In just two weeks, from September 8-10, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hasbro is set to host its first ever convention celebrating the properties and brands that make the RI-based toy company one of a kind. Hascon will be unlike any convention to date. Featuring incredible guests from geek legends like Stan Lee to sports legends like David Ortiz, musical performances from Daya, Flo Rida and Stan Bush (“The Touch”!), and panels and experiences from Star Wars, Transformers, and Marvel to Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering to Sesame Street, My Little Pony, and Play-Doh, Hascon may be the most family-centric and wide-reaching convention ever devised.
Here are the ten things not to miss at the first annual Hascon…
Star Wars – Every OG Star Wars fan knows that the history of Star Wars merchandising begins with Kenner and the original lines of action figures and toys released in the ’70s and ’80s. Hasbro acquired Kenner and have since taken over releasing the bulk of official Star Wars toys and figures. Hascon will not only have panels celebrating the 40 year history of Star Wars play and unveiling new products from the Forces of Destiny and famed Black Series collections, but will also feature a Star Wars brand experience with photo ops in life-sized action figure backer cards, toy collections, and the world’s largest lightsaber build from Blade Builders.
Marvel Legends (for real) – Hascon will also feature a Marvel brand experience with photo ops and toys from the Legends series. But the real draw here is the legends actually in attendance. The man himself, Stan Lee will be on hand for meet-and-greets and panels, as will Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn.
D&D – Wizards of the Coast is owned by Hasbro, and, as such, they will be bringing some of the biggest names in Dungeons & Dragons to the convention to host panels and live games each day. Big highlights for the family-minded are the daily two-hour family adventures and the exclusive loot, like My Little Pony-themed dice, available to attendees.
Magic: The Gathering 25th Anniversary – Hascon is pulling out all of the stops for the 25th anniversary of Magic: The Gathering, with countless panels, VIP events, drafts, and tournaments all weekend long. Roaming costumed characters will be on hand for photo ops, exclusive announcements are promised, and there will even be meet-and-greets and live art demonstrations with Magic illustrators, including fan-favorite Aleksi Briclot.
IDW – The comic company will host a series of panels on its ongoing Transformers series and IDW CCO Chris Ryall and guests will share news and insights about other Hasbro Universe comic titles including the Revolution series and, hopefully, M.A.S.K.
My Little Pony – With a new movie, the franchise’s first big screen release, hitting theaters this Fall, My Little Pony will be all over the first annual Hascon with costumed characters, panels about the movies and series, meet-and-greets with the voice talent behind the ponies, interactive experiences, and a ponification station where kids and adults alike can have themselves turned into their own MLP characters. My girls are stoked!
Nerf – The guys from Dude Perfect will be on-hand to launch their new Nerf Dude Perfect Football, and there will be a Nerf Arena on-site, promising the ultimate Nerf action in an inflatable Nerf arena. Sign us up now!
Transformers (old and new) – Like My Little Pony, Transformers will be all over Hascon! There will be autograph sessions and panels with the original talent behind the series, including voice legends Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and Susan Blu, VIP experiences, one of which features a live performance from Stan Bush, panels and meet-and-greets with Transformers designers Shogo Hasui, Takashi Kunihiro, and Hideaki Yoke, and panels on the making of the recent film series with Mark Wahlberg himself in attendance. There will also be historical Transformers products on display alongside movie props, and costumed characters roaming around to take photos with fans.
G.I. Joe – Joe fans can celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Real American Hero story with life-sized blister card box photo ops, panels, VIP experiences, and treasures on display from the Hasbro vault.
Dropmix – We’re pretty excited to get hands on with Hasbro’s new electronic/card based song-mixing game, Dropmix. Flo Rida will be around the Dropmix brand area, so anything can happen.
I’ll be attending Hascon with my three kiddos, and this is their first convention ever! Aside from the above opportunities, our main goals for the con are autographs/pics with James Gunn, David Ortiz (we’re New Englanders), and Andrea Libman (Pinkie Pie), pics with as many costumed characters as we can find (especially Optimus Prime, Mr. Potato Head, and Pinkie Pie) and getting some great loot. My eyes are on a Thrawn Black Series figure and a new Tickle-Me Elmo for the baby, and my kids want pretty much anything they can get their hands on. This is a hometown con for us and we can’t wait! Tickets for Hascon are on-sale now and can be purchased through the Hascon website.
I can’t say that I’ve ever thought this before in my life, but “I need to go to Rhode Island”!
Todd, you’ll likely be quite surprised with how much there is to do in our little state.