The History of Sideshow: Collecting Cameos in Movies and Media

Sideshow celebrates 30 years of collectibles and community in 2024. In those three decades, we have remained dedicated to evolving the experience of storytelling through collectible sculpture, fine art, and more. This milestone would not be possible without the countless fans, artists, and all-around geeks sharing their fandom, talents, and passion for pop culture over the years.

To commemorate our 30th Anniversary, we want to spotlight some of the significant moments from throughout Sideshow history. Whether you’ve been a part of the journey for every step or just recently decided to Let Your Geek Sideshow, you’re invited to take a walk down memory lane with us. Today, we are spotlighting some of the most exciting Easter eggs of Sideshow products in movies and media. Eagle-eyed collectors might have already spotted these inclusions — but have you seen them all?

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The Big Bang Theory

For 12 seasons, Sheldon and his fellow scientists brought a whole host of geeky quips, laughs, and dilemmas to televisions when The Big Bang Theory aired on CBS. While Sheldon and Leonard’s apartment was packed to the gills with pop culture references, the gang also made stops at a local comic store — whose shelves were often stocked with Sideshow statues! Sideshow provided a number of collectibles for the set of this popular sitcom, including Premium Format™ Figures, life-size busts, and maquettes of iconic DC characters like Superman, Batman, The Joker, and more.

In fact, our Swamp Thing Maquette made a big appearance on an episode in early 2018, complete with his exclusive Cranius accessory. This collectible had a spotlight in the comic store as Sheldon debated adding it to his own personal collection in the “The Matrimonial Metric.” Check out the images to see how many classic Sideshow pieces you can spot!

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Pacific Rim

Sideshow proudly partnered with Guillermo del Toro to produce high-end Pacific Rim statues, recreating several of the iconic jaeger and kaiju designs from the film. But did you know Sideshow collectibles were also in the film?

Okay, technically this cameo only features a red shipping container emblazoned with the Sideshow “S” logo, but it’s safe to say there could have been statues and figures inside. The film takes place in 2025, our 31st anniversary, after all. Whether they survived being used as a blunt force weapon by Gipsy Danger against Leatherback … well, that’s a different story. You can see the collectibles-based carnage at about 2:10 in this video, or rewatch the film and experience the full-action thrills for yourself!

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The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Age is just a number, whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart — but The 40-Year-Old Virgin film definitely puts that number at the forefront of the story. While this 2005 comedy film pokes some initial fun at Steve Carell’s shy and introverted Andy, it’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer size and rarity of his collection! He leads a fulfilling life, after all.

On your next rewatch, you’ll spot some Sideshow pieces and boxes appearing on his shelves among many other iconic toys in all scales and formats.

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Marvel’s She-Hulk

Talk about breaking the fourth wall! Did you spot some Sideshow and Hot Toys collectibles when She-Hulk marched herself into the merry Marvel Studios offices in the finale of her Disney+ series in 2022?

As Jennifer Walters’ green alter ego demands a meeting with the big boss, the lobby of the studio prominently features several notable pieces, including life-size Iron Man suits, a Hulk Premium Format™ Figure, the Thanos on Throne Maquette, and Hot Toys’ massive Infinity Gauntlet life-size replica, among others.

But that’s not the only time Sideshow has had a cameo in Marvel media. In addition to several statue designs featuring in the Sideshow exclusive collaboration comic “Spider-Man & Thor: Marvel Team-Up — In the Hands of the Collector!”, our statues and figures made a more recent appearance in the global Coca-Cola x Marvel collab. You can even spot different figures in different international releases of the commercial, plus distributed items from our partners at Iron Studios, Hot Toys, and more.

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SUGA: Road to D-Day on Disney+

It’s not just statues and figures that make appearances in media — Sideshow Art Prints have appeared on walls as well! One of the most recent examples of this is art from our officially licensed BTS collection appearing in the SUGA: Road to D-Day documentary on Disney+. While SUGA (of the world-renowned superstar group BTS) works on his latest album in this thoughtful journey of creativity, fans can spot works by Ian MacDonald, KILDREN, and more paying tribute to performances like “Idol” and “Love Yourself” displayed in Steve Aoki’s home.

You can browse the full display of BTS collectibles, including prints and BTS Premium Logos, that appeared in our SUGA: Road to D-Day spotlight blog.

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Ewan McGregor on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Now, you’ve heard of jumping the shark — but what happens when an actor jumps over a sixth scale version of one of their own characters?

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, actor Ewan McGregor did just that, performing a motorcycle stunt over Sideshow’s Obi-Wan Kenobi™ Mythos Sixth Scale Figure. The maneuver required that he have the high ground over himself, which you can see in action in the clip above. Ewan was game when challenged to do the epic, the unthinkable, and we think the Force was certainly with him for this one.

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Monday Night Football and Wrestlemania

Sideshow collectibles have also appeared in a number of sports promos — one of the most recent being Monday Night Football, paired with Star Wars™ to promote The Mandalorian™ on Disney+. The commercial is narrated by Giancarlo Esposito, and features the Sideshow and Legacy Effects collab on The Child Life-Size Figure, helping bring the Way of the Mandalore™ to life in a young fan’s home.

Sideshow has also featured in promos for events like Wrestlemania 31, when Triple H made his entrance flanked by an army of life-size Terminator figures. It’s always a thrill to see pop culture worlds like these collide (especially when you’re watching from the comfort of your couch).

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…And More!

Sideshow collectibles cameos are as vast as the multiverse! From celebrity collections to commercials and other special set dressings, it’s no surprise you might see figures and statues appearing in the background of your favorite media. Here are just a few more honorable mentions:

Critical Role

You might see Vox Machina and Mighty Nein statues and art prints popping up during Critical Role ad segments, whether at the start of the show or during the intermissions. If you’re one of the dedicated Critters who has attended in-theater screenings of special Critical Role episodes, you might have even seen our statue collection on the silver screen — to quote Jester — technically.

Live Free or Die Hard

Fans can spot some collectibles decorating the “command center” belonging to Kevin Smith’s character “Warlock” in 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard. Are you a fan of the Fett™? Then you definitely might have seen Sideshow popping up in this scene.

Tested

Tune in to Adam Savage’s Tested on YouTube to spot any number of collectibles appearing — from convention interviews and tours from Sideshow to collectibles being put to the ultimate creative test. While we can’t recommend you try it at home, it’s definitely worth watching what the Tested team is able to do with a big idea and a bigger workshop.

3 Body Problem (Netflix)

This recent sci-fi streaming series features several collectibles from our distribution partners! See how many you can spot!

There are so many more examples than just these — be sure to tell us some of your favorites! How many of your collections match these iconic characters’?

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Stay Connected

Join us for a yearlong celebration during Sideshow’s 30th Anniversary! All throughout 2024, we’ll be celebrating with new reveals, deals, giveaways, and more. Brush up on your Sideshow history by following us on social media and staying subscribed to the official Sideshow Newsletter — the best place to get your first look at the exciting future of collectibles.

Are you a movie mastermind? How many of these surprise statues and figures did you already spot in your favorite media? Share your favorite Sideshow cameos and Easter eggs with us and other geeks in our Let Your Geek Sideshow Facebook Group or on the Sideshow Social Network.

And, as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!