It used to be the only hands-on experience with ThinkGeek goods that could happen was after you received your merchandise.
GameStop purchasing ThinkGeek has changed all that, and if you haven’t noticed the ThinkGeek section in your local GameStop, well, check it out! (I may/may not have indulged in a huge amount of ThinkGeek items from the GameStop post-holiday sale. I needed both those R2D2 measuring cups! I did! I just wish I’d bought the R2 luggage carry-on spinner for $40. Now it’s gone….)
But, you can also find ThinkGeek at several conventions. That’s PAX East, PAX West, Star Wars Celebration in Florida, and San Diego Comic Con. Each time ThinkGeek sets up shop at a con, they bring several exclusives. Some of them are available for purchase after cons, some not. For instance, the patch in the above photo is obviously gone, and the dice mentioned in the PAX exclusive article was for the con only.
But you can to order this guy, which was a big seller this weekend at PAX East, according to Jessica Darrican, public relations for ThinkGeek.
I can see why the plant puppet was a big seller. It was super cute in person.
I also asked Darrican three burning question about ThinkGeek and received these answers:
How long does it take for ThinkGeek to develop a product?
Usually 2-3 months and the idea people are located in GeekLabs. Yes, they call it GeekLabs.
What license sells the best?
Star Wars. Yes, Star Trek is second, but Star Wars rules them all. At that answer, I put in a request for more Leia merchandise. Because there can never be enough Leia. (And good Leia clothing is hard to come by, still.)
Has being acquired by GameStop made a difference?
Absolutely. Now the products are in over 5,000 physical locations, allowing even casual shoppers to encounter the ThinkGeek brand.
I have also noticed that my local Gamestop puts the ThinkGeek products on clearance every now and then (oh, like after Christmas), so that’s yet another reason to visit my favorite gaming retail store on a regular basis. Which was probably Gamestop’s evil plan.
And it’s working.
