Planet Comicon Kansas City 2024
Planet Comicon Kansas City took place in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 8-10, 2024, at Bartle Hall. Like Neopets, Planet Comicon KC started in 1999 and celebrates its 25th birthday in 2024!
Neopets first announced they were attending Planet Comicon KC on February 12, 2024, via Planet Comicon KC's social media.
Our photos below are courtesy of Jellyneo staffers Kenny and Ummy along with retired Jellyneo staffer June!
Neopets Booth
The Neopets booth was located near the center of the exhibit space. The booth was staffed all weekend by TNT Ivy, TNT Celeste, and Jennard a.k.a. TNT Beeg Aisha.
L to R: TNT Ivy, TNT Beeg Aisha, and TNT Celeste
The booth included a new backdrop and tablecloths not used at previous conventions. These featured a mix of the 25th Anniversary designs with characters and styles from the upcoming "The Void Within" plot.
An extra table on the side was covered with pages from the 2024 Neopets Calendar and various stickers and stationery!
Some standing posterboards were set up to advertise the Neopets homepage and the Sunday panel.
Merch for Sale
The booth also offered a variety of merch for sale.
25th Anniversary Draik Stickers were available for $4 each as a Planet Comicon KC exclusive.
25th Anniversary Postcards were available for $3 each.
A collection of phone grips were available for $5 each. This was the same set available at gamescom Asia 2023 and LACC 2023. These are different than the Hong Kong pop-up phone grips, which featured celebration-coloured Neopets.
Neopets Eras Slap and Snap Bracelets were available for $5 each.
Island Kadoatie, Plushie Snowbunny, Rainbow Slorg, and Royal Meepit key clip plushies from the Neopets Shop were also available for $10 each. Neopets: The Official Tarot Deck: Faerie Edition were available for $23 each.
WYP Holiday Lanyards were available for $10 each, and a wide selection of WYP Enamel Pins were available for $12 each.
Black Neopets Drawstring Bags were available for $15 each.
"NeoHoods" were available for $35 each.
Finally, Neopets: The Official Cookbook was available for $25 each.
Freebies
A 2024 Neopets Calendar was available for free for following any official Neopets social media page. Around 1,000 calendars were given out over the three days of the convention.
Each calendar came with an exclusive code redeemable at Grundo Warehouse for one of two possible exclusive item prizes. The code was printed on a sticker placed over the shrink wrap on the back corner of the calendar.
Planet Comicon KC Exclusive RIC Prizes
Neopets Sponsorship
In addition to being one of the exhibitors, Neopets was also a sponsor of Planet Comicon KC. This allowed their logo to be included on the website, in the convention program/map, and on some posters throughout the hall.
The Neopets logo among others on the program/map
The Neopets logo among others on a welcome sign
Geekify Booth
Official Neopets merch partner Geekify also attended Planet Comicon KC as an exhibitor, and had a booth right next to the Neopets booth.
Various enamel pins were on sale for $8 each or 3 for $20.
Enamel Christmas ornaments were additionally available for $15 each or 3 for $40.
Samples of custom acrylic standups and acrylic keychains were on display as reference for those who may want to order their own online.
Obelisk War Faction Patches were available for $10 each or 3 for $25.
Negg Squishies were available for $15 each or 3 for $40. The Tarot and Oracle Deck Set was available for $55.
Jhudora, Illusen, Mira, and Fyora fleece blankets were available for $45 each.
Finally, the Cloth Map of Neopia was on display, but could not be purchased as it has been sold out prior to the convention!
Other Vendors
Jellyneo was on the lookout for Neopets-themed merch from other vendors and exhibitors at the con, and found this adorable holographic Meerca Chase sticker from Art by Little Miss Luna!
Friday Afterparty
Planet Comicon KC hosted a "Planet Masquerave" afterparty for all exhibitors and attendees at 8:00pm on Friday. All three TNT members attended to hang out with Neopets fans in a more casual atmosphere.
Sunday Panel
On Sunday, Neopets hosted a panel from 12:30pm to 1:20pm. The title of the panel was Neopets Turns 24: A look into the past, present, and future of Neopia. The official Planet Comicon guide also included a brief description:
Come and celebrate 25 years of Neopets! We'll discuss upcoming news from The Neopets Team, fan theories, how the site has changed in the past 25 years and play minigames!
Prior to the panel, a freebie calendar was placed on every seat in the first few rows of the room.
The panel was hosted by TNT Ivy, TNT Celeste, and Jennard a.k.a. TNT Beeg Aisha. A Powerpoint presentation projected onto a large screen accompanied the panel.
