Hello Otaku!

Corey C. Cat & Owlfie

Animefest is 4 days of fun for anime fans -- AKA otaku -- with lots of activities and videos to support the collecting habit. We're selling to jewelry folks -- and doll folks -- who collect something besides the videos and garage kits and -- well, if you've ever seen all the stuff connected with any American series, such as Star Wars, then you've seen a sample of things the Japanese produce for their fan base. We've seen Jack Skellington and Transformers as well as goth zombies and steampunk vampire hunters ... as dealers, we tend to do "costume light" because no one can really see below your waist until you leave for the restroom -- also, the AC was cranked way too high for anything less than a short sleeved tunic and leggings, and I froze during most of the afternoon. But I showed off the niece's bodice jewelry, which was worth the goose bumps.

The newest plushie additions to our household are Owlfie, Joy's owl in his Woody costume, and Corey C. Cat in his limited edition duds. (BTW, we saw a Jessie from Toy Story 2 yesterday.) Believe it or not, 2010 marks 50 years of "Hello Kitty," and Build-a-Bear Workshop has many of the licensed characters available for stuffing ... Kitty and her sister don't appeal to me, but little Chococat does -- and sometime I'll put a gold moon on his forehead and a Sailor Scout uniform on him in fond memory of Luna from Sailor Moon. I guess that means Kitty would have to crossdress as Artemis, the male cat on the show ... Hmmmm ... No, I do not need another stuffed kitty around the house!! When we got Corey Cat, the workshop was humming with little girls and their parents -- and I didn't care (much) that I was the only adult who was buying a plushie for herself. The girl at the stuffing machine was studying to be an English teacher (poor girl -- she wants to teach seniors! I said gently that you might have to work your way up to that grade level). The folks at the counter were most friendly ... I suspect that, like dealers at conventions, they have to take deep breaths and paste those smiles on their faces some days.

To tell the truth, working a convention isn't really a bad way to spend a weekend; however, it seems more stressful in some ways than being a merchant at a Ren Faire. Perhaps it's the constant high level of energy in the fans -- a convention has a party atmosphere that many faires don't have ... too many teens and twenty-somethings crammed into a hotel with too little adult supervision, and many looking to get drunk and get laid, and all looking to PARTY to the max. Faires close down around 7 (dark in the spring), and the merchants are left to their own devices. Some get into the party-mode, but just as many want to chill out and rest up ... I confess that Joy and I often fit the latter mode. Shoot, we're dealers at the big anime cons, and we seldom make it to any events! I think Joy made the record this weekend because she went to the BJD panels to check out what was happening in the DFW area.

On a different note -- we met some members of "Cosplay Gallifrey" who --as you've guessed -- are Doctor Who fans. The ones we met are in their 20s -- I wonder if they have any of the original Gallifrey Connection members in the troup, or if they are all as young as the trio I met on Saturday ... I don't think I saw any of them on Sunday, so maybe it was just a 1-day thing for them. I'm afraid I don't have the energy (or interest) to pursue the cosplay far, since they're into memorizing their favorite speeches -- and the leader showed little interest in Sarah Jane. Ironic, since she's the only companion to ever score her own series! (And is my age, so I could cosplay her with ease ...)

And I've been so baaaad -- no grading until tonight!

Dance quote: When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. Wayne Dyer