Among the all-out cosplayers and celebrity guests like David Harbour, Drake Bell and Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, a new pop culture star has emerged: Labubu.
After taking the world’s purses and rotted brains by storm, Labubu could give FunkoPops a run for their toy collector money at this year’s cons. The fluffy gremlins started a decade ago as storybook characters by Kasing Lung, but blew up last year after K-pop star Lisa began posting photos of the plush keychain versions.
Comic cons started in the ‘70s as a San Diego comic book celebration, have grown into a celebration of all things nerdy and pop culture. Tampa Bay got its version in 2000, with 550 guests at Tampa’s DoubleTree Hilton Hotel. A quarter-century later, Tampa Bay Convention Center tells CL that around 45,000 people are expected for the con Aug. 1-3.
This year’s lineup also includes Doug Jones, Melissa Joan Hart, Henry Winkler, Joey Fatone, and Zachary Levi. But the real stars of the show are the cosplayers, who have dressed up as everything from Superheroes to characters from their favorite anime shows.
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This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2025.