Nickelodeon showcases all-new must-have products featured at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2024, available for purchase at the Nick booth (#4113) on the convention center floor!
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon will transport fans to Bikini Bottom with larger-than-life replicas of SpongeBob’s pineapple home, The Krusty Krab, and the Barg’N-Mart in honor of the original pilot episode, “Help Wanted.” Every day of the convention, the booth will feature interactive games, photo opportunities, costume character appearances, and autograph signings.
At the booth, fans can stock up on memorabilia from their favorite Nickelodeon shows, including an exclusive 25thAnniversary Edition SpongeBob SquarePants Krusty Krab spatula, an Avatar: The Last Airbender reversible bucket hat, and more.
EXCLUSIVES
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SpongeBob SquarePants Reversible Hat
There is no place like home! Rep SpongeBob SquarePants’ home or a fun Bikini Bottom-inspired tiki print with this cool reversible bucket hat.
SRP: $25.00
SpongeBob SquarePants Barg’N-Mart Reusable Tote
Shop for all the essentials at the Barg’N-Mart! The reusable tote bag is inspired by the local supermarket of Bikini Bottom in SpongeBob SquarePants. Use it to help carry your Bran Flakes, Kelp Jerky, Kelp Nougat Crunch, Pop Kelp, Seanut Brittle, Volcano Sauce, and whatever else you’re craving.
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SRP: $7.00 or free with a purchase of $50.00 or more
It’s the best celebration ever! Celebrate 25 years of SpongeBob SquarePants with our SDCC exclusive, limited-edition pins by Zen Monkey Studios. Collect pins of SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs spattered with vibrant paint to capture the festive spirit of this milestone anniversary! Available only at San Diego Comic-Con, each pin is a colorful explosion of artistry, with only 350 pieces per design, making them the perfect keepsake for any fan.
SRP: $15.00
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SpongeBob SquarePants The Krusty Krab Spatula: Exclusive 25th Anniversary Edition
Are you ready to serve up some smiles? Make some delicious Krabby Patties for you, your family, or your best pals with The Krusty Krab Spatula! We guarantee you will feel like an official Krusty Krab fry cook and create some delicious meals that would make SpongeBob proud! This is a 25th-anniversary edition.
SRP: $29.99
Avatar: The Last Airbender Reversible Bucket Hat
The Avatar: The Last Airbender Arrow Reversible Bucket Hat is a versatile and eye-catching accessory that replicates the elements in the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. This bucket hat features a unique reversible design, allowing you to showcase two distinct looks in one.
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SRP: $25.00
Nickelodeon San Diego Comic-Con 2024 Custom T-shirt
Fans can purchase t-shirts at the retail shop and create their own custom design from a choice of 20 fan-favorite Nick shows and characters. Items are ready within minutes!
SRP: $25.00
Nickelodeon San Diego Comic-Con 2024 Custom Flip Flops
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Fans can purchase flip-flops at the retail shop and create their own custom design from a choice of 20 fan-favorite Nickelodeon shows and characters. Items are ready within minutes!
SRP: $15.00
LIMITED EDITION
Limited Edition Playmates Toys Classic TMNT Black & White Original Sketch Turtles: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo
Booyakasha! Discover the origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with this exclusive figure set! Based on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s first group sketch, each of these highly detailed, black-and-white turtles comes with signature weapons, a collectible sleeve, and a card of the original sketch. The figures also include bases that connect to recreate the iconic scene, making this set a must-have for any TMNT fan!
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SRP: $30.00
DEBUT
Plushiverse Avatar: The Last Airbender Momo Plushie Fanny Pack
Add some style to your outfit with an adorable Momo Plushie Fanny Pack! Simply buckle it around your waist for hands-free functionality and use the adjustable belt for a perfect fit. These are perfect for holding all your essentials so you can have more fun hands-free!
SRP: $20.00
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Courtesy of Nickelodeon
Avatar: The Last Airbender Avatar State and Momo Diamond Art Club Painting Kits
Embrace the charm of these fun adventurers! Fans can create vibrant artworks of Aang in the Avatar State and Momo with Diamond Art Club kits by simply applying colorful diamonds to pigmented canvas paintings. Each kit includes premium canvas, reflective resin diamonds, an applicator, tray, baggies, labels, and instructions. No experience is necessary!
