WonderCon 2019 Day 3 Wrap Up

For the past three days Anaheim Convention Center played host to some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, epic cosplayers and fandoms from every realm. It was a beautiful weekend for a con.

This year the attendance seemed lighter throughout the weekend. Perhaps it felt that way because the aisles in the exhibit hall and Artist Alley seemed wider. The exhibit hall was lacking some of the usual heavy hitters like Anovos and EFX, their absence was noticeable.

Nonetheless, it was a great weekend of people coming together to celebrate what they love. Maybe they saw their favorite star, cheered at the end of a never before seen trailer in the arena, saw an interesting panel that sparked their imagination or maybe they were turned on to something new.

WonderCon is a different beast than San Diego Comic Con. First off the crowds at WonderCon are a fraction of SDCC. WonderCon has always been heavy on television series and less big movie news. Although this year there were some fun surprises like Godzilla and that creepy doll that won’t go away Annabelle from Warner Bros. The tv/youtube/Netflix shows this year were the real stars. This convention is more manageable for first time or newer attendees who aren’t ready for 4 days of sun up to sun down (and beyond) geekdom.

If you have been lucky enough to attend a convention and have sat through a panel (there’s more than just the exhibit hall) then you have witnessed the phenomenon of an open mic and fan questions. Year after year I am surprised at the level of thought put into these questions from everyday people. I am also surprised at the support from the rest of the attendees in the room. I have heard cheers of encouragement when someone stumbles through a sentence or gets nervous. I love the applause after an intelligent question. Let’s be honest, I also love the collective sigh when someone asks for a personal request. It’s almost as though you can hear the eye rolls. Heed my advice when approaching the mic, don’t ask for an autograph, picture or a lunch meeting. It won’t go over well.

It was a busy three days with A LOT of walking and stopping for pictures. More walking and stopping for pictures. And then there was the walking and…well…you get it.

We loved seeing all of the cosplay. Whether it be homemade or store bought, we applaud everyone who put something together for the enjoyment of others. I especially give a huge thumbs up to those attendees who came together as a family or group of peers for a cosplay bonanza.

Next year WonderCon will be moving back to Easter weekend!! Put it in your calendars: April 10th-12th, 2020.

You have a little over a year to plan and execute your best cosplay.
Ready…..GO!!!!

About the Author

Erin Jefferson-Foley (Mommy Fearest) is terrified of scary movies, gore and zombies. But she loves all things Halloween and Haunt related! Slowly but surely she has been dipping her toes into the realm of horror movies with great results. Pretty soon she will work her way up to watching a scary movie when it is dark outside. Erin has had a love affair with theme park Halloween events for the past 20 years. Her first time at an event was at Knott's Scary Farm in the late 80s when a family friend, a Knott's employee, escorted her into the park to watch Elvira and give her a behind the scenes tour. She was intrigued as she walked through the break room and realized that they were just people in masks and makeup. It seemed like only a short time later, Erin was performing for Halloween Haunt which led to her meeting the love of her life, her husband. Each year she cheers on her husband and his friends as they set up and run a home haunt. You can catch her helping with line control and repeating the same instructions over and over and over to the guests each night. She has been a professional dancer and actress for over 20 years. When she is not in the studio teaching dance or in her office writing, you can catch Mommy Fearest with her husband and two kids at various conventions throughout California. She enjoys Cosplay, Star Wars, Renaissance Faires, Halloween, haunted attractions, paranormal happenings, special effects makeup and horrible reality television shows.