SDCC 2026 Exhibitor Spotlight: Symbiote Studios – Interview

The Geekiary caught up with Symbiote Studios founder Joseph Reiter, an exhibitor at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Among the vast exhibit hall of San Diego Comic-Con vendors this year was Symbiote Studios. The company, founded in 2007, features primarily plush figures of brands including Transformers, My Little Pony, and their own mascot Catnip Bravo. During preview night, The Geekiary spoke with founder and president Joseph Reiter to learn more about their company and get some teases for some of their upcoming lines.

The Geekiary: What were your favorite things to collect as a child?

Joseph Reiter: This is easy, I love Transformers. My first Transformer I ever got was Huffer, and my favorite character ever since. I also really like Smurfs; when I was younger Smurfs were really my main focus. Then I found out about GI Joe and I moved into Transformers; that’s a lifetime of Transformers.

TG: How did you decide on the name of Symbiote Studios for your company?

Reiter: When we started out, we were manufacturing for action figures and statues for a lot of different companies. They had a “symbiotic relationship” with us as a design company. I guess it doesn’t really work as much for a plush consumer brand, but as our manufacturing and design studio, it worked.

TG: What is the process of developing a line, such as the Transformers line?

Reiter: We start with the original art from the toys that we have from Hasbro, and then we draw our own concept turnaround art. It takes about a month to two months. Then we start the prototyping process, which can take three months to a year. Then production takes about two months, and then one month on a boat heading from our factory.

TG: What are the challenges of developing a line in collaboration with an established property?

Reiter: It just depends who you are working with. Hasbro’s been a really great partner, they’re super easy to work with. They get our vision for what we want to have for our plushies. It’s really just trying to hit the balance of what the character’s supposed to look like versus making it cute and cuddly enough for people to want to have in their homes.

TG: How do you decide which brand collaborations to pursue?

Reiter: To be completely honest with you, when you start out, it’s who will allow you to work with them. But as you grow in the business and people know you better, it’s what you really have a passion for. There’s lots of stuff that we like, that we’d like to work with, like Smurfs, Neopets. That would be something we’d like to work with in the future.

TG: Your company mascot is Catnip Bravo. How did the creation process for him and the mini comics that come with him come about?

Reiter: Catnip Bravo and all of his friends are kind of icons for adventures that we’ve gone through, working at the factory, going to conventions, and just being friends with each other. Everyone here at the company is friends; it’s just a retelling of things that have happened to us during our careers at Symbiote.

TG: Are there any lines in the future that are in the process that you can potentially tease?

Reiter: We have three agreements that are waiting to be signed next week. Hints are [that] one is blue, one is retro, and one is very gloomy.

TG: What do you feel sets your products apart from many of the other items in the market?

Reiter: I say listening to fans. Fans constantly post on Reddit what they’re interested in, especially for My Little Pony and such, and we’re like, “Yeah, that would be a great character.” A good example of that is Maud Pie; our community was like, “Oh, we have to make Pinkie Pie’s sister.” And we’re like, “Yeah, no one’s ever really done that.” That’s why we had our Maud Pie come about, listening to fans.

You can find out more about Symbiote Studios and their products at their website.

You can keep up with The Geekiary’s San Diego Comic-Con 2026 coverage here.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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