SRP: Aang Avatar State $35.00; Momo $30.00
Cubles Reptar Paper Craft Poseable Character Kits
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CUBLES, maker of paper craft poseable character kits, debuts the one, the only REPTAR of Rugrats fame. Friend to babies, enemy of towns—build him, then set him on a path of destruction wherever your heart desires. *Ice Skates not included.
SRP: $13.00
NON-EXCLUSIVES
Plushiverse SpongeBob & Patrick Plushmates Besties
These SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star Plushmates Besties are adorable plushie keychains that hold hands! Each plushie has magnetic hands that let them stick together and a plastic keychain so you can clip them onto your bag or keys. Give one to your bestie and keep one for yourself! These on-the-go companions are sure to add some cuteness to your day!
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SRP: $15.00
Overtime x SpongeBob Classic Hoodie for Adults and Kids
Rock the SpongeBob look with this unique hoodie! Featuring an “O” SpongeBob logo on the chest, “OVERTIME” on the sleeve, and a vibrant SpongeBob graphic on the back, this cozy cotton and polyester blend is perfect for fans who never want the fun to end!
SRP: Adults $80.00; Kids $75.00
Dr. Squatch’s Nautical Nonsense Bar Soap Inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants
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Are you ready?! Dive into an ocean of tropical freshness with the limited-edition Nautical Nonsense bar soap. With notes of juicy pineapple, cool chamomile, and fresh moss, this brick will transport you to Bikini Bottom and leave your skin feeling soft and breezy.
Cowabunga! Bring Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo along on your own adventures by checking out these reversible plushies. These 6” tall plushies have two different faces that make it perfect for showing how you feel at school, home, or the office, plus they’re soft and cuddly!
SRP: $15.00
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Cubles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Paper Craft Poseable Character Kits
CUBLES, maker of paper craft poseable character kits, debuts their IDW-era inspired Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo are gritty, tough-as-nails, and ready for trouble. Build all of the brethren and get ready to take down the enemy.
Plenty of financial and regulatory hurdles still need to be cleared, but a fuels pipeline project that may lead to lower gas prices in San Diego and Southern California has received a healthy amount of interest from other companies.
Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan have proposed building what they’ve dubbed the Western Gateway Pipeline that would use a combination of existing infrastructure plus new construction to establish a corridor for refined products that would stretch 1,300 miles from St. Louis to California.
If completed, one leg of the pipeline would be the first to deliver motor fuels into California, a state often described as a fuel island that is disconnected from refining hubs in the U.S.
The two companies recently announced the project “has received significant interest” from shippers and investors from what’s called an “open season” that wrapped up on Dec. 19 — so much so that a second round will be held this month for remaining capacity.
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“That’s a strong indicator that people would be willing to commit to put volume on that pipeline to bring it west long enough for them to be able to pay off their investment and provide a return for their investors,” said David Hackett, president of Stillwater Associates, a transportation energy consulting company in Irvine. “They won’t build this thing on spec. They’ll need commitments from shippers to do this.”
The plans for the Western Gateway Pipeline include constructing a new line from the Texas Panhandle town of Borger to Phoenix. Meanwhile, the flow on an existing pipeline that currently runs from the San Bernardino County community of Colton to Arizona would be reversed, allowing more fuel to remain in California.
The entire pipeline system would link refinery supply from the Midwest to Phoenix and California, while also providing a connection into Las Vegas.
The proposed route for the Western Gateway Pipeline, a project announced by Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan designed to bring refined products like gasoline to states such as Arizona and keep more supplies within California. (Phillips 66)
A spokesperson for Kinder Morgan told the Union-Tribune in October that there are no plans for the project to construct any new pipelines in California and the proposal “should put downward pressure” on prices at the pump.
“With no new builds in California and using pipelines currently in place, it’s an all-around win-win — good for the state and consumers,” Kinder Morgan’s director of corporate communications, Melissa D. Ruiz, said in an email.
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The second round of “open season” will include offerings of new destinations west of Colton that would allow Western Gateway shippers access to markets in Los Angeles.
Even with sufficient investor support, the project would still have to go through an extensive regulatory and permitting process that would undoubtedly receive pushback from environmental groups.
Should the pipeline get built, Hackett said it’s hard to predict what it would mean at the pump for Southern California drivers. But he said the project could ensure more fuel inventory remains inside California, thus reducing reliance on foreign imports, especially given potential political tensions in the South China Sea.
“I’d much rather have our gas come from Texas or Missouri than from Asia, at least from a geopolitical strategic standpoint,” Hackett said.