The panel included several TNT updates and activities. Various pieces of merch were available as prizes for participation in the activities:
Introduction
The panel began with TNT introductions.
- Celeste: Works in marketing and helps with external events.
- Ivy: Works in marketing and also helps with graphic design.
- Beeg Aisha: Helps with events.
Afterward, the panelists gave a brief introduction of Neopets and its history.
Trivia
The panel then asked trivia questions moderated by Beeg Aisha. Attendees were selected by the panelists to answer the question, and those who answered correctly received a piece of merch as a prize.
Here were the questions asked (and their answers):
Q: Which studious Xweetok was turned to stone using her own magic?
A: Xandra
Q: In Meerca Chase II, what colour negg should you avoid at all costs?
A: Red
Q: What year was the NC Mall introduced?
A: 2007
Q: What is the only species that can be Pineapple?
A: Chia
Q: What real life sporting event was the first Altador Cup launched alongside in 2006?
A: The World Cup
Two volunteers were brought up to play a matching game of old pet images!
A: A-2, B-1, C-4, D-5, and E-3
Two additional trivia questions were also asked later in the panel, between the game and AMA.
Q: Name a faerie that does not live in Faerieland.
A: There are many answers! These are ones that were given during the panel: Taelia, Soup Faerie, Jhuidah, Negg Faerie.
Q: In Cheat!, what species is Little Timmy?
A: Tuskaninny
Neopets Updates
TNT then gave an overview of some upcoming happenings for the Neopets brand.
In addition to the updates on the slide above, TNT also confirmed that they would be attending Gen Con 2024 in Indianapolis on August 1 to 4, 2024.
The Void Within Discussion
TNT then recapped the first bits of the upcoming The Void Within plot that was part of the 2023 Advent Calendar.
Attendees were then invited to come up and share personal theories about the upcoming plot. TNT not did confirm or deny any of the theories suggested!
Some of the theories that attendees shared were:
- Lord Kass would be somehow involved! The attendee believed that you could see his sword in one of the Advent comics.
- The Aisha featured has a dark past that catches up to her.
- The appearance of the Faellie will be a new paintbrush colour.
- The Aisha might need to kill someone to get the paintbrush back.
- Hopefully it will interrupt the Altador Cup so that June is less busy!
- There will be some kind of faction split with two dubious teams that players must choose between.
- A new space-themed locale will be introduced, adding to the existing Kreludor and Virtupets Space Station.
25th Anniversary Celebration
TNT recapped some of the activities and celebrations focused around the 25th anniversary coming up in November 2024.
The "new storytelling formats" referred to the upcoming graphic novels, Neopets: The Omelette Faerie and the as-yet-unnamed one featuring TDMBGPOP announced at LACC 2023
Kiss The Mortog
Next, Beeg Aisha led a live-action game of Kiss The Mortog. Volunteers would come up to choose between three pictures of Mortogs, one of which had a princess on the back and other two had an explosion!
Volunteers who guessed correctly could choose one of the below prizes to be sent directly to their Neopets account. Only one of each prize was given out!
Planet Comicon KC Panel Prizes
TNT AMA
The panel concluded with an AMA for TNT members.
Will we see any recurring characters from previous plots in this upcoming plot?
- Celeste said she can't reveal! Details about the plot under very tight wraps.
Is it possible that The Darkest Faerie PS2 game will ever return on another system?
- Celeste said TNT no longer has access to the source code, so probably not.
Who would win in a fight between every Neopets character and a billion lions?
- Beeg Aisha said that she thinks the Soup Faerie could "throw down."
- Celeste said that she thinks Brucey B could "charm them to death."
- Ivy said that she thinks Lord Kass could "fly through" the lions.
In light of the site revamp, would you consider a simple app or widget that would allow basic activities like feeding your pet?
There have been issues with site trophies being awarded. Will it be fixed?
- TNT is aware of the issue.
- The site is held together with "spaghetti code and a prayer."
- They invited the questioner to come up after the panel with their ticket number for escalated support.
What is your favourite Neopet?
In early 2020, an animated television show was announced, but it never materialized. What happened?
- TNT would love to see a Neopets TV show.
- The development deal fell through due to reduced spending from the partner due to Covid.
- They hope that one day it can be revived, with the same partner or a different one.
Neopets Cosplayers
As is typical with comic-con style conventions, many attendees came in cosplay, including some in Neopets-themed cosplay!
Alien Aisha, Gilly, Taelia, and Amira
Another Taelia!
And of course, the Beeg Aisha!
This page was written by Kenny & Ummy and last updated on August 4, 2024.
