Last weekend, retail chain BoxLunch teamed-up with Warner Bros. to present the “Get Animated Invasion”, a pop-up store in SoHo in New York City that brought classic cartoons to life.
I had the chance to visit “Get Animated” and had a ball immersing myself in the worlds of the Looney Tunes, Flintstones, Jetsons and more. Kids and adults thoroughly enjoyed posing with Scooby Doo in a life-size, cardboard cut-out Mystery Machine van, and joining Bugs Bunny (and giant carrots) in the “Rabbit Season” woods. But everyone also had to watch out for the Acme anvil, looming over visitors to the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote desert scene.
Giant murals of Tom & Jerry and The Jetsons hung from the ceiling. A gallery was devoted to artistic Marvin the Martian Funko Dorbz space clones, shipped in from California where they were first on display at San Diego Comic Con this Summer. Visitors had the chance to watch full length episodes of their favorite classic WB cartoons on both large monitors and iPads mounted on the walls of the exhibit. For those with a sweet tooth, Manhattan’s Milk and Cream Cereal Bar provided Fruity, Cocoa and Cinnamon Pebbles ice cream.
Admission was free, and each attendee received information on how to download and subscribe to Boomerang, the official online video service for classic cartoons and a sponsor for the event. And, of course, there was a gift shop. The amount and variety of merchandise available was incredible. Surprisingly, “Space Jam” was featured on a lot of the items, along with modern versions of most of the iconic WB characters. I picked-up an exclusive “Get Animated 2017” commemorative pin.
BoxLunch, which combines specialty retailing with charitable giving, is expanding its number of brick and mortar locations across the country over the next several months. Along with WB animation merchandise they also offer “Bob’s Burgers”, Disney, Nickelodeon and “Rick and Morty” items. An Albany, NY store, about 10 minutes from where I live, is opening soon. Guess I know where I’ll be spending all my extra time/money.
Those not fortunate enough to have a store nearby can shop online at boxlunch.com.
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