New York Comic Con is about to get slimed. Nickelodeon has revealed a new NYCC 2026 activation built around SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, giving families and nostalgic fans another major reason to hit the show floor when the convention opens on 8 October.

The Fun-ergy Factory heads to New York

Nickelodeon’s Fun-ergy Factory will take over Booth #1523 across all four days of New York Comic Con, which runs 8–11 October at the Javits Center. The centrepiece is a nearly 20-foot-tall “Slime Surge”, powered by interactive challenges completed by fans.

Visitors will also be able to step into “Enter the Splat”, an immersive photo and video environment, and pose inside a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sewer-lair photo opportunity.

SpongeBob, Avatar and TMNT lead the fandom line-up

The activation draws on three of Nickelodeon’s biggest convention-friendly worlds: SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. For ASACC readers, that makes this more than a children’s TV activation: all three franchises have substantial collector, cosplay and merchandise communities.

There is also a Halloween twist. On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, costumed younger fans can pick up an exclusive Nicktober Hallo-Scream trick-or-treat bag while supplies last.

Why ASACC is watching

Big convention activations increasingly blur the line between entertainment, photo opportunity and merchandise discovery. Nickelodeon’s NYCC presence is a good example: recognisable franchises pull fans onto the show floor, interactive experiences create shareable moments, and those fandoms feed directly into the collectibles and trader ecosystem that follows conventions year-round.

NYCC celebrates its 20th edition this year, and the Nickelodeon announcement joins an already packed week of Marvel, DC and collector news ahead of opening day.

ASACC will be tracking the biggest NYCC reveals, exclusives and collector stories as they break.

Source: Nickelodeon announcement, 3 October 2026; details cross-checked against Paramount Press Express background materials for the Fun-ergy Factory format.