Video Gaming at Retro Con!
Video games are a large part of retro culture, so Retro Con will once again include a gaming section on the show floor!
This year The Game is Afoot Arcade will be bringing arcade games to the show!
They will be hosting a variety of classic coin-ops including such titles as Crystal Castles, After Burner, Robotron 2084, and Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga!
In addition they will be setting up their ‘Multicade’ machines, which feature over 5000 emulated titles to choose from! With games from the 1970’s through the 1990’s, there’s something for everybody!!
In addition our friend Jim Cannon is planning to bring along his 1988 RoboCop coin-op machine, and our friend Derek Williams has graciously offered to bring his Dragon’s Lair machine for attendees to enjoy!
And the best part is all machines will be set on FREE PLAY!! So take a break from shopping for awhile to stop by our arcade corner for some retro gaming fun!
And if home gaming is more your thing, Extra Life will be at the show and will have a variety of consoles set up for attendees to enjoy. Extra Life unites thousands of players around the world in a 24 hour gaming marathon to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Since its inception in 2008, Extra Life has raised more than $14 million for local CMN hospitals!
A big thanks to The Game Is Afoot, Extra-Life.org, Jim Cannon, and Derek Williams for bringing their games to the show!
And a special shout-out and thanks to the website Retro-Daze, whose generous donation to the show made this feature possible!!
Retro Con Stickers for Preregistrants!
A special added bonus for Preregistrants this year are these full color glossy Retro Con stickers! They measure 4″ by 3.5″ and look great on a door, a window, a laptop, or anywhere else you want to show your love of retro!!
We have a limited supply, but we’ll hopefully have enough to cover all Preregistrants. We’ll be pre-selling weekend tickets to the show until September, but don’t delay and buy yours today!! You can purchase your tickets to the show HERE!
A big thanks to our staffer Nick Govosdian for buying these for the show!!
Meet Cam Clarke at Retro Con 2016!
This year we’re adding some serious Turtle Power to Retro Con with the inclusion of voice actor Cam Clarke to the show!
Cam Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. He often voices teenagers and other similarly young characters. Cam began his acting career performing with his family on the musical variety show, The King Family.
He continued to perform with his family on various TV specials until the 1980s when he got his first voice acting roles in the animated shows Snorks and Robotech. Clarke was taught by established voice actor Michael Bell. To date, Clarke has voiced over one hundred titles. Cam is easily recognizable by his distinct voice which can fluctuate from adolescent sounding, to deep and soothing, to a faux British.
Cam’s most famous role is probably that of katana-toting leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo!
“Turtles fight with honor!!”
Being the most disciplined and cultured of the team, his turtle brothers would sometimes tease him for being too serious at times, but they also respected him as their leader (usually). Cam voiced the steadfast character in close to 200 episodes of the original TMNT series between 1987 and 1996!
Cam also voiced the dimwitted mutant Rocksteady on the show, who along with his best friend Bebop were Shredder’s chief underlings. They remained in the show for all 10 seasons.
Cam also played two prominent roles on Harmony Gold’s Robotech series: Ace pilot Max Sterling in the original “Macross” chapter of the show, and resistance soldier Lancer/singer Yellow Dancer in “The New Generation”.
Another lead role Cam played was that of He-Man and Prince Adam in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe series! Though the show and toy line were relatively short-lived, this iteration of MOTU still has a loyal fanbase to this day.
A popular villain role Cam played was Liquid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series, genetic-twin and nemesis of Solid Snake. Cam played the character in Metal Gear Solid, MGS 2, and MSG: The Twin Snakes.
And a popular protagonist role of Cam’s was that of gang-leader Shotaro Kaneda in the english dub of the anime classic Akira!
Also, RPG fans may recognize Cam as the voice of such characters as Kratos Aurion in Tales of Symphonia, Ryudo in Grandia II, Will Raynard in Tales of Legendia, as well as the male Blood Elf in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade!
Cam will be on hand all weekend for autograph and photo ops. Prices will be listed on the website as we get closer to the event.
Go Green Machine!!
Voice Actor Pat Fraley to Attend Retro Con 2016!
In a rare convention appearance, we are thrilled to announce that Pat Fraley will be coming to Retro Con 2016!
A voice actor and voice-over teacher for more than 35 years, Pat is best known to retro fans for giving voice and personality to the quirky warlord Krang in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tv series! Pat played the renegade from Dimension X in more than 125 episodes between 1987 to 1996, and he voiced the character more recently in an episode of Nickelodeon’s modern TMNT cartoon entitled “Trans-Dimensional Turtles” where the current Turtle team gets transported to another dimension and meets the 80’s iterations of themselves!
