Tubby Nugget Creators Detail Brand Growth at VidCon 2026

Q: The Tubby Nugget x Obsession collaboration nearly happened. What behind-the-scenes story caused the deal to collapse?

There is not enough verified information in the provided materials to say what specific behind-the-scenes incident caused the Tubby Nugget x Obsession deal to fall apart. The news summary says Pastores and Jackson revealed an “unexpected story” about a crossover that nearly happened, but neither the story excerpt nor the supplemental web content includes the actual explanation. The added research explicitly notes that no public information was found linking Tubby Nugget and Obsession in a failed collaboration, and it does not identify any contract dispute, creative disagreement, licensing issue, or business conflict. So the most accurate answer is that the cause of the collapse is not disclosed in the supplied reporting. If the full Mashable interview or a complete transcript is available, that would be the source needed to determine what happened behind the scenes.

1 articles · Updated · Mashable · Jul 1

At VidCon 2026, Jenine Pastores and Josh Jackson told Mashable how Tubby Nugget grew from a fun sketch into a broader brand.
That expansion now includes plushies, collectibles and a fan community that has formed strong emotional ties to the character.
The pair said in-person conventions changed how they see the brand, giving them direct contact with fans and showing how Tubby Nugget comes alive offline.
They also discussed the business challenges of scaling a creator-led brand beyond social media and revealed a Tubby Nugget x Obsession crossover nearly happened.