Comic-Con 2026 Toucan Tip of the day
TOUCAN TIP #7: 50th Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive
Swing by Comic-Con’s Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive and become the hero your friendly neighborhood needs most. Every donation helps make a life-saving difference for someone in need.
A. Ortega © 2024 SDCC
2026 Comic-Con® Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive
Comic-Con’s renowned Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive returns for its 50th year, providing vital donation areas at the Grand Hall A in the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and all San Diego Blood Bank Donation Centers. Now is the opportune time to be a hero and save lives by donating blood today! Be a superhero by:
- Donating on-site.
- Donating for an additional 36 days after the convention.
- Donating before Comic-Con (and ask for a certificate of donation. Tell them your donation is for Comic-Con, and the group code is: CCON).
For more information, stop by the Blood Drive desk located upstairs in the Sails Pavilion of the San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con 2026!
All donors will receive a free Spider-Man T-shirt from Marvel, Eisner-nominated comics, an exclusive artist packet from Image Comics, and/or other prizes (while supplies last). Donors also have a chance to win one of many other special prizes donated to the blood bank by our exhibitors and staff. These special prizes will be on display at the Blood Drive booth.
Click Here for all the Blood Drive fine details!
On-site blood drive at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel
Appointments are strongly encouraged for donating at the Hyatt, but they usually take walk-ins too, even without a badge.
These appointment links are for donating at the Manchester Grand Hyatt:
| Date | Link |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, July 22 | CLICK HERE to schedule for Wednesday |
| Thursday, July 23 | CLICK HERE to schedule for Thursday |
| Friday, July 24 | CLICK HERE to schedule for Friday |
| Saturday, July 25 | CLICK HERE to schedule for Saturday |
| Sunday, July 26 | CLICK HERE to schedule for Sunday |
Location:
Manchester Grand Hyatt
Grand Hall A, 1st Floor
1 Market Place
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours:
Wednesday through Saturday – 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday – 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROBERT A. HEINLEIN
For science fiction fans, few names were as stellar as Robert A. Heinlein. From Starship Troopers to Stranger in a Strange Land, Heinlein was the dean of SF writers. Unfortunately, he rarely attended conventions, so his readers had few opportunities to meet the master in person.
Then in the early 1970s, Heinlein had a life-threatening illness and needed many pints of a rare blood type. He felt he owed his life to the donors, so when asked to be a guest at the 1976 Worldcon in his hometown of Kansas City, he agreed—but with one specific stipulation: that he would only sign autographs for people who donated blood.
Thus, longtime Comic-Con committee member Jackie Estrada approached the author with an offer to hold a blood drive in San Diego if he would consent to being a guest. He agreed, and in 1977 Heinlein came to Comic-Con. He and his wife, Ginny, had a great time and Heinlein even drew a picture for the Sunday morning Art Auction.tion.
“David Scroggy [who went on to be a VP at Dark Horse Comics before he retired] was the first blood drive coordinator,” recalls Estrada. “We also had Theodore Sturgeon there, signing his book, Some of Your Blood, which he gave to all of the blood donors. We also had entertainment for the people while they were [donating blood]. I remember that Leslie Cabarga played the piano, C. C. Beck played the guitar. It was a very fun event and Robert was delighted. We’ve had the blood drive every year since.”
Bookmark Toucan for the latest Toucan Tips as we head towards Comic-Con 2026, July 23–26 at the San Diego Convention Center.
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