Geeklings at the Dutch Comic Con: report

'We are going to the Comic Con together', I told my three year old daughter. 'It's a very nice place where people go, a lot of them dressed up. And you can dress up too!' She was almost jumping up and down in excitement.. We took her to the very first Dutch Comic Con when she was a few months old, but this felt like the first time.

She chose to dress up as her favorite princess, Rapunzel, and took her toy frying pan with her. I found a dress for myself and used some golden dye to make myself recognizable as queen Arianna, Rapunzels real mother. In preparation to the big day we watched a few cosplay videos and Evy was looking forward to it very much. 'Are we going to the Comic Con today??' 'No, not yet love'...

Finally it was time. We live in Utrecht, so we took the bus and walked the last bit. Evy saw other cosplayers on the way. 'Look, that person has green hair!' She didn't mind that it got busier and busier. In the hall we bumped into a Rapunzel cosplayer, so her day was already made.. At last we got a wristband and could go inside. A lot of music and other sounds came towards us, but it didn't deter her in the least.

A thing I really liked about the Dutch Comic Con is the lay-out. The hall we entered in was filled with the photobooth, catwalk and the quest square. This is comparable to Facts, Belgium, but unlike in Gent there are still other things to see and do in this hall. Green screens from The Simpsons and Aquaman, a Star Wars prop with Storm Troopers, but also some dealers. The other half of the hall was for computergames.
Evy and I got in line for Laura, or Cyarine. She is my husbands cousin, and Evy is one of her biggest fans. The line wasn't very long, and Evy got a big hug :-) Laura give her a signed print, but she really didn't understand the meaning of an autograph. She wanted to write her own name! Laura found this very amusing and they traded autographs..

Another good thing about the Dutch Comic Con, a lot of food stands. This means a lot of different foods, but also enough room to sit down and eat. The bathrooms weren't too busy either. The total lay-out was a bit confusing at times, but I liked the mixed halls best, something to eat, something to do/see and something to buy. The dealer hall can be bit too much of the same thing. 

---

The thing Evy liked best was just walking around and looking at all the beautiful people. Furry's and Disney princesses where her favorite. There is nothing specifically to do for children (not yet!), but the workshops at the Dutch Comic Con would have been cool for older Geeklings too. We met several parents with their Geeklings, including this cool Wonder Woman. In the dealer hall we found some companies with Disney products and they where a big hit with Evy. I bought her a Pascal pluche, which was a lot cheaper then the ones I found online.

To recap, we had a great day. The Dutch Comic Con really can be fun for a three year old. As long as you follow their lead and pace. Geeklings usually love activities. Evy's highlight was making a video at the DC greenscreen. She doesn't know Aquaman, so to her it was king Triton :-)

Coming soon: Do's and don'ts when visiting a Comic Con with a (young) Geekling. And the video!

---