Geek Pride Day or El Día del Orgullo Friki (in Spanish) is celebrated on May 25th each year. Barcelona has a rich variety of stores catered to the community whom are interested in the world of anime, manga, comic books, board games, video games, fun and unique accessories, embroidered or imprinted clothing with superheroes and other cartoon characters, and so forth.
On the previous Geek Pride Day, I was walking slowly down the aisle of Barcelona’s ultimate geeky store, Norma Comics, fully engaged and absorbed by the items that were present on the shelves and wall displays. I suddenly stopped at a corner to look at the different sizes, colors and drawings hanging on a rack of assorted t-shirts.
There was this one character standing on top of a cloud flying and looking enthused, determined and fearless; he was surrounded by magical, golden-looking spheres that contained different numbers of stars inside them. This black color t-shirt had the words Dragon Ball Z written on the front.
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here were many teenagers and young adults at this clothing section looking through the collection. “Take a look at this Goku t-shirt,” a guy said to his group of friends while holding the item.
At a short distance, there was a store employee wearing a costume of a cartoon character that I was unfamiliar with. I approached the staff member and said, “That’s a nice costume.” “Oh, thank you. I wanted to wear it for Geek Pride Day,” he said proudly.
For any young or old nerd/geek soul out here in Ciudad Condal – or if you´re planning to visit in the future, ShBarcelona gladly shares with you some places that we highly recommend to be explored and to take advantage of what they have to offer.
Norma Comics
During my visit to the store, I was immediately drawn to the diverse collection of action figures, comic books and manga videos that were being displayed on their enormous HD flat screen television.
With joy and curiosity combined at that moment, I just wanted to explore the store on its entirety.
As part of the millennial generation, popular cartoons and televison programs from the late 80s and the 90s are the ones that I naturally gravitate towards to.
The ones considered the classics are: ThunderCats, G-Force: Guardians of Space, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Looney Tunes, Animaniacs, Tom & Jerry, Super Mario Bros, Justice League, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The Fantastic 4, The Pink Panther, SilverHawks, Transformers, Beakman’s World, the Dragon Ball (Z) tv series, Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac, Sailor Moon, and the list goes on and on.
The Norma Comics store is divided into two sections: the main floor and a ground level area. For anyone interested in this geek paradise, there’s plenty of room of what you can discover.
Norma Comics is also the winner of the prestigious Will Eisner Award of 2018, which named it the best international comic book store. The award is presented by the famous Comic-Con International: San Diego in California, United States.
Reino de Juguetes in Galeries Maldá
Inside Norma Comics, I was recommended by a vecino de toda la vida (life-long neighbor) that, as a Friki (Geek), it was indispensable for me to visit and get familiar with Reino de Juguetes located at the Galeries Maldá shopping center near Las Ramblas.
So, on that same day, I was on my way to see and experience it for myself. The place was crowded with people of all ages and backgrounds. What made it even more fun was watching some of the store owners and staff members wearing costumes related to the theme of their shop.
They were friendly and welcoming, including being in favor of customers taking photos of them in their alter ego attire. In this shopping center you can also find a variety of video games and memorabilia.
Some of the stores that you may not want to miss inside Reino de Juguetes are:
KameHame Shop: This spot is recommended for the Dragon Ball (Z) aficionados.
Magic Cube Barcelona: This locale is for those whom are into brain teaser puzzles, collecting and enjoying Rubik’s Cube challenges.
Harry Potter Thematic Shop: This place cannot go unnoticed. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, this site it’s worth a shot.
Thronestore BCN: If you like watching the Game of Thrones series, then this is the place for you.
El Hangar Galáctico: The shop is catered to those interested in getting Star Wars souvenirs and other related collectables.
Geek Skin: This store is your go-to place for clothing and cartoon-inspired accessories to wear on occasions or on a regular basis.
Super Friki Market: If you´re craving for a snack in the middle of your tour around the shopping center, I invite you to take a peek at this mini-supermarket. Here you will find Willy Wonka Chocolate Bars (wrapped with the winning golden ticket!), Pokémon snacks and soft drinks, Saitama (One-Punch Man) and Family Guy Energy Bars, among other notable edibles.
Whether you’re a geek or not in the city of Barcelona, I hope that you find this information valuable and, if you haven’t had a chance, take a moment to visit, live and enjoy all or some of these places. The next Geek Pride Day will be on May 25th, 2020.
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