My Little Pony Fair 2018

Smooth but Small

By Sheena McNeil
July 16, 2018

Before I delve into my experience at the Fair, I want to give a huge shout out to the staff, who really made this year's Fair run smoothly.

After a one-year hiatus (as decreed by Hasbro, who hosted Hascon in 2017 and did not let the official fandom cons, including MLP, Transformers, and GI Joe, to host their own cons that year), I was able to attend my 9th (and my husband's 8th) Pony Fair (known prior to this year as the My Little Pony Fair and Convention). This year the Fair returned to Orlando, FL (and the Rosen Plaza hotel, which hosted the Fair in 2012) on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17, 2018. There were some big changes for this year, most notably being the fact that Hasbro (and thus, all other licensed companies) were not involved. This allowed for more freedom and ease on the planning end for sure, though it also meant other things didn't happen, like the Pajama Party (normally sponsored by Shout! Factory Kids). However, this point, plus marketing this year's Fair exclusively to vintage collectors in the know, resulted in a poor turnout, which probably hurt the Fair's revenue as much as it hurt the vendors'. The Fair was budgeted for 1000 people, and it fell short of that (by what seemed like a few hundred). The Fair even took to selling the exclusive pony to non-Fair goers and taking donations to help with the cost-offset after an announcement on April 23 on Facebook. In fact, by Sunday, especially Sunday afternoon, it was almost only the vendors in attendance!!

This year's special guests included Bonnie Zacherle (creator of the original line of MLP in the 1980s), Kirk Hindman (one of the original sculptors of the MLP line, among other favorite toy lines, and who continues to freelance for Hasbro), and Sammie Crowley (a writer for a few episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) -- all of whom had special presentations over the weekend. Presentations and activities were hosted by familiar faces in the vintage MLP collecting community, including yours truly. I did not make time to go see any of the other presentations, though I did peek in on a few.

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Outside the vendors' room (a ballroom), there were two small rooms one floor up that could hold somewhere around 40 to 60 people. Presentations that I looked in on (and my own) seemed to have an attendance in the teens and maybe into the 20s, so lots of empty chairs. One of the two rooms was solely for presentations, and the costume contest, the latter of which had the smallest participation since the first costume contest in 2011. Out of 30 or so total participants, I was the only villain! The contest itself took 10 to 15 minutes, and in less than an hour we had been judged, awarded, and photographed. Categories included; adult G1, G2, G3; Adult G4; Youth G1, G2, G3; Youth G4; and Group. Most had first and second place, and awards were also given for Most Creative (which I won as the G1 Smooze) and Best Overall (which was an awesome Melody on rollerskates). The other room was used for presentations and the "gallery" of contest entries and vintage ponies on display. The custom entries were, at first, crowded onto one table and overflowing onto chairs around it (and there was lots of fragile stuff!) A staff member later moved them to more tables; they did a good and careful job, but most of us would have liked to have been able to set our work out where it would be, and not have it moved around, or sat on something not firm, like a chair).

Here was one of the big changes: no attendees got to vote! In fact, attendees did not get to vote on any of the contests! One staff member explained that in the past they have spent hours tallying votes and that they have fielded complaints about the same people winning every year. As for the first point, I totally understand. However, that doesn't change the fact that people were very disappointed to not get to vote. Especially if the Fair is going to continue to limit itself in size and scope, they should really look into a more efficient way of tallying that still allows people to vote. So who did vote? The special guests. That's cool. I like that because they are "blind" to who's who. As for the second point, it does seem (to me) that the same people do tend to win the custom contests, but their work is exceptional. This year did seem like there was a bit of variety in the winners. Not only that, but there was no awards ceremony! Awards for costumes were given out immediately after that contest, and the rest just had ribbons laid by the entries on day two. No announcements were made, and in order to see if you won, you had to go look or hear from others who had looked in on that room. Like voting, people missed seeing / hearing an actual awards ceremony. What this all means is that the main group the Fair was trying to cater to (the vintage collectors) were (and felt) detached from all contests, especially if they were vendors. I'm not in favor of it all going back to one room, as it gets too loud and congested, but choosing a venue that has rooms closer together is really necessary to enjoying the full experience (especially for those who couldn't do stairs and had to go through the lobby and the crowds from the hotel's other events to get to the elevators).

