Comic-Con 2015 Sideshows Included Disney Infinity, Nickelodeon, Qualcomm, iJustine, PETCO Pets

There’s more to Comic-Con than cosplay and what goes on in Hall H or Ballroom 20. Events like Conan Bingo, a secret party for 100 fans held every evening at Comic-Con 2015, spring up all over San Diego.

However, unless you follow brands, battle the crowds on the expo floor, or stroll the congested streets in the Gaslamp Quarter, you probably wouldn’t know about the many sideshows that take advantage of the captive Con audience.

Now that the major studio projects like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Batman vs. Superman” have been blasted out by mainstream media, and the lighsabers are back in their holsters, here are some events you may have missed from Comic-Con 2015.

Disney Infinity

Disney Infinity rolled out the red carpet for gamers in the middle of downtown San Diego.

Disney Infinity Experience at SDCC15

Disney Interactive rented out a large venue behind PETCO Park (the old Los Vitrales restaurant if you’re a local), and decked it out in high style with about 12 high definition screens featuring the new release: Disney Infinity 3.0.

Disney Infinity Star Wars Game Pieces at SDCC15

They also showcased new game pieces: Star Wars, Pixar’s Inside Out, and Frozen figures.

SDCC15 Disney Infinity Inside Out Game Pieces

Disney Infinity video game fans had access to the elegant setup to play with the new sets, and got demos from the game’s creators themselves!

iJustine

Getting Justine Ezarik to sit down for longer than 5 minutes was next to impossible. A line of enthusiastic fans waiting at the So-So Happy booth to get a selfie and a signed poster from the Youtube sensation, stretched down several aisles of the expo floor at Comic-Con. It seemed to me that her 2.2million online followers were all here to see her in real life, and she didn’t want to disappoint any of them.

SDCC15 iJustine Taking a Selfie with a Fan

But Ezarik gave me a few minutes to talk about her new book, “I, Justine: An Analog Memoire.” Ezarik is a lifecaster who’s put her life out there for the digital world to see. In her book, she details how a love of technology and videos led to an untraditional career path in the public cybereye, and how she’s managed to monetize this self-created public persona turning her into one of the most loved online-celebrities of the digital generation.

SDCC15 iJustine and Suzette Valle

Since this is not a traditional job, and has a certain random aspect about it, I asked Ezarik what was next for her. “Writing a book was on my bucket list, and I already did that. Next, I am working on my own clothing line!”

Among the many random experiences she’s had (from MTV Awards Host, to acting in the “Hunger Games” trailers), in her book Ezarik describes what it was like lugging around a backpack full of equipment while broadcasting her life 24/7 on JustinTV — except when she’d duck into the bathroom to get a few minutes of peace and quiet. She tells it all like it is — exhausting, lonely, fun, and at times very frustrating — in all its pixelated glory. She hopes her book will show a side of her online-life that is rarely seen, and help those interested in doing the same thing understand that living online is not as easy as it looks!

Nickelodeon

The children’s entertainment channel had one of the most colorful booths at this year’s convention. It included a voiceover booth where attendees could practice voicing one of their favorite Nickelodeon characters. For my first try, I chose a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles clip and had Rob Paulsen, the real voice of Donatello, teach me. Paulsen made it seem so easy, but it is tougher than it looks!

SDCC15 Rob Paulsen Voices Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Suzette Valle at Voiceover Booth Nickelodeon

PETCO Pets

In the most adorable category, the PETCO Pets booth won the hearts of many a pet owner. The company introduced a Star Wars themed line of pet products that would complete any Star Wars fan’s collection! With bowls, treat canisters, toys, socks, and accessories for  dogs and cats, your furry friends can also join in the Comic-Con cosplay craze!

SDCC15 PETCO Pets Star Wars Collection

Qualcomm’s VR Lounge – Vuforia

Qualcomm’s Liz Philips invited me to the Qualcomm-sponsored Virtual Reality Lounge held at Stone Brewing Company next to PETCO Park.

SDCC15 Liz Philips Qualcomm VR Lounge

We got a personal demonstration of a new virtual-reality application that will be available in the next few months, and it is fantastic!

VR Lounge Vuforia at SDCC15

Vuforia is a mobile vision app that uses your Smartphone encased in a plastic ViewMaster headsetl, to virtually place you in the middle of a city, take you back in time, or even to outer space! I took a trip to San Francisco and went inside Alcatraz. By clicking the side lever, I walked inside different areas of the infamous prison and saw what it’s like right from my chair.

Vuforia at SDCC15

Want to walk among dinosaurs? You can do that, too. Taking a trip to any city in the world with Vuforia could be the next best thing to actually being there. This  incredible augmented reality is powered by Qualcomm and will be sold by Mattel toys.

Finally, what is Comic-Con without a few celebrity sightings? Here are a couple that I ran into.

SDCC15 Outlander Sam Heughan aka Jamie and Suzette Valle

SDCC15 SNL’S Bobby Moynihan and Suzette Valle