 minifigures including Batman, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Poison Ivy, and The Penguin. Its modular-compatible design, intricate cells, Easter egg-packed interiors, and even a delivery van made it the definitive Arkham Asylum build for collectors. For fantasy fans, six sets inspired by Wicked: For Good — from the $19.99 BrickHeadz Wicked Elphaba & Glinda to the $159.99 Wicked Emerald City Wall Art — brought the world of Oz to life in colorful, detailed builds. The booth also premiered the LEGO Stranger Things BrickHeadz: Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will (40801) set ahead of the show’s final season, offering fans a chance to immortalize the original crew in brick form.

The experience was rounded out with life-sized LEGO statues that doubled as irresistible photo ops. Fans queued to pose with towering builds of Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked, Peely Bone from Fortnite, and K-2SO from Star Wars: Andor. The statues, along with the diorama, demonstrated how LEGO can blend fandoms from across pop culture into a coherent, visually stunning space that appeals to both casual visitors and hardcore collectors. This ability to merge playfulness with craftsmanship is why LEGO’s Comic-Con booth has long been considered a highlight of the show floor. But 2025 wasn’t just another year — it was a statement. By shifting away from limited-edition minifigures and focusing on interactive, inclusive experiences, LEGO proved it could evolve with the convention landscape while staying true to the spirit of the brand.

That spirit of connection and fan-first design didn’t go unnoticed. In the fan-voted Shruggie Awards, the LEGO booth earned the coveted title of “Best Booth at SDCC 2025,” beating out dozens of other elaborate displays. The win was more than just a trophy — it was a testament to how deeply the booth resonated with fans. Many voters praised the concept as a “love letter to the convention itself,” highlighting how the booth not only showcased products but also celebrated the culture, community, and shared joy that define Comic-Con. Longtime attendees recalled past years when LEGO’s booth focused on exclusives like rare minifigures, noting that this year’s interactive approach felt more inclusive and rewarding. The fate of the massive diorama remains uncertain, but whispers on the show floor suggested it could be preserved for future LEGO exhibitions or even reappear at SDCC 2026.

SDCC 2025 may have been full of flashy Hollywood panels and headline-grabbing trailers, but for many attendees, the LEGO booth was the beating heart of the convention — a place where nostalgia, creativity, and community converged, brick by brick. Whether you came for the Game Boy reveal, the Arkham Asylum set, the Wicked builds, or simply to leave your mark on the mini convention within the convention, you left with a sense of having been part of something bigger. And that’s the true magic of LEGO at Comic-Con — it doesn’t just show you the possibilities, it hands you the bricks and invites you to build them yourself.

You can discover our photos in our Flickr page here and here

Photos and video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville