Another San Diego Comic-con is water under the Brandywine Bridge, but the memory of many exciting Lord of the Rings events remains, such as TORN’s packed panel which focused on adaptations of Tolkien’s work.
Justin Sewell, host of TORN Tuesdays moderated the panel of guests which included Richard Taylor (WETA), Kellie Rice (Happy Hobbit; author), Clifford Broadway (TORN Tuesdays Host, Ringers: Lord of the Fans), Matt Graf (Nerd of the Rings), Cathy Udovch (TORN Special Events Coordinator), and Jim Wert (TORN Special Events Coordinator).
L-R: Justin Sewell, Richard Taylor, Kellie Rice, Clifford Broadway, Matt Graf, Cathy Udovch, Jim Wert
Justin first showed TORNs SDCC exclusive Prancing Pony wood tankard created in partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises and designed to make you feel like a Hobbit. Besides the tankard, other TORn items at the booth included an exclusive Tom Bombadil and Goldberry T-shirt and our now infamous Prancing Pony Club T-shirt. He also announced the new The Lord of the Rings Fan Club and told everyone to sign up.
Sign up–adventure awaits!
Jim pointed out that the very first adaptation is when a reader first reads a book and they bring their own imagination to what the characters and landscapes look like. Kellie said that adaptation takes longer than writing one’s own stories because it has to be done in a respectful and nuanced way. Richard added that “we say…I love the movie, but it was not as good as the book.” He said the book is as big as the imagination of the reader, but the movie is only as big as the budget. “And the imagination of the reader is pretty bloody big, right?”
This will be our 24th edition of the Bagginses Birthday Bash in Griffith Park. Head to the link below to RSVP and list what you will bring to the party. You can also email me at Garfeimao(at)TheOneRing.net to RSVP if you are not on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/1369087481317252/
The party will start at 11:30am on Sunday, September 20, 2026 and will be a potluck sort of party, as usual, so please do mention what you plan to bring so we know what to expect and what holes need filling.
There will be fun and games, including a Dessert Contest for the best Fellowship of the Rings themed cake or cupcakes, or just theme it around 25 (for the 25th anniversary of FOTR). Costumes most welcome, there will be prizes.
The worlds of Tolkien and Magic: The Gatheringare coming together once again, and TheOneRing.net is excited to bring you an exclusive conversation with one of the creative minds behind it all.
If you couldn’t make it to San Diego Comic-Con 2026, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! In the Middle-earth Tour video linked below, we’re taking Tolkien fans on a tour of some of the convention’s biggest destinations for Middle-earth collectibles, giving you an up-close look at the incredible statues, figures, and artwork that had collectors buzzing all weekend long.
Whispers and rumours were heard a couple of weeks ago; and now the way is open at last! The shiny new Lord of the Rings Official Fan Club from Middle-earth Enterprises is here. And what’s more, one of TORn’s own Four Founders, Calisuri, is building it! We’re feeling like it’s those early days of online fandom all over again, seeking out friends on the internet and geeking out together. There are quests to be fulfilled and mathoms to be collected – some of which will be found at San Diego Comic Con this weekend! So get your questing boots on! Head on over to LOTR.com to join the fun.
Here’s what the official press release tells us:
Middle-earth Enterprises Announces the Official Fan Club for The Lord of the Rings ™
Free to join at LOTR.com, the new official community opens in early access this July with Quests, Fellowships, collectible Mathoms, daily games, and a shared San Diego Comic-Con program
LIVERMORE, CALIF. — Middle-earth Enterprises today announced the official fan club for The Lord of the Rings ™ , a free community opening in early access this July at LOTR.com.
Even before any official public announcement, fans around the world had already discovered the hidden entry at LOTR.com and joined the waitlist, underscoring the demand for a welcoming official home for Middle-earth fandom.
Built for fans of The Lord of the Rings ™ , The Hobbit ™ , and the wider world of Middle-earth, the fan club is designed to give members an active role in a new official community at LOTR.com. Members will be able to complete Quests, earn digital keepsakes called Mathoms, form Fellowships, play daily games, follow official brands and creators, and keep a personal record of their fandom journey.
The fan club is also being built to support the fan groups, creators, channels, and websites that already make Middle-earth fandom so strong. Known inside the club as Heralds, they will be invited to create their own spaces within LOTR.com. The goal is to lift up what already exists, help more fans find it, and give those groups new ways to gather followers, share updates, and create experiences inside the official fan club.
“For decades, fans have built extraordinary communities around Middle-earth with creativity, care, and remarkable commitment,” said Jay Komas, General Manager of Middle-earth Enterprises. “LOTR.com is an opportunity to recognize that passion, support the communities that have helped carry it forward, and create an official space where fans, creators, licensees, and community leaders can participate together.”
“Quests” are one of the main ways members can take part in fan club experiences. A member might scan a code at a convention booth, check in at a panel, answer a lore question, enter a secret phrase, complete an online challenge, or help unlock part of a larger shared adventure. Completing Quests can earn members “Mathoms,” digital keepsakes named after the term for a treasured object in the world of Middle-earth. In the fan club, Mathoms are not simply points or badges. They are a record of participation: a show attended, a creator discovered, a fan group joined, a challenge completed, or a moment shared with fellow fans. Some Mathoms will be common, while others will be genuinely rare, giving each member’s collection its own history and character over time.
The first major community program, Gather the Fellowship, will launch this July around San Diego Comic-Con. Fan Club members will be able to form or join Fellowships and collaborate across online and in-person activities. Attendance at San Diego Comic-Con will not be required to participate. A fan at the convention may complete part of the adventure from the show floor, while another member joins from home. Together, the Fellowship moves forward.
Members will also find games with a Middle-earth twist, including a daily riddle and a palantír-inspired lore challenge, giving fans a reason to return, play, and build their Fan Club record over time.
Official licensees, known inside the club as Merchants, will have a place within LOTR.com to build a page, post announcements, offer rewards, run promotions, and create co-branded Mathoms tied to events, products, booths, packaging, and other fan experiences.
The club will also recognize members of the early 2000s fan club whose names appeared in the Extended Edition film credits, allowing them to search for their name in a special archive and claim a commemorative keepsake. A launch campaign, Give Us a Gold Ring, will invite members to support a formal proposal for a plain gold ring emoji, to be submitted to the Unicode Consortium by the close of San Diego Comic- Con.
A NEW COMMUNITY STANDARD
Everyone is welcome, as long as they welcome everyone.
Newcomers and longtime fans, readers and film fans, gamers, collectors, creators, and community leaders will participate on equal footing.
As part of its commitment to genuine fan engagement, Middle-earth Enterprises brought on longtime community builder CHRIS PIRROTTA as VP Marketing & Fan Experience. Pirrotta co-founded TheOneRing.net in 1998 and helped grow it alongside a global volunteer community that has supported Middle-earth fandom for nearly three decades. He also spent 25 years at Sideshow, where he helped grow one of the world’s leading collector-focused fan businesses. TheOneRing.net continues to operate independently through its volunteer team, while Pirrotta’s day-to-day focus is now on building the official fan club at LOTR.com.
“When we started TheOneRing.net in 1998, the internet still felt like a place you went to find your people,” said Pirrotta. “A lot has changed since then. Too much of the modern internet rewards outrage, pile-ons, and the loudest voice in the room. LOTR.com is being built for something different, inspired by the community at the heart of Middle-earth: a place where everyone has a part to play, whether they arrive as royalty, a seasoned Wizard, a loyal gardener, or someone taking their first step out the door. No one is above anyone else here. That is what makes this work with the Middle-earth Enterprises team so meaningful. This is not just about opening an official site. It is about opening the door wider, with a welcome to all.”
The official fan club for The Lord of the Rings will be free to join. Early access invitations will begin ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, with additional members welcomed in over time as the community grows. New licensees, creators, Heralds, Merchants, and fan groups will be added on an ongoing basis. Fans can visit LOTR.com now to join the early access waitlist.
ABOUT MIDDLE-EARTH ENTERPRISES Middle-earth Enterprises owns exclusive worldwide rights to motion picture, merchandising, stage, and other rights in certain literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Middle-earth Enterprises works with partners around the world to support high-quality films, games, merchandise, stage productions, location-based entertainment, events, and other experiences inspired by these works.
ABOUT EMBRACER GROUP Embracer Group is a global group of creative and entrepreneurial businesses in PC, console and mobile games, as well as other related media. The Group has an extensive catalog of over 400 owned or controlled franchises. With its head office based in Karlstad, Sweden, Embracer Group has a global presence through its operative groups: THQ Nordic, PLAION, DECA Games, Dark Horse, Freemode and Crystal Dynamics – Eidos. The Group includes 53 internal game development studios and engages over 6,000 talents across nearly 30 countries.
