Transformers fans got to experience a little bit of the planet Cybertron when BotCon took over the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ from August 24-27, 2023. The convention featured all things ‘robots’ and made its New Jersey debut in the shopping center’s all-new 30,000 sq. ft. Dream Live venue, filling it wall-to-wall with special guests, artists, vendors, and all the bots you can imagine!
Among this year’s 18 special guests were voice actors like Scott McNeil, Garry Chalk, Venus Terzo, Susan Blu, Travis Artz, Ryan Andes, Dick Terhune, and Courtney Shaw’s first con appearance… in addition to artists & writers like Bob Budiansky, Simon Furman, Dan Khanna, Candice Santora, and Robby Musso. Attendees had the opportunity to purchase art from official Transformers artists as well as meet & greets, autographs, photo ops, and even voice recordings from their favorite Transformers voice actors!
Since 1994, BotCon has been a convention for the fans by the fans, and there were so many unique experiences happening all weekend long: custom classes, after-hours fan events, Q&A’s & panel programming (below), a cosplay contest, and even exclusive products just for BotCon! Whether it’s the 2023 exclusive transforming toys or the brand new apparel, BotCon’s got you covered!
Not to mention the incredible selection of Transformers from around the world sold by vendors from around the country! We’re talking about vintage & modern Hasbro, Yolopark model kits, Fans Toys, Iron Factory, Mini Warriors, and anything & everything in between! There were also bins filled with parts & accessories (especially for G1 toys), kitbashing, 3D printed items, and so much more.
Fan favorite brand Robosen was at this year’s BotCon, too, with their ever popular auto-transforming Optimus Prime and Grimlock robots… the first of their kind! Product demos were taking place at both BotCon in Dream Live and The Dream Stage in Court A of the mall.
All the while you could relax in “Scrounge’s Lounge” which was playing classic episodes of Transformers, browse the various displays in the lobby, donate toys to Kennedy’s Village’s Toy Drive in partnership with Realm of Collectors, and maybe run into some of the amazing cosplayers roaming the con each day!
And since American Dream Mall itself has so many unforgettable offerings, BotCon even had limited Saturday night upgrade options to enjoy Nickelodeon roller coasters with Scott McNeil & Venus Terzo, or Angry Birds Mini Golf with Garry Chalk & Susan Blu! Where else can you hang out with Transformers in real life like this? So you’re not going to want to miss the 30th anniversary of BotCon next year! In the meantime, be sure to check out our full photo gallery, as well as our video recap below:
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