A couple months or so before the Fair, the staff announced that while vendor booths had sold out, general ticket sales were pretty abysmal. They took to selling the Fair's exclusive pony to people who could not be in attendance (as well as taking straight donations) in an effort to raise some more funds to cover expenses. Other vendors and I immediately began to worry about making ends meet and covering even our base expenses like the vendor booths. While not as bad as the 2016 Fair for vendors, it was still slow. There was an initial rush Saturday morning, a small pick-me-up Saturday afternoon, and vendors themselves doing some shopping on Sunday (because there really wasn't much of anyone else on Sunday). G1 ponies seemed to sell well. Customs and other gens were not selling as much, though a couple customizers did pretty good selling their works.

The big upside is that it was a very positive group in attendance, everyone enjoyed being there, and things ran smoothly, even with the dual levels for the rooms. It sounds like the biggest thing that would have benefited both the Fair in general (for covering their own costs) and vendors is more attendance, which means they need to market it to the surrounding area and the general public! I chatted with one staff member who mentioned that some people don't like when Groupon is offered later because they could have gotten their ticket for less, but the tickets this year included the pony for everyone, so it's feasible to do a Groupon that is only admission later while having the main tickets include admission and something else. Given that people attending and not donated extra money to help the Fair happen this year, I don't think people would be opposed to an admission-only Groupon.

Every ticket purchased included a pony of this year's mascot pony, created by HQG1C, and I added a T-shirt that featured that pony. I pre-ordered the enamel pins by Studio BMFC; I'm not totally sold on the newborns, but I hope they make more big brothers! I only found one thing on my wishlist, but it's still exciting and satisfying to cross something off. I ended up with more baits and ponies that need TLC than I intended to buy, but that's not surprising (or expensive). I also bought an alternate rehair by Sunshine, two custom prototypes by Pandabear Chan, a resin seapony float by Soulcookies Co., and my hubby bought me four gorgeous customs by Fire Helix Customs (who gifted me a resin and print to go with it). My most exciting thing is a MIB Rock-o-saur that a fellow collector found a duplicate of and sold to me (we joke that we're the only ones that really collect these and the Little Beauty line from the 80s). So I definitely came home with good stuff.

As far as vending, I made enough sales to cover my purchases and my booths and tickets for myself and my hubby, which sounds excellent but is really bare bones. It didn't touch food, hotel, dog boarding, gas, etc. From what I know and observed, I think most other vendors ended in a similar situation (the middle of the bell curve). That means, as a vendor, it wasn't a good convention because we couldn't even cover our expenses, let alone make a profit.

This was the first year to incorporate a focus on other 80s girls toys. They have always been welcome to sell at a vendor booth, but there were actually presentations that catered to this as well this year! The accessory presentation was an especially useful one, as many of the little pieces from playsets and ponywear were also used by other Hasbro toylines. If you're not a hardcore vintage collector, there's still the epicness of walking into a ballroom full of toy ponies (and there were ponies from all generations for sale). If you're interested in being able to attend next year, I strongly encourage you to follow on Facebook as, like this year, they may not be promoting outside the vintage pony collecting community.

Here's a little rundown of what the days themselves actually looked like:

Friday June 15, 2018

My hubby and I drove down on Thursday, checked in, and picked up Wolfen. Friday, since we had the whole day open, we drove two hours one-way to St. Petersburg to visit the Salvador Dali Museum. I'm a hug Dali fan, so when I saw it was in a distance for a day-trip I knew we had to go. The shop has an excellent variety of his works through all phases of his life, presented in chronological order. We opted not to get the headsets or go on a free guided tour, but we did use the free app a couple times to learn more about certain paintings (which you can do at home -- it will even show you the painting!). I was a tiny bit disappointed that my favorite piece, "Lobster Telephone", had been cycled out, but there was plenty of other art to enjoy. There were even a couple pieces unfamiliar to me! I loved being able to be within a few inches of some of the works to really see the brushwork and how the texture of the canvas had been used. I was surprised by the size of some of the paintings. The museum itself is a work of art, with unusual architecture, and features a garden with a simple hedge-maze that opens before the museum and closes after. A new exhibit was set to open the day after we were there (of course).

One of the highlights was a free three-minute virtual reality experience (video and sound) exploring inside a combination of a couple of Dali's famous paintings. Two times through is needed to see everything in it, which can be easily done. The experience is fantastic! I would have loved to have been able to sit in there for an hour or so, exploring and watching it move.