This past summer, Reuters reported that California’s fuel imports hit their highest levels in four years.
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About 70% of the imports — roughly 187,000 barrels per day — came from South Korea and other Asian countries that have long been top trading partners for California and other states along the West Coast, according to Kpler, an international firm that tracks global shipping and trade.
Fuel supplies and gasoline prices have received greater focus in the wake of a pair of refinery closures in California.
Phillips 66 planned to shutter operations at its twin refinery in the Los Angeles area by the close of 2025, and Valero is scheduled to close down its 145,000-barrel-per-day facility in the Northern California city of Benicia in April. The Valero and Phillips 66 facilities combine to account for about 18% of the state’s crude oil capacity.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline is higher in California than in any other state in the continental U.S., according to AAA.
On Tuesday, the average price in the Golden State was $4.254 while the national average came to $2.815. Hawaii had the highest average in the country, at $4.423 per gallon.
The city of San Diego has filed a lawsuit against the federal government that alleges the construction of a razor wire fence near the U.S.-Mexico border constitutes trespassing on city property and has caused environmental harm to the land.
The complaint filed Monday in San Diego federal court states that razor wire fencing being constructed by U.S. Marines in the Marron Valley area has harmed protected plant and wildlife habitats and that the presence of federal personnel there represents unpermitted trespassing.
The lawsuit, which names the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Defense among its defendants, says that city officials first discovered the presence of Marines and federal employees in the area in December.
The fencing under construction has blocked city officials from accessing the property to assess and manage the land, and the construction efforts have” caused and will continue to cause property damage and adverse environmental impacts,” according to the lawsuit.
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The suit seeks an injunction ordering the defendants to cease and desist from any further trespass or construction in the area.
“The city of San Diego will not allow federal agencies to disregard the law and damage city property,” City Attorney Heather Ferbert said in a statement. “We are taking decisive action to protect sensitive habitats, uphold environmental commitments and ensure that the rights and resources of our community are respected.”
Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song – San Diego Union-Tribune
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SUNG-MUN SONG
Position(s): Third base, second base
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2026 opening day age: 29
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 194 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in December 2025
Contract status: A four-year, $15 million deal will see Song make $2.5 million in 2026, $3 million in 2027, $3.5 million in 2028 and $4 million in 2029 if he does not opt out of last year; Half of his $1 million signing bonus is due in January 2026 and the other half in 2027; There is a $7 million mutual option for 2030.
.214 — Song’s isolated power in 2025, a career high as he prepared for a jump to the majors. Isolated power measures a player’s raw power (extra bases per at-bat) and Song had a .190 OPS in 2018, in his third year as a pro in Korea, before it dropped to .101 in 2019 and then a career-low .095 in 2023. Hitting 19 homers pushed Song’s isolated power to .178 in 2024 and then a career-high 26 homers push it even higher in 2025.
TRENDING
Idle — Drafted by the Heroes in 2014, Song debuted in the KBO the following year but didn’t become a regular until 2019. A drop-off in production — he had an .884 OPS in 78 games in 2018 and a .597 OPS in 103 games in 2019 — was followed by losing the 2020 season and a chunk of the 2021 season to military service obligations. Then three straight sub-.700 OPS seasons forced Song to rethink his approach to professional baseball, especially in the face of the likes of Ha-Seong Kim,Jung Hoo Lee and Hyeseong Kim generating big-league buzz. Song started with weight training and nutrition. A hitting coach also helped him with balance, pull-side power and the ability to catch up with the sort of fastballs that seem to dog Korean players when they arrive in the States. It all added up to a breakthrough year in which Song paired 19 homers, 104 RBIs and 21 steals with a .340/.409/.518 batting line. To prove it was no fluke, Song followed up his 2024 season with another strong effort that solidified his wish to try his hand in the majors. The ensuing, four-year, $15 million deal that Song signed with the Padres in December cost his new employer a $3 million posting fee to be paid to the Kiwoom Heroes.
2026 OUTLOOK
Like Kim before him, Song appears to be joining the Padres as a utility player with the hope that he blossoms into more as he gets comfortable in a new country and league. Song had experience in Korea at third base (500 starts), second base (149 starts) and first base (38 starts). Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller even mentioned outfield reps in passing as he assessed how Song could help the Padres in 2026.
Former KBO player Sung-Mun Song shakes hands with Padres vice president of amateur and international scouting Pete DeYoung after signing a contract with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday. (Photo by Armond Feffer/San Diego Padres)
