The Most Disgusting and Awesome Fandom Collabs of 2024

In the last decade or so geek culture has expanded into the mainstream with more inclusive ways to express yourself fandom love. Once only marketed with black t-shirts with logos slapped on them or collectible toys, merch has undergone a massive change.

In 2024, reclaiming your fandom has become even easier than ever, thanks to collections inspired by the worlds of science fiction and fantasy in almost all fields of fashion and lifestyle. Between all the bold casual cosplay, subtle streetwear, and even luxury makeup and perfume, there was constantly a collaboration in the wings waiting to go viral. It’s not even the movie popcorn buckets that were so insane this year…so much so that they guarantee their place.

This year has also had some bolder moments with its mountains of fandom merch. Read on to see how things have gotten a lot more experimental and experiential thanks to the stream of product launches and social media-driven events.

There was a whole month of Nickelodeon celebration SpongeBob SquarePants doing “Krabby Patty Kollabs” at burger destinations across the country, timed to the show’s 25th anniversary. But Wendy’s version felt the most authentic to the show’s depiction of the kind of burger you’d get at a fast food joint under the sea, especially compared to the elevated foodie stunt versions (they were cool, but the Mr. Krabs would never) .

Wendy brought out the square beef patty for the occasion, and that was genius; it hit double the nostalgia factor, so I found myself ordering this more often. Speaking of food, Deadpool and Wolverine he made a pizza line (which is on the mark for Wednesday with the mouth) with DiGiorno that had mixed results. It was not the wildest of the Deadpool placements; There were also those Heinz ketchup and mustard bottles, and the bonkers bootylicious Xbox controller.

On the cuter side of things around Halloween, we had the Universal Monsters x Care Bears collection that put adorable bears with a spooky twist through classic bear plushies, Funkos and makeup. The plushies are hard to find at their regular price points right now, with third-party sellers selling them for questionable prices. I still long for it Creature from the Black Lagoon Bear.

For Gen Z goths, Pottery Barn has come up with a scary cute Wednesday collection with a Nevermore dorm atmosphere. We were particularly tickled by the thought of the Thing-shaped pillow, which sold in a snap.

While the above collection is very limited at this point, Dr. Martens still has some of his own Wednesday capsule available online. Docs and The Addams Family? The perfect match for any goth kid (and kid at heart) shoe collection.

In the realm of beauty products, our favorite smart party came in the form of Fenty x by Rihanna Arcane line inspired by the characters of the Netflix show. The very thorough collection drew from the sense of style and power of the leads with a capsule of quality makeup from our sci-fi dreams.

Favorite Netflix anime and friends One piece was featured in a number of fun collections inspired by the Straw Hat Crew, but the most unhinged unhinged was the Casetify collaboration that turned tech accessory covers into Devil Fruits from the show. Particularly fun were the Gum Gum headphone helmets.

And for Cowboy Bebop fans, Logic dropped a collaboration with Crunchyroll they feature streetwear outfits inspired by the looks of the anime characters and their signature iconography to make you feel like you fit into the world of the classic cartoon.

While Deadpool and Wolverine dominated the shelves for the first half of the year, Bad took the fall. There was an incredible range of pink and green at every price point, much of it seemingly intended Bad fans who have waited 20 years for merchandise that goes beyond any online theater store.

Eighth grade me with the gray shirt that read “Defy Gravity” in the tiniest of letters printed in green would be shocked by how many Bad the adult things I had this year, and she would also be very proud. I really need to evil x Con-Air hair rollers? Yes. I actually dropped an undisclosed amount of change for the Beis x Bad luggage? Yes, I can use it for work travel. I lay awake at night haunted by the fact that I couldn’t get the Elphaba Stanley tumbler from Target? Yes, and stupidly check at random hours for a re-stock because goodness knows that the life of the wicked is lonely.

No longer Bad merch is guaranteed to come thanks to 2025 Bad: For good –although we’re all still waiting for some sort of meta official “Holding Space for ‘Defying Gravity'” release.

The end of the year brought a few notable collaborations that left me intrigued by what 2025 will bring. Nosferatu came up with the most absurd of all, including a vampire coffin bed which was more expensive than a limited edition Nosferatu coffin-boat to be buried. In addition, there is also a Nosferatu fragrance collab with HereticFor those who care to give off the scent of a ghost wandering through a funeral parlor full of flowers.

Speaking of bats and the winter chill of the end of the year holidays. A continues to release unhinged versions of the card game including a Batman: The Animated Series version with chaotic “Joker” cards for more card-slamming across the table.

And Walton Goggins pulled a Baby Billy Bible Bonkers with his own “Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses”, perfect for hitting the slopes despite the head-scratching reasons just why he came up with it, because the official commercial it feels like performance art. (But let’s be real, we can’t wait for an official Fall out collab called “Walton Goggins Ghoul Goggle Glasses”).

And Squid game The second season gets some deep collaborations with McDonald’s in Australia. If the fans buy an adult Squid game Happy Meal will take a shot at an exclusive McDonald’s Squid game Green Player Tracksuit or $100,000 if they can carve their own Dalgona candy and scan it in the MyMacca App.

The US audience was a little taken aback by the Domino’s Emergency pizza ad during their binges of the show because it is tone deaf to late capitalism. There are also official collaborations with Puma with new track suits and shoes and a tech accessories drop through Casetify. At least with the former you can put a gear that identifies your vote to end or continue the games if you were in it, but let’s be real – we’re all in the game.

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