The caf� serves Spanish-inspired food, including an amazing pear and chocolate truffle dessert! The gift shop has fun things to see as well as buy, though their shirt sizes and cuts were a bit odd (few were standard T-shirts), which means I left without one.

Before heading back to Orlando, we stopped by Black Crow Coffee Co. I'm not a coffee drinker, but they also make one of the best hot chocolates I've had. It has a great vibe with friendly patrons, being a little bohemian and a little punk, supplying art supplies (at a table set aside for art!) for doodling, and full of fun decorations (including local art and a working Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots Game for patrons to play) and repurposed furniture (like theater seats and sewing desks). I wish I had somewhere like that where I live! If you're in the area, I highly suggest checking them out.

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This was not an official date for the Fair, but vendors were allowed to check in, get most of the things they pre-ordered, and set up. We had from 6:30 p.m. to about 9 p.m. to set up, which was wonderful. And since only about half the vendors took advantage of it, things weren't too crowded during either Friday night or Saturday morning set-up. The ballroom was spacious, with lots of room to move around all the booths without being too spaced out. It could easily have handled the 1000 person cap and more. There was an unofficial pre-meet thing happening after set-up, but as that's typically more of an excuse for a certain vendor to sell their wares early, I skipped it. Don't get me wrong, it's great for those looking for some early deals, but you also have to be in the know.

Saturday June 16, 2018

I completed almost all of my set-up Friday night, but I still like to be first-in / last-out when my stuff is left in a vendor room like that, so I was there when they let vendors in at 8 a.m. I arrived fully dressed in my G1 Smooze cosplay and finished setting up. I was surprised how many people (in a room full of vintage collectors who grew up on the pony movies) didn't know who I was cosplaying until I told them .... Then I helped one of my booth-neighbors (behind me) unpack some of her ponies. It was her first Fair (and convention vending in general), and seemed a little flustered and rushed. I'm glad I could help, and we offered some advice and pleasant comradery throughout the convention. I hope to see her and her hubby at future Fairs.

At 9 a.m. the VIP ticket holders were allowed in for early shopping. By that point most vendors were set-up or at least a good ways there. I, too, made my way through the room for an initial look at the pony wares and made a few purchases before returning to my own booth, including some items for a friend who couldn't be there and gave me money to spend on her. The rest of the ticket holders were allowed in at 10 a.m., which was also the time of the first meet-and-greet with the special guests in one of the presentation rooms. The first hour was a pretty good influx of attendees. It was good for vendors and gave me hope that attendance would be better than expected.

At 11 a.m. Elfpony, Wolfen, and I carried our contest entries upstairs and registered them. On the way out of that room, we stopped to look at the prototype and experimental designs Kirk Hindman brought with him. He was actually in between his meet-and-greets, and he happily talked to us about what he brought. I learned a lot about the production process, from design to mold-making! It was really fascinating! I hope they bring him back to a future fair, so I can attend one of his full presentations (I didn't go to any this year).

Back downstairs it was already becoming obvious that the attendance was waning. Yes, it was about lunchtime, and yes, the main panels were about to start at noon, but compared to previous Fairs it was noticeably light. By early-to-mid-afternoon, it was obvious that we had seen the biggest point of attendance that morning. It was at this point that I (correctly) assumed that Sunday's attendance would be abysmally low. I flitted between my booth and wandering through the vendor room until about 2:30 p.m., when Wolfen and I headed upstairs for the costume contest, which started at 3 p.m. We had fun chatting with the other cosplayers before the contest and while we waited on judging. I also got to peek in on the "Paint-a-Pony Party", which looked like a lot of fun for all ages and skill-levels. Then it was back to the vendor room for the last hour.

After everyone was ushered out, Wolfen, my hubby, and I changed out of our cosplays and went out to eat. Elfpony and Marie went to the Celebration Dinner and Cocktail Hour. I had been on the fence about purchasing the tickets, which ended up sold out before I made up my mind. I hesitated for two reasons. The first was financial -- the cost of the tickets seemed to be a bit more expensive (over $50 a person), and we had some personal financial things to deal with at the same time as tickets went on sale (and obviously booth and tickets to the Fair itself was the priority). The second was the addition of the "Cocktail Hour". I have issue with a family-friendly event celebrating the love (and collection) of a children's toy involving alcohol as part of the official schedule. The dinner apparently did the normal stuff of playing a video inducting a guest and a pony into the Hall of Fame, and everyone got a pony window decal (Marie gave me hers). I don't think I missed anything other than getting to have more time with my Canadian friends.

