NOVI –

Toyota made a big splash at last year’s Motor City Comic Con, with the help of

a special SpongeBob Squarepants-inspired Toyota Highlander. Well, Toyota is

back again this year, and so is SpongeBob Squarepants – in the form of a

one-of-a-kind SpongeBob Sienna minivan.

For the

second consecutive year, Toyota headlines a list of sponsors ushering in the 26th

anniversary of Motor City Comic Con this weekend. Long considered Michigan’s

top comic/popular culture event, Motor City Comic Con runs May 15-17 at the

Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

The

convention features numerous activities for fans of comic books, science

fiction and movie and television entertainment. Daily activities include:

costume contests, panel discussions, opportunities to meet an array of TV and

movie actors and visit with some of the top comic book artists in the

country. Motor City Comic Con also features several aisles of merchandise

vendors, selling everything from rare comics to unique apparel.

Parents and

their children are sure to flock to The SpongeBob Movie 2015 Toyota Sienna for

pictures. The popular family hauler has been transformed into a 3-D concept car

celebrating everyone’s porous pal. It features a custom three-dimensional

SpongeBob SquarePants exterior, complete with the character’s Superhero

Incredibubble mask that blows real bubbles at the top of the car. The

interior features seating inspired by each of SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom pals,

along with a wood-grain dashboard, a custom Captain’s steering wheel, a

blue-sky head liner and a sand-inspired floor.

In addition

to this special Toyota minivan, SpongeBob will be represented by Tom Kenny, who

lends his voice to the lovable yellow character, along with artist Dave Aikins.

On Saturday,

Toyota will make a charitable contribution to Help for Heroes, the official

charity of Motor City Comic Con. Help for Heroes raises funds for comic

professionals who are stricken with cancer.

“We are

extremely excited to be returning to Motor City Comic Con this year,” said Curt

McAllister, Midwest Public Relations Manager for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “Over the decades, I’ve seen this convention grow from a respectable comic

book trade show into one of the best events of its kind in the country.

We could see as many as 50,000 people come through the doors this weekend.”

For more

information about Motor City Comic Con, visit www.motorcitycomiccon.com.