Nintendo, Hulu Pay Thousands for San Diego Comic-Con Trolley Wraps

San Diego is gearing up for Comic-Con International, and the city’s trolleys are joining in on the excitement! Instead of their usual red patina, trolleys are now adorned with vibrant Mario Kart and anime characters, thanks to companies like Nintendo, Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

A total of 45 trolley cars have been wrapped with these eye-catching advertisements, bringing in much-needed revenue for the transit agency. It costs around $16,000 to wrap a single trolley car, with companies like Hulu shelling out $48,000 to cover three cars. These wraps are more than just stickers—there are additional fees involved for the privilege to advertise on the trains.

The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has partnered with Clear Channel to handle these contracts and installations, which take about a day to complete. While the exact advertising fees are not disclosed, MTS is guaranteed a minimum of $950,000 a year from Clear Channel for these advertising opportunities.

The trolleys are not the only vehicles getting wrapped for Comic-Con. MTS’ budget for the fiscal year 2025 includes $2.9 million for all vehicle wraps, $224,000 for bus benches, and $653,000 for a digital billboard near the Gaslamp Quarter trolley station. Mark Olson, MTS director of marketing, mentioned that this year’s advertising opportunities have been so popular that all available slots have sold out.

Downtown residents have mixed feelings about the ads, but Comic-Con attendees are loving the wrapped trolleys. The trolleys can be found on the Green Line and the trolley’s special event route during the event, and passengers are enjoying the unique displays as they ride around the city.

During Comic-Con, trolley ridership spikes significantly, with 60,000 additional trips per day—a substantial increase compared to the usual ridership. The revenue generated during this time goes back into the service, supporting additional staffing needed to operate during the convention.

All in all, the Comic-Con wrapped trolleys are bringing a sense of fun and excitement to San Diego, and passengers and attendees alike are thrilled to experience this unique advertising phenomenon.