Dragon*ConTV is the insufficiently sung hero of Dragon*Con. It’s the snarky entertainment arm of the con that keeps you laughing while waiting for panels or when you’re lying in your room too tired to go back out in your 65-pound costume.
A long, long time ago, in the Dragon*Con galaxy not so far away, there were just a few Dragon*Con events broadcast on the hotel channels. Then there was a custom video for the 2002 Masquerade. Finally in 2003, Brian Richardson, Lucas Leverett, and Patrick Freeman got together to start making more video content, and DCTV was born.
Each year there are old favorites from the past along with brand new goodies, from sci-fi product spoof commercials to music videos to parody TV show and movie bits, wrapped around Adult-Swim-style bumpers. (One of those even questions the creativity of mimicking the Adult Swim bumps. How meta.)
If you’ve been to so many Dragon*Con panels that you feel you’ve seen all the bumps, you can play “guess the first-time con-goers” instead. They’re the ones falling out of their chairs at a three-year-old bump you’ve seen so many times you could recite it in your sleep. But there are some that I never get tired of, no matter how many times I see them.
Keep reading below to see a few of my all-time favorite DCTV clips to help you make it through the next nine months or so until you can see the new batch. They’re the ones that make me wish my TV had a year-round DCTV channel. (Hey, DCTV–can you guys work on getting that added to the Boxee?)
Code Monkey Music Video
This is a DCTV music video for a remix of Jonathan Coulton’s “Code Monkey.” Code Monkey like Fritos. Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew. Code Monkey like you.
PSA Guy: Hygiene
A geek parody of the Old Spice Guy commercials.
Bob and Carl, Sci-Fi Janitors
Bob and Carl are a relatively new addition, and as far as I’m concerned, the best part of DCTV. People even costume as Bob and Carl now. If you feel your childhood has been tortured by George Lucas, try this one. But my favorite involves Bob and Carl doing Bon Jovi:
Apology on the Mount
This bit spanned two years, but watching this one video from the second year will catch you up. However, to fully and properly experience it the way it was live, you should first watch the music video of Shatner on the Mount. Next pretend that you hear that song 17 times a day for four days. Then, when you watch the clip below, imagine a hotel ballroom full of people “doo doo doo”-ing together.
Dragon*Con Attendance
If you’ve wondered why the hotel rooms sell out in fifteen minutes, this video will help clarify things for you.
Happy Red Matter Ball
This one’s for fans–or better yet, haters–of the J. J. Abrams Star Trek reboot.
Rainbow Connection
Why are there so many songs about rainbows? DCTV has an idea.
If you think you can do better, you can keep an eye on the submissions guidelines. If you just want to see them all, visit the DCTV website or their YouTube channel. You can also follow them at @DragonConTV on Twitter.
I love DCTV! They have a blog where they post new videos every once in a while as they are getting ready for Dragon*Con. They also have a lot of their old videos up there too.
I always go there when I need a little DCTV 😀
I do love the Rainbow Connection one. Now I giggle disturbingly every time Mal watches the Weather episode of Yo Gabba Gabba, with Paul Willliams singing it.
My boyfriend and I proudly wear our Bob and Carl t-shirts around despite how nearly impossibly it is to quickly explain what they are. Check out their website – http://scifijanitors.com/ – for stuff they’ve done for other cons. The Anachro Con videos are especially funny.