This past weekend was the 2nd 90s con, once again held in Hartford, CT! This year I got a full weekend pass and a hotel room at the convention center!
Day 1
The first day was 4-8. I immediately went to merch because they had a bear I absolutely needed for my collection. I also ended up getting a pin and magnet and impulse buying a pen and slinky. 🤷♀️
My first stop was Joey Fatone’s booth and of course he left as soon as I got in line. But he was back quickly, I managed to snag one of the last Joey/Buzz shirts he had and did a photo/auto combo and was super excited he had on a care bears shirt! (See also last paragraph where I mention my love of collecting bears, care bears included)
Then I hit up Chris Kirkpatrick’s booth and asked him for dinner recommendations for my trip to Nashville next week (stay tuned to see if we end up there!) I also did a photo/auto combo with him and had both him and Joey sign masked singer photos!
By the time I got through Chris’ line, it was just about time for my *NSYNC duo photo op so I headed that way and ended up the first through. Joey said hey and was ready to do a photo and then realized we needed to wait for Chris. Then when Chris came we realized he was in the wrong spot since he has a sling so we repositioned and Joey made them take a 2nd photo. So thank you Joey for the BOGO. (I prefer the 2nd one too!)
I then made my way up to the ballroom for the Steve Burns panel, which I was waffling on because I didn’t have time to see Jeff Timmons, but I am soooo glad I did the panel because it was amazing to hear all the behind the scenes from Steve and how he created a lot of things used on the show (and they initially wanted a more conventionally handsome host but his pilot went over much better with the kids they showed it to in a focus group!)
Then it was time to head back to the hotel and rest up.
Day 2
I started the day waiting to get into the panel room and ended up doing 3 panels in a row – Hocus Pocus, All That and Full House.
Hocus Pocus was Omri, Vinessa, Thora and Jason. I was hoping Kathy Najimy might have showed up as well, but no such luck. They talked a little bit about how they filmed just for a couple weeks on site in Salem and then everything else was on sets. There was also a lot of discussion about how it was released in July so it never really caught on initially but then like 10 years later it started gaining traction and now it’s bigger than ever, especially since the sequel is out. It was fun to hear all the behind the scenes stories about filming and special effects and magic.
All That was Lori Beth, Danny and Kel. Amanda was supposed to be reuniting with them but unfortunately had to cancel last minute due to illness and it sounds like she’s not in a great place right now so I’m definitely wishing her the best with her mental health so maybe she can come next year! After the three came out and were chatting for a bit, Kel said he had something he wanted to do for us and yelled “HEY YO KENAN!” and Kenan ended up joining them! Lori Beth was absolutely hilarious and their stories about skits and doing the voices of some of the more iconic characters really took me back. Kel also said how he feels bad that he may have gotten kids hooked on Orange Soda and says there’s now orange soda with probiotics and electrolytes and he loooooves that now. Lori Beth was hating on Danny’s mustache and ended up shaving it off mid panel with a razor that she had tucked in her bra! You never know what’s going to happen at 90s con…
Next up was Full House which was Candace, Andrea, Dave and Jodie. I feel like they talked a lot about the same stuff as they did last year. Dave ended up being impressed with the ASL interpreters and kept making fart noises to see what they would end up doing to sign them as so now I know the variations of ASL for fart… Everyone keeps asking me about the interaction between Jodie and Candace – they didn’t sit near each other but they did interact and talk to/with each other during the panel so I can’t confirm or deny if any beef has been squashed or what’s going on there.
After Full House was the costume contest so I left to try and find food. I probably should have stayed because Chris