Scene Report: HBO’s Game Of Thrones Merchandise Showcase

HBO celebrated the debut of Game of Thrones Season 5 with a great event that showed off the wide range of merch we should obviously all own.

The day after Game of Thrones returned for its fifth season, HBO hosted a special event at their headquarters in New York City, a showcase of the large and diverse line of products that have been released based on the hit show.  While it’s source material is very much steeped in genre fantasy, Game of Thrones has connected to a much larger, more diverse (and quite frankly, more interesting) audience, and seeing all the various products that fans can bring home was the perfect signifier of this diversity.  From stylized coasters and action figures, to high end statues, home decor and apparel, if you’re in to Game of Thrones… there’s some kind of thing that’s the perfect way for you to rep your fandom.

Much of what was on display is available now at HBO’s Game of Thrones shop and many other retailers, but seeing it all together in one place was quite impressive.  And let’s face it– sometimes cool stuff flies under the radar of even a seasoned geek like me.  That being said, here’s a rundown of some of the absolute coolest pieces of Game of Thrones gear out there.

The Game of Thrones Pop-Up Book

Yes, it’s a pop-up book, featuring gloriously collapsible cardboard dioramas of the Wall, Winterfell, King’s Landing and more major locations from the series.  Insight Editions has released a number of cool Game of Thrones books, but Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide To Westeros is by far the coolest.  The book even doubles as a totally badass display for Funko’s Mystery Minis!  That’s called synergy.

Game of Thrones USB Drives

If you’ve ever read this site, you know I’m a collector.  I’ve been building my action figure army since I was a kid, and in the past I’ve committed to amassing an absurd number of books, comics, movies and whatever else I was into.  But the one weird little collection I started a few years back, which means the most to me, are my stockpile of bizarre USB drives.  There’s been some really neat ones released at retail, and offered as promo items and swag at comic cons and press events.  I just started keeping them, before I realized this, too, was turning into a full-on collection in its own right (albeit one with more practical uses than most of the stuff I buy).

I bring this up because of the awesome Game of Thrones-themed USBs, which are modeled after the Stark family’s wolf crest, a dragon egg and the Hand of the King pin.  They’re so awesome.  I need them all.

Game of Thrones Monopoly

This one is being released in May, but HBO offered a preview of the final production version of the new Monopoly game.  Sure, there are other board games out there that probably lend themselves more acutely to Game of Thrones’ knack for back-stabbing and duplicitous behavior, but this take on Monopoly is very well thought out and fun.

Every element of the game gets an overhaul here– the cards categories have become “Valar Morghulis” and “The Iron Throne,” the money based on the currency of The Iron Bank, there’s custom villages and keeps taking the place of houses and hotels, and the pawns including the Iron Throne, the Crown, a Direwolf, a dragon egg and a White Walker.  I call dibs on the throne, you guys.

Threezero’s Astonishing Action Figures

There’s three companies producing figures based on Game of Thrones.  You’re likely familiar with the awesome Dark Horse figural statues, as well as Funko’s Legacy Collection toys… but HBO’s event gave me my first up close and personal look at the highest end of the figures, the 1/6th scale collection from Threezero.

These figures feature incredible levels of detail in their actor portraits and cloth costuming… it’s almost unbelievable that they are fully articulated figures and not statues.  The lineup is small so far, with Tyrion Lannister and Eddard Stark both available and looking incredible, but more characters are currently in development.

That Hound Helmet

Jalic has created swords and armor, painstakingly modeled after the gear seen on the TV show.  From Jon Snow’s Longclaw, to Ned’s sword Ice, to Loras Tyrell’s helmet, these life sized replicas are identical to what we’ve seen on screen. The biggest show-stopper, though, is Jalic’s replica of The Hound’s iconic dog helmet, rendered in a tarnished metal and looking completely imposing.  The piece is mounted on a display stand, and instantly earns the title of coolest conversation piece in any room where you keep it.

Adorable Plush Direwolf Cubs

Factory Entertainment has released a number of plus figures and decor, including dragons and eggs and family crest shield pillows.  But it’s the direwolf cubs which top the list among the most adorable things in the overall Game of Thrones collection.  It’s not too often that “cute” and “Game of Thrones” can converge, so let’s all celebrate this one while we can.

Resin Dragons

Here’s another one I just discovered at the event– the Noble Collection has released resin figures of all three of Daenerys’ dragons in their adolescent forms.  Viserion, Rhaegal and Drogon all feature incredibly detailed, fully unique sculpts and gorgeous paint apps, in dynamic poses.  There’s a lot of personality in each dragon’s expression, and best of all? They fit in scale pretty nicely with either the Dark Horse or Funko Legacy figure collection.

Speaking of Funko and Dark Horse, both companies’ toy and collectible lines were well represented.  The new wave of Game of Thrones Mystery Minis is just starting to hit retail, and they’re another fun set of stylized minis based on the heroes and villains of Westeros.  And Dark Horse’s statue and bust line is a sight to behold, especially the awesome Map Marker set, The Hound and Daenerys busts, and their stunning full-figure statue featuring Jon Snow and Ghost.

While we were there, we also had the chance to sample the Three-Eyed Raven Dark Saison Ale, the fifth special edition beer crafted by Brewery Ommegang.  Here’s the thing– I quit beer entirely about six months ago, but when a new Ommegang beer comes out, I have to try it.  Like the Fire and Blood brew from last summer, Three-Eyed Raven is pretty light yet still packed with flavor… it’s a great drink for the spring/ summer season, and the bottle looks great, with another all-new illustration that totally fits the Game of Thrones aesthetic.

I should wrap this up.  HBO had set up a selfie station, with what I thought was cosplay gear to dress up as a White Walker or a member of the Night’s Watch… but ever since I put on that cape, I’ve been seeing crows everywhere, and I think they’re expecting me to report for duty at the Wall pretty soon.  So now I have to figure out a way to escape the watchful eye of the Night’s Watch, while keeping my head on my shoulders.  All for the sake of one awesome picture:

Totally worth it.