Ultimately banished from Dimension X for his treachery, Krang reluctantly teamed up with the Shredder and his foot soldier army to renew his penchant for conquest on planet Earth. Together they would attempt to take over the world, and in the process restore power to Krang’s mobile command base the Technodrome for an eventual return to Dimension X. Unfortunately for them, their plans were foiled time and again by the Turtles and friends. Krang was easily one of the most amusing characters on the show and is a fan-favorite with his warbling voice, bizarre exosuit, and excitable personality.
Pat also voiced several other prominent characters on TMNT, including mad scientist Baxter Stockman, the Turtles’ vigilante ally Casey Jones, the palm-tree obsessed Slash, and Channel 6’s hard-nosed news editor Burne Thompson!
Aside from TMNT, Pat also voiced notable characters on Marvel/Sunbow’s popular GI Joe cartoon series: Ace, Wild Weasel, and Airtight!
And other prominent roles you’ve heard Pat in include BraveStarr, Denver the Last Dinosaur, Max Ray in Centurions, and Jake Kong Jr. on Filmation’s Ghostbusters!
Pat will be at the show all weekend for autograph and photo ops. Prices will be determined and listed as we get closer to show time. So come out to Retro Con this September to meet the voice of some of the greatest characters from your youth!!
A big thanks to CelebWorx for their immense help in getting Mr. Fraley to the show!
Angry Video Game Nerd at Retro Con 2016!
We’re happy to report the return of a fan-favorite for Retro Con 2016: James Rolfe, AKA the Angry Video Game Nerd!
“He’s gonna take you back to the past…”
James is best known for his hilarious reviews of classic video games as the character ‘The Angry Video Game Nerd’, which mix together insightful commentary, over-the-top language, physical comedy, and various theatrical elements. The show has been in production for more than a decade and still going strong!
Other programs on his website include James & Mike Mondays, Board James, You Know What’s Bulls#!t?, and literally hundreds of movie reviews of films spanning from the early 1900’s to present day! He also released a feature-length movie based around his AVGN character in 2014. Check out his team’s work over at Cinemassacre.com!
James will have a 3 hour signing session on **SUNDAY ONLY** from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. He will also be part of a 45 minute Q&A afterwards.
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Retro Con 2016 Advance Tickets and Vendor Spaces Now Available!
Advance tickets and Vendor spots for Retro Con 2016 are now available for purchase via paypal! Click on the corresponding links in the sidebar to see full details on both (or click HERE for Tickets, and HERE for Vendor tables).
The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, to Attend Retro Con 2016!
Retro Con is pleased to bring a wrestling legend to the show in 2016: WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase!
Ted DiBiase is best known for his role as the villainous “Million Dollar Man” of the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE). Having been raised by his wrestler father, “Iron” Mike DiBiase, who he admired greatly, Ted chose to follow in his Dad’s footsteps and become a professional wrestler in 1975. Ted paid his dues in the early years of his wrestling career, traveling thousands of miles by car, spending many nights in less than luxurious hotels, and making little money. His big break came in the spring of 1987 when he headed for New York and the WWF to become the “Million Dollar Man”. It was from here that his career skyrocketed.
“Every man has his price…”
Ted literally traveled the world with the WWF, wrestling in some of the biggest venues in the world. Places like Madison Square Garden, The Superdome, The Skydome, The Tokyo Dome, and Wembley Stadium, all became familiar places to Ted. After six years with the WWF, seeing his likeness made into action figures, characters in video games and his face on everything from T-shirts to pin-ball machines, he ended his active career at the end of 1993 due to a neck injury.
He then went on to be a ringside manager and commentator with the WWF from 1994 to the fall of 1996. During that time he managed such wrestling superstars as “Stone” Cold Steve Austin and Bam Bam Bigelow. Ted finished his career working for Ted Turner owned World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from the Fall of 1996 to the Fall of 1999, spending a total of twenty-five years in the industry. He was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in March of 2010!
Today, after authoring a book about his life entitled Every Man Has His Price, Ted is a full time evangelist and motivational speaker for the Heart of David Ministry. Officially ordained into the ministry, he is speaking to church congregations, youth groups, men’s meetings, corporate businesses, and in public schools and universities all over the world. In the past six years he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people, young and old alike. In addition, Ted is also a spokesperson for and board member of The Sunshine Foundation. This organization grants wishes to terminally ill and handicapped children.
Ted will be at the show both Saturday and Sunday for autographs and photo opps. Prices will be listed as we draw closer to the event. A big thanks to Ted for agreeing to attend the show!
Alan Oppenheimer to Attend Retro Con 2016!
We are elated to announce our first guest for Retro Con 2016: Veteran voice and character actor Alan Oppenheimer!
