My Day at Bot Con

What? You haven't heard of Bot Con? Why, it's the annual Transformers convention! That's right. There's a convention. An annual one. This past weekend was the 2012 convention and it was in Dallas. Brett and Chuck, loooooooooongtime fans of the show, decided to go, and they let me tag along for a day.

Wow. What an experience!

First of all, I will say that I totally had fun. I thought that I would only be there a few hours, but I got there at 10:30 (general admission couldn't get in until 10:00) and I didn't leave until almost 5:00.

What happens at a Transformer convention you ask? Well I'll tell ya!

Most of the time, it felt like a very specific flea market. There were TONS of tables set up with lots of vendors and collectors who were there selling product. The perfect place for a collector, or long time fan to find their favorite toy. The one that they had as a child but played with until it was unrecognizable. Or the one that mom stepped on. Or the one that was too hard to find back in the day. Tables and table of tables of Transformers.

In addition to the shopping, there were artists and writers there. Some were seated at tables and available for people to come by to get an autograph or buy a sketch or just talk to. Every artist that we talked to was  SO nice. They are super talented and it was very cool to watch them whip out sketches at the request of fans. Some of the larger names had panels. When I got there, Brett and Chuck were headed into a panel. I explored while they were in the panel and then I watched the world premier for the Transformer game. I am not a gamer, but Brett is, and I have found that some games are done in such a way that I enjoy watching while he plays. They can feel very cinematic and be heavy on story. And you know me... I love a good story! I am pleased to say that the new Transformer game looks like it will be fun for both of us!

When the boys got out, we did a bit of shopping and then went for lunch. After lunch we shopped a bit more and at 4:00 we went to the one panel that I was there for: Peter Cullen. The actor who voices Optimus Prime. This was definitely the highlight of my trip. It is unbelievable how loyal the fans are. The room exploded in applause when he walked in and it was a very fun hour where kind words were exchanged all around. He is a very sweet man and he is obviously honored to voice such an iconic figure. (He also does the voice of Eeyore on Winnie the Pooh. Nice!)

It was a fun day. I didn't know what to expect, but I was not disappointed. It was a very diverse group of fans. Plenty of super nerds, but just as many normal folk. Nerds in disguise, maybe? Here is a picture of me with a little Bumble Bee statue. At least I'm pretty sure it was a statue. It'd be pretty funny to find out there was a person in there who wanted to stand still and see if anyone would stop for a picture! I'm the one in blue ;-)