I had to finish sewing the wings for my Sunday cosplay. I had left them till last minute as I was running out of time before leaving for Orlando and I was going to hand-sew them anyway. I cut the foam and wire out at home, did half the sewing in the car on the drive down, and did the other half of the sewing Saturday night. I finished about 11 p.m. and crawled into bed.

Sunday June 17, 2018

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On Sundays, the vendors are allowed into the vendor room at 9 a.m., while all other attendees are let in at 10 a.m. A fellow customizer and I had agreed to meet a vendor who had a lot of G1 baits, but something came up and she wasn't able to get to the Fair and back at her booth till after lunch. I used the time to take some pictures of my second cosplay, Flutterbat, and chat with other vendors before heading upstairs to set up for my presentation on Petite Ponies. I have given the presentation once before, but I had a lot of new information to add, including info on and pictures of prototypes. There were a dozen or more people there to listen, which was not bad given overall attendance. Being first in the day is good for me and my schedule, but it also means I may have lower attendance than other panels because people want to sleep or shop.

As expected, attendance was low in the vendor room. I heard a rumor that they decided day-of to let the general public in, but all that meant was any guests at the hotel that happened to see it and want to check it out. So, yeah, not a noticeable impact. Also as expected, many vendors tried having their normal Sunday sales up to half off! There just wasn't anyone to really take advantage of these other than other vendors. I basically spent the day chatting with my friends and doing some light shopping, which seemed to be what everyone else was doing. I did chat for a while with a family that are fans of my work. They are always nice to see and chat with, and I'm glad I was able to give them some advice for their own attempts at customizing.

Around 3 p.m., Elfpony finished winning the trivia contest and noticed that ribbons had been awarded for the contest entries. I'm excited to report that Elfpony, Wolfen, and I all took home ribbons for something! My own was a first place in the Handicraft division with a ceramic Spike figurine I did. Remember though, there were no announcements about winners; we just had to go collect our art and see it then ... and not all of the ribbons had information filled out on the back, so a couple were a bit hard to tell what they were actually awarding and we were left to make assumptions, which is terrible. I even asked a staffer about the writing missing on some ribbons, and they just shrugged it off.

The last presentation of the day was by The HQG1C Project, which started in a room upstairs and ended at their booth in the vendor room. This is the group that made Fair Feathers, the pony figure all attendees received with their tickets. As I am already familiar with them and their work (knowing their creator), I did not attend, but I was glad to see a sizable group (again, in the teens for numbers) gathered at the booth.

The Fair concluded rather uneventfully (thanks to no closing Award Ceremony). We all just packed up and said our goodbyes.

Elfpony, Marie, Wolfen, my hubby, and I all went out to The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen at Universal CityWalk for dinner ... well, fun appetizers and dessert mostly, and the atmosphere! It's an experience! It's Willy Wonka meets steampunk, with an impressive gift shop featuring candy and steampunk paraphernalia, and they have a separate kitchen just for their desserts, including insane milkshakes! The atmosphere is wonderful, with all employees in steampunk uniforms and animated scenes on the walls, and the proprietors dress up like they live it (which, to be fair, they do) -- we got a picture with the wife, and we saw the husband as a full automaton. It's a good hour-long wait (they don't take reservations), but parking after 6 p.m. is free, so it makes a great dessert (or dinner) adventure if you're in the area! It was time well spent with friends! It was late getting back to the hotel, so we said our goodbyes with our Canadian friends then.

All in all, it was a positive Fair. It ran smoothly and was full of good people (with only one unsupervised child, who harassed vendors and messed with our things). The special guests were very nice and personable. The presentations and activities covered a nice variety of pony and similar toy lines, though they were some distance from the vendor room where the bulk of people were. The hotel was very nice (even if their internet did not work the entire week we stayed there), including a 24-hour market that was very useful. It just needed a larger attendance for both the Fair itself and vendors to make ends meet. I am looking forward to next year, but I, like other vendors I've heard talking, am weighing how much of a presence I'll have, depending partially on what direction the Fair continues to go in. I do hope it changes locations again. Orlando is fun, but not every-year fun; it's expensive.

Roogna's Custom Creations