Contents First, the company behind the global webtoon platform Tappytoon, today announced that it will return to Anime NYC 2026, taking place August 20–23 in New York’s Javits Center, with an official industry panel and a dedicated booth for Club JEM, Tappytoon’s official merch shop.

Following its Club JEM booth at last year’s event, Tappytoon is expanding its Anime NYC presence with an industry conversation and a hands-on fan activation. Together, the panel and booth extend the fan journey from digital reading to discovering print, collecting merchandise, and participating in person.

At Booth #1131, Club JEM will showcase exclusive merchandise from five popular webtoon IPs, including He Might Bite!, DEAR. DOOR, Don’t Mind Me, Daddy, and Kill Me Now. The lineup includes character goods, diorama stands, art cards, photocards, stickers, keychains, and more.

To celebrate Tappytoon’s 10th anniversary, the booth will also offer a custom keycap clicker experience featuring Jem, Tappytoon’s feline mascot, allowing fans to personalize their very own collectible.

On August 23, Tappytoon will host its panel “BL & Romantasy: Genre Fandoms Rise with Tappytoon” along with publishers and industry voices from Penguin Random House imprint Inklore, Seven Seas Entertainment, and Yen Press imprint Ize Press.

The session will explore how Boys’ Love (BL) and romantasy have grown from niche genres into globally recognized fandoms, and how loyal readers increasingly shape tastes and trends. Drawing on Tappytoon titles that have expanded into print editions, panelists will also discuss how fan response informs the publishing landscape, and the stories and tropes poised to become readers’ next binge-worthy favorites.

“For the past decade, Tappytoon has grown alongside North American BL and romantasy fandoms by consistently bringing readers stories they care deeply about,” said Ernest Woo, Chief Strategy Officer of Contents First. “Anime NYC gives us an opportunity to extend that relationship beyond reading into conversation and participation. We will continue creating more ways for fans to experience the webtoon stories and characters they love as part of their everyday lives.”

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