Anime NYC 2026 Recap
Anime NYC 2026 Recap: Thank You, Safety Notes, and maimai Merch
A post-con thank you from concon shop, a little booth reflection, and some honest thoughts after a weekend that was fun, busy, and unfortunately full of theft warnings for artists.
Quick recap
Anime NYC 2026 was a huge weekend for concon shop at PLAY.nyc. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, especially the rhythm game players who came for maimai, DDR, IIDX, SDVX, and arcade merch. The maimai Delukuma & Friends Shirt did really well at the show, and I am so grateful for the support.
Quick Contents
I am back from Anime NYC, and first of all: thank you.
Anime NYC was a lot. The good kind of a lot, mostly. Long days, busy aisles, people stopping by between panels and gaming hall wandering, and that very specific convention feeling where your body is tired but your brain is still replaying every fun interaction.
I tabled inside PLAY.nyc this year, and it was really cool getting to meet people who love arcade games, rhythm games, gacha games, and niche fandom merch. The best part of tabling is always the moment someone recognizes a design immediately. No explanation needed. Just a tiny spark of, "Oh, you get it too."
Thank You for Visiting concon shop at Anime NYC
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth, looked through the table, bought something, asked questions, or told me you recognized my work online.
I really appreciate every single person who spent part of their Anime NYC weekend with concon shop. Convention weekends are exhausting from the vendor side: travel, setup, inventory, restocking, booth layout, payment issues, remembering to eat, and trying to keep your table looking cute while everything around you is moving nonstop.
But then someone gets excited over a rhythm game design, points out their favorite gacha character, or tells me they play the same arcade games, and suddenly the whole weekend feels worth it again.
If you picked up merch from me at Anime NYC, thank you for supporting my work. If you missed something at the booth, I linked a few post-con favorites below.
The maimai Shirt Did So Well
One of the happiest surprises from Anime NYC was how much love the new maimai shirt got.
The maimai Delukuma & Friends Shirt did really well during the convention, and honestly, that made me so happy. maimai players have such a specific energy. If you know, you know. The cabinet is bright, physical, chaotic, and incredibly fun to watch, so seeing people get excited about wearable maimai merch at a con felt really special.
Featured post-ANYC pick
If you saw it at the booth and were thinking about it after the con, it is available online now. The post-con "wait, I should have bought that" feeling is very real. I respect it deeply.
About the Theft Reports at Anime NYC
I also want to talk honestly about something that came up a lot during and after the weekend: theft.
There were a lot of theft concerns circulating among artists and vendors at Anime NYC this year. I do not want to speculate beyond what has been reported, but this was not just vague con gossip. CBS New York reported that several arrests were made after a theft and robbery at Anime NYC, including a reported $600 cash robbery and a separate theft involving $9,600 worth of Pokemon cards. The New York State Police also posted a press release about the Pokemon card theft arrest.
On the artist side, Comics Beat covered Artist Alley theft concerns, including reports artists shared on X/Twitter about stolen cash, cameras, display cards, and even signage. That article is a useful read because it talks about the artist perspective and why crowded convention aisles can make tables vulnerable when people are distracted.
Links about the Anime NYC theft reports
- CBS New York: Several arrested after theft, robbery at Anime NYC
- New York State Police: Pokemon card theft arrest at Anime NYC
- Comics Beat: Artists respond to thefts in Artist Alley
- Artist cashbox warning shared on X/Twitter
- Artist Alley safety thoughts shared on X/Twitter
- More artist theft concerns shared on X/Twitter
It is upsetting because artist tables are not faceless stores. They are usually one person or a small team behind the table, often after months of drawing, ordering inventory, packing boxes, traveling, and taking a financial risk to be there.
When someone steals from an artist, it is not just "one item." It is time, labor, material cost, booth cost, travel cost, and emotional energy. It can turn what should be an exciting weekend into something stressful and scary.
Artist Safety Thoughts After ANYC
I still had a lot of wonderful moments at Anime NYC, and I do not want the theft issue to erase the good parts of the weekend. But I do think it is worth talking about because artists look out for each other.
A few reminders for future conventions, whether you are vending or helping a friend table:
- Keep cash secured and close to your body when possible.
- Avoid leaving cash boxes loose or visible.
- Have a helper watch the table if one person is busy with a customer.
- Tape down or secure display-only items if they are easy to grab.
- Block obvious gaps where attendees can walk behind the table.
- Warn nearby artists quickly if something suspicious happens.
- Report theft to convention staff and security as soon as possible.
That last part matters. It is easy to freeze when something happens, especially during a busy sales rush, but documentation helps. The more artists communicate, the harder it is for thieves to quietly move from table to table.
I hope future conventions take artist and vendor safety seriously, especially in crowded areas where artists are trying to help customers, handle payments, watch inventory, and answer questions all at once.
Post-ANYC Merch Picks
If you visited the booth and wanted to find something again online, here are a few places to start.
Convention favorites
A few specific gacha picks
After Anime NYC
Anime NYC was busy, exciting, tiring, and a little stressful in ways I wish vendors did not have to think about. But I am still grateful I got to be there.
Thank you again to everyone who stopped by concon shop, especially the rhythm game players and gacha fans who came to talk merch with me. Your support helps me keep making the weirdly specific things I love making.
Now I am unpacking, recovering, restocking, and thinking about what to bring to the next event.
See you at the next con.
Missed concon shop at Anime NYC?
You can still browse the maimai shirt, rhythm game merch, Uma favorites, and gacha game items online.
Shop the maimai Shirt Shop Rhythm Game MerchFAQ
Was concon shop at Anime NYC 2026?
Yes. concon shop tabled at Anime NYC 2026 inside PLAY.nyc with rhythm game merch, gacha game items, stickers, charms, shirts, and arcade accessories.
Which item did well at Anime NYC?
The maimai Delukuma & Friends Shirt did especially well at the booth.
Were there theft reports at Anime NYC 2026?
Yes. Local news and New York State Police reported theft-related arrests at the event, and Comics Beat covered artist reports and safety concerns from Artist Alley.
Where can I shop post-Anime NYC merch?
You can browse rhythm game merch, Uma Musume merch, Fate merch, Nikke merch, and the anime collection.