Neopets first announced they were attending RetroGameCon (RGC) on August 6th when they appeared on the official exhibitor list posted on RGC's social media accounts.
RetroGameCon 2024 took place at the Oncenter in Syracuse, New York, on October 11-13, 2023.
Neopets Booth
The Neopets booth was located on the edge of the room near the midpoint of the convention floor. The booth served as a hub to not only purchase Neopets merch, but also learn more about the site and potentially earn on-site prizes.
The booth was primarily staffed by TNT Dragon (left) and TNT Beeg Aisha (right, dressed here as the Omelette Faerie instead of, well, Beeg Aisha!)
The booth was adorned with a 25th anniversary backdrop and a The Void Within themed tablecloth.
A variety of merch for sale was on display.
A couple of posters on the booth advertised Neopets social media and the Wheel of Excitement set up nearby!
Some anniversary-themed Neopet standees were also set up nearby.
The booth proved extremely popular throughout the weekend, often attracting crowds and a long line!
Wheel of Excitement
A real-life Wheel of Excitement was set up on the right side of the booth. In order to earn a spin, all you had to do was show that you are following Neopets on social media!
The wheel was managed primarily by character performer Venus Nebulous, who was hired by TNT to cosplay as Fyora!
Landing on the "Virtual Code" space would earn you a card with a rare item code redeemable at Grundo Warehouse for an exclusive prize. If you receive one not listed here, please let us know!
An RGC-exclusive early release of the first official Neopets graphic novel, Neopets: The Omelette Faerie, was available for $15 each. Only 240 copies were available throughout the weekend.
View on Merch DB » Each copy was adorned with a sticker denoting its early release, but were otherwise identical to the copies released on the official release date of October 22nd.
A Void Within tote bag was available for $15 each.
The Neopets booth was not the only place to purchase official Neopets merch!
The official RetroGameCon merch booth had copies of Neopets: The Official Cookbook was available in a bundle with RetroGameCon 2023's official lanyard for $25.
A set of tables in the lobby was placed for any exhibitor to leave free goods. Neopets placed a variety of pamphlets advertising their booth and social media.
On Friday at 3pm, Neopets hosted an official meetup. This meetup was located in the atrium, just around the corner from where the Neopets panel would be hosted at 4pm.
The meetup had no formal agenda; it was just a space for Neopets fans to meet each other and talk about Neopets!
TNT Beeg Aisha gave a welcome to the group
TNT had printed out slips of paper for people to write down usernames of people they met.
TNT Beeg Aisha attempted to recreate the item Very Faerie Selfie, which was a prize code item given out at NYCC 2023, using all the people cosplayed as faeries. It took a few attempts!
On Friday at 4pm, just after the meetup, Neopets hosted a panel.
The panel room was decorated with a standee from the booth, a banner for social media, and an oversized Fire Shoyru trading card.
The panel was guided by a set of slides, which you can click through below:
The panel opened with TNT giving an overview of Neopets and its history.
After that, it was time for some trivia! Various questions were asked by TNT Beeg Aisha, TNT Dragon, Venus Nebulous, and even a guest appearance by Jellyneo's macosten! Prizes for trivia included key clip plushies and some relatively ancient Noil Jumbo Stickers.
TNT then went through some of the current happenings on Neopets, such as the current plot, The Void Within.
Finally, TNT opened the floor to attendees of the panel to share their stories of their connections to Neopets! Those who shared were also given a choice of the same prizes as trivia.
TCG Learn-To-Play
On Saturday at noon, Local hobby shop Unplugged Gaming hosted a learn-to-play session for the Neopets Battledome TCG.
The session started with an explanation of the rules, including an explanation of the Neopet cards using an oversized Green Lupe card.
Attendees were then paired off to play practice games with assistance from the hosts.
Every attendee was given a free Neopets Battledome sticker sheet and OBL pack.
Neopets was the official sponsor of the RGC afterparty on Saturday night! The afterparty took place at the Collegian Inn & Suites a few blocks from the Oncenter.
A massive Neopets standing banner was placed in the center of the ballroom.
The standees from the booth were set up on display.
The banner advertising Neopets social media was also on display.
Neopets stickers were placed on the cocktail tables as a freebie.
A live band played video game-inspired music and occasionally gave out Neopets prizes.
That question mark block has Neopets stickers in it!
A full cash bar offered two Neopian specialty cocktails.
These Aishas might have had a bit too much to drink...
Charity Raffle
Each day, RGC hosted a charity raffle where attendees could pay for tickets to be entered into a drawing for different packages of merch. On Saturday, one of these packages was made up entirely of Neopets merch! The package included:
Additionally, on Saturday, a copy of Neopets: The Omelette Faerie was included in a different package primarily consisting of Nintendo merch!
Charity Auction
All exhibitors at RetroGameCon were encouraged to provide donations for a live charity auction that took place on Sunday afternoon. Proceeds benefitted the Golisano Children's Hospital.
Neopets donated two packages consisting of the 20th Anniversary Purple Kougra Throw Pillow and Neopia Rug, each piece was sold off separately. Each pillow sold for $30 and the rugs sold for $150 and $160. (Although Neopets had the highest value sale in the 2023 auction, this year the Neopets sales paled in comparison to this year's biggest sale, a banner signed by the voice cast of Baldur's Gate 3 which went for $10,000!)
Neopets Presence
Neopets was one of just two major sponsors at RetroGameCon. As such they had some special treatment around the convention!
Neopets had a large step-and-repeat style banner in the lobby of the convention center, as well as a second one outside the panel room.
The Neopets logo was displayed beneath the floor map.
RetroGameCon set up several vintage televisions throughout the convention displaying information and sponsor logos, including Neopets!
The kids crafts area, which was sponsored by Neopets merch partner Andrews McMeel, offered some Neopets items as prizes for completing the crafts.
The kids craft project was to design your own pet rock! Although this was not officially a Neopets project, it certainly was in the Neopets spirit!
This page was written by Kenny, macosten, Steph, and Ummy and last updated on November 18, 2024.
The Void Within plot is taking a break! All point gathering activities are on hold until "early 2025" according to TNT. Stay tuned to JN, we'll announce when a more firm return date is provided.