Alan has been in the entertainment business for more than 50 years, with live-action parts in such hit movies and series as The Untouchables, I Spy, Get Smart, Hogan’s Heroes, I Dream of Jeannie, That Girl, Bewitched, Bonanza, The Six Million Dollar Man, Westworld, Happy Days, What’s Happening!!, Trapper John M.D., Knight Rider, Night Court, Moving, Who’s the Boss, Married With Children, and Star Trek Voyager.
But if you grew up in the 80’s, you will most definitely recognize Alan as the voice of some of the decade’s most iconic characters!
His most famous voice role is probably that of the poster child of evil: Skeletor! *wicked laughter*
Alan portrayed the sinister (yet lovable) villain in over 70 episodes of the He-man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon series by Filmation, and the character would go on to have appearances on the follow-up She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon. Though surrounded by incompetent minions and thwarted time and again by He-man and friends, Skeletor would never stop trying to conquer Eternia and capture Castle Grayskull!
In addition to Skeletor, Alan also provided the voice for Prince Adam’s mentor Man-At-Arms, Skeletor’s gurgling henchman Mer-Man, as well as Prince Adam’s “fearless friend” Cringer!
“Never give up, and good luck will find you.”
And in a role completely opposite of Skeletor, Alan also voiced another favorite character from the 80’s: The flying luck dragon Falkor!
A wise and benevolent being from the land of Fantasia, Falkor would give encouraging advice to those in need and could always be relied on in a crisis. This gentle giant is widely considered to be the most popular character from The NeverEnding Story, and is also one of Alan’s personal favorite roles.
In addition to Falkor, Alan also gave voice to the gargantuan Rock Biter and the devious G’mork, and was also the lighthearted narrator of the film!
Mr. Oppenheimer also worked on Marvel Sunbow’s Transformers cartoon, where he voiced three notable season 2 Autobots: The boisterous Warpath, the mellow pacifist Beachcomber, and the ocean-faring Seaspray!
Other characters Alan voiced include Prime Evil from Filmation’s Ghostbusters, as well as Vanity on the wildly popular Smurfs cartoon series!
Skeletor may be irredeemable evil, but we can assure you Alan has a heart of gold! He wants to donate 100% of his autograph sales from the show directly to children’s charities! So please come out to meet him at Retro Con! You’ll not only be meeting an amazing talent, you’ll also be helping some very worthy causes!!
Retro Con 2016 Show Dates Announced!
Mark your calendars! RETRO CON will be back in 2016 for our *5th ANNUAL* show!!
The Dates: September 24th & 25th, 2016 at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA!
We will be in Hall C once again, giving us 54,000 square feet to fill with collectible toys, games, art, tv/movie cars, guests, panels, contests, and a whole lot more!!
Preregistration will go up at the start of the year, with a tentative price for weekend tickets being $23. At the door price is tentatively set at $18 on Saturday, and $15 on Sunday.
Vendor spots are already available! Click on the tab marked Vendors at the top of the page for details on how you can reserve a spot at the show.
We’d like to thank everyone that’s come to the show over the past few years. It is your continued support that keeps us going. We had a modest increase in attendance between 2014 and 2015, but we’d love to see the show grow even more in 2016! So if you’ve enjoyed the show in the past- the wide variety of vendors, the free contests, our fantastic guests, the unique displays, the affordable admission price and free parking, the awesome and spirited costumes attendees have had, the unique atmosphere in the air- then we encourage you to tell a friend about it!
We realize we’re a bit of a “tough sell” in this age of comic cons, anime, and video game shows. But if you think about it, nearly everything popular in the geek realm today is firmly ingrained in the past. We adamantly believe the roots of pop culture should always be respected and celebrated!
More show announcements will be coming in the near future, so keep watching!!
Retro Con 2015 Highlights!
A look back at some of phenomenal sights around 2015! A big thanks to everyone that dressed up and helped add to the show this year!! Click the post title to see all the pictures!
Photos by Grenex Media, Christopher Wetherell’s Photography, Jason S Colflesh Photography, Knightmare6, Christopher Beaumont, Jennifer Pote, Bob Trate, Erica Schmidt, Mike Breaux, TJ Becker, Jack Doud, Matthew Kelly, Symbiote Collectibles, and Tom Kingsmill. Thanks!
PRE-REG NOW LIVE!
Vendor Table Info Below!
Sponsors!
Retro Con would like to thank all those that helped to sponsor this show!
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98.5 WXPM The Phoenix
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The Retro Network
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Rediscover The 80s
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Friends of Retro Con!
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The Breaux Show
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Fandom Spotlite
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Toy Spotlite
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The Very Best
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retrocons.com 