[7] In addition to the exhibitor tables, Thought Bubble features art exhibits, animation screenings, panel discussions, workshops, and a costume parade.
[10] In 2007, Tula Lotay, who grew up in West Yorkshire,[7] founded Thought Bubble to promote comic books to the general public, especially children with reading difficulties.
[3][7] Her efforts were sponsored by the local comics and board games retailer Travelling Man, where Lotay worked as her day job.
[17] In 2014, the festival invited its first overseas guests, including Natasha Allegri, Emily Carroll, Becky Cloonan, Danielle Corsetto, Adam Hughes, Jeff Lemire, Scott Snyder, Allison Sohn, and Jillian Tamaki.
Taking over as new managing director was Nabil Homsi, owner of the comics and board game retailer Travelling Man.
The festival's dance floor was memorialized in Kieron Gillen and Jules Scheele's "The Oral History of the Thought Bubble Dancefloor," published in the anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons (Dark Horse, 2019, ISBN 1-506-71167-7).