Making memories at C2E2.

The Fandads attended the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo last weekend and as always we had a great time. Last year my daughter went dressed up as Cinderella, this year she brought her Captain Phasma costume with her, but decided against wearing it when we got there. Then she wanted to wear it….then she didn’t. Ah, kids and their indecisiveness. Don’t all parents love when their kids can’t make up their minds? 


This year we were able to only attend Sunday, so we made sure to make the best of it.  I was lucky enough to get a few free passes from one of our customers at my job and ended up giving the other one away to one lucky reader. (Do you follow us on Facebook and Twitter? If not, you should.)

Like every year, my daughter and I love to see all of the cosplayers and the amazing costumes that they wear. It’s so cool pointing out our favorite characters or trying to guess what movie, television show, or comic book they come from.

As we walk around I am always looking out for something new to collect or something that catches my eye. This year we saw some cool things and I ran into an old friend who was working at a booth there. So without any more fanfare, here are some of our favorite things at this year’s C2E2, in no particular order.

1.  Nerfect Artistic Novelties

Mr. Walters creates all of the stuffed pugs with his own hands. That’s right, these are all handmade and they are pretty cool. My daughter enjoyed looking at all the different pugs that were on display and I thought she was going to buy the one that looked like a hamburger. As with kids and their indecisiveness, she picked this little guy at the last minute. Why? Because he’s from Egypt, well, at least, that is what she told me.

You can check out Mr. Walters etsy store to buy your own little pug and check out the other wares that he sells. Another cool thing about Mr. Walters is that he is from Berwyn, like our logo designer Rafael Nieves. Support local artist people!

“Egypt Pug” as my daughter named him

2. 84 Chicago

The crew from 84 Chicago

84 Chicago is a vintage toy store that has been open for a few years and has a lot of awesome toys. If you check out their Instagram page, you will get a glimpse of all the great toys that they have. My son got a Cable figure from them that he has been playing with since we got home that day and I saw a lot of figures that I wanted to get for myself.  If you are ever in Chicago, check this place out.

3. Crizltron

Awesome stickers and buttons from Crizltron

I used to dabble in art. I am not a great artist, but I think I am fairly decent when I want to be. Whenever I go to a comic convention, I love looking at the artist that are out there and their styles. One artist that caught the eye of my daughter and myself was Crizltron. I just loved the look of the characters and the bold use of colors. We picked up some buttons. My daughter has a jacket just for her buttons, and I was able to pick two for myself. Can you guess which buttons above are for me?

4. The Cosplayers

There were some fantastic cosplayers this year. I am upset that I missed out on seeing the HulkBuster IronMan and the Transformer that was walking around.  Here are a few that stood out to us.

KYLO REN – What was pretty cool about this guy was he saw the Captain Phasma helmet that was hanging on our stroller and pointed at it. I told my daughter to put on her costume and she didn’t want to, but she wanted to hold her helmet for the picture. He walked up to us all menacing like and posed for this cool picture with my daughter…then he stabbed my Han Solo figure. I’m just joking on the last part.

REY – This was a very well detailed costume and one of the best ones that I saw on the show floor. Her headpiece was so well made that I thought she stole it from the set of The Force Awakens. Before our turn, a little girl dressed as Rey took a picture with her. This Rey gave little Rey her staff to pose in the picture and it looked so cool. I love cosplayers that are so into character and make the experience a great one for little fans.

Thor dad and his sons.

THOR DAD – I know that’s not his name and I am kicking myself for not asking him his name, but this dad represents what Fandads is all about.  It was so cool because when I asked him to take a picture he just smiled and said “Boys!” and his sons got into their poses in a flash. It was like Captain America saying “Avengers Assemble” and everyone comes running in. Maybe next year, I can do something like this with my children.  Thanks for posing for us, guys!

One cool moment of the weekend was my friend Silk aka Ashley, was able to get Lisa Yee to autograph her WONDER WOMAN at SUPERHERO HIGH book for my daughter. It made her day, since she knew that we missed her the day before.  Thank you again to Ashley and Lisa Yee for making her day. I mean, just look at the happiness on her face!

C2E2 was a great time this year and I can not wait to do it all over again.  Next year, I think I need to plan a little better, because later that night I saw so many posts online from friends that were there that I did not see at the show. Maybe next year I can hang out with them for a minute or two and just catch up.

To me, that is what some of these shows are all about: hanging out with friends, buying some cool new items and making lasting memories with family.



Fan Dads