Every great era of music has its power couple. And long before anyone in the Fourth Age (or the 1970s) picked up a Fender and sang about RUMOURS and heartbreaks, Middle-earth’s original singer-songwriters were already selling out the Old Forest: Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, the River-daughter.
He’s the eldest. She’s the daughter of the River. Together they’ve spent Ages singing about love, devotion, heartbreak, and taking care of the land — decades before it was cool, and they never once needed a record label, a tour bus, or a second take. When your relationship has outlasted the literal shape of the continents, you’ve earned a greatest-hits record. You could say they GO THEIR OWN WAY around Middle-earth.
This year at San Diego Comic-Con, TheOneRing.net is throwing the album release party the Withywindle valley never got.
Introducing: Merry Dol, River-daughter
Every year TORn brings a brand-new, fan-designed shirt exclusively to SDCC — and this year’s design pays loving parody tribute to one of the most iconic album covers in rock history. You know the one: the mystical duo, the dramatic pose, the dangling magic object, the interlocking destinies. If a certain 1977 masterpiece by a certain band famously full of romantic entanglements taught us anything, it’s that couples who make music together make legendary music together.
The Merry Dol, River-daughter shirt is artist-designed and hand silkscreened, and it looks like the album your coolest aunt kept in pristine condition and would not let you touch.
The details:
Price: $30
Where: TheOneRing.net Booth 1934 (near door C), all convention long
Cuts: Unisex premium cotton/poly blend (Bella Canvas 3001) and a women’s flowy dolman scoop neck (Next Level 1560)
🚨 Preview Night Exclusive: The Rare First Pressing 🚨
Real record collectors know the first pressing is everything. Attendees on Wednesday Preview Night only can grab a limited edition variant of the shirt featuring the classic tan album sleeve with artwork rendered in striking black & white — the “demo tape” edition, if you will. When Wednesday ends, it’s gone. The rumors are true, and they will not be repeated Thursday.
And Yes — Actual Vinyl available at Booth 1934
What’s a release party without records? Also at the booth: vinyl and CD copies of Tom Bombadil’s song, featuring the talents of Bear McCreary and Rufus Wainwright.
Even better: Bear McCreary himself will be at Booth 1934 on Friday at 12:30pm to sign recordings. The first 50 folks who purchase one of Bear’s recordings (we’ll have his album The Singularity, as well as Rings of Power Season 2 soundtrack recordings) at the booth before Friday 12:30 get a guaranteed spot in the signing line — so come early, buy your vinyl, and leave it safely in your hotel room until showtime (pro tip: just bring the cover).
Derry dol! Ring a dong dillo! Or in the language of the music press: this one’s going platinum in Bree.
Find Your Fit
The shirts are hand silkscreened, so know your size before you sprint to the booth Wednesday.
Unisex Tee — Bella Canvas 3001
A soft, retail-fit unisex tee in premium Airlume combed ring-spun cotton/poly. Heads up: this cut runs slimmer than an old-school boxy tee — if you like a relaxed fit, size up one.
Size
Chest Width (laid flat)
Body Length
XS
16.5″
27″
S
18″
28″
M
20″
29″
L
22″
30″
XL
24″
31″
2XL
26″
32″
3XL
28″
33″
Measured flat: width is armpit to armpit; length is from the highest point of the shoulder to the bottom hem.
Women’s Dolman Scoop Neck — Next Level 1560
Lightweight 60/40 cotton/poly jersey with a flowy, relaxed dolman cut, scoop neck, and curved hem. Goldberry-approved for twirling.
Size
Body Width (laid flat)
Body Length
XS
17.75″
25″
S
18.75″
25.5″
M
19.75″
26″
L
20.75″
26.5″
XL
22.25″
27″
2XL
23.75″
27.5″
3XL
25.25″
28″
The dolman is designed to drape loose through the body with wide, flowy sleeves — it’s meant to move like river-weed in a current, not fit like a rock tee from the merch tent.
The Setlist (Booth 1934 Edition)
Wednesday Preview Night: Limited edition B&W variant shirt — one night only
All weekend:Merry Dol, River-daughter shirts, $30, in unisex and dolman cuts
All weekend: Vinyl & CDs of The Singularity and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 soundtrack
Friday 12:30pm: Bear McCreary signing (buy a recording before Friday 12:30 for a guaranteed line ticket)
Loudest couple in the Old Forest, captured in silkscreen and on vinyl. ‘Now let the fun begin! Let us sing together!’ ‘We’ll be waiting for you’ – all you have to do is show up.
DONT STOP until you find Booth 1934. Hey dol! Merry dol!
