This was the best Joe Meet yet, but it was a "Meet" only in name. Mike's right when he syas it's reached convention status.
The first one I attended (the 2nd) had maybe 20 guys trading and talking about Joes. This year it was well over 200 in attendance with over 30 dealers! It's come a long way from the bowling alley basement
There were still traditional Joe Meet events...Joe Wrestling, The Customs Displays, and of course Pepperettes and Timbits. What elevated it to the next level, was the securing of guests like Hasbro Canada, Mark Bellomo and the amazing Larry Hama.
We may not have liked all the answers Hasbro provided, but it's fantastic that they are now working with the Canadian Joe collecting community to address our concerns.
I had the pleasure of speaking to Mark Bellomo a couple of times. He is a walking GI Joe encyclopedia. He autographed my Joe Guide, and shared some comics and toy related stories.
Mr. Larry Hama was incredible. A smile for every person who came up to him with something to sign. You could tell that he genuinely appreciates the respect that his fans have for him and does not take it for granted or allow it to go straight to his ego. He was charming, personable, adn entertining. I spent the better part of an hour talking to to him about his days as an actor on shows like MASH and Saturday Night Live, and heard some great stories about the comics industry. A professional and a gentleman.
I just realized that I have not mentioned the toys.
There were TONS!!!
ARAH, 12 inch, 25th Anniversary, you name it, it was there! It was also cool to see a nice variety of some non-joe toys. I dropped about $200 bucks and was very happy with all my deals (I finally got my AVAC!!! 1986..DONE!!!!)
My favourite toy of the day? SNOWBANK!!! I got there early enough to score one and it was worth it. Kudos to Mike, Loop and everyone for putting together such a great figure...again! I also picked up the exclusive Timbit figure...(idea for next year, female Cobra Twins code named Double Double)
I know I'm rambling, and I'm gonna wrap it up by saying that I really enjoyed meeting some folks who travelled from the states, seeing the usual Joe Canuck alumni, and making some new friends in the collecting community.
Sad to see the Canadian Joe Meet dissappear, but can't wait until next year for the "First Annual Canadian GI Joe Convention"!!!
Thanks again to Mike, Ed, Raptor, Scramble, Loop and everyone else (I'm looking at you Denise, Sophia and Jen) who pitced in and made this the best Joe Meet yet!!!
If you haven't been to one yet, what the hell are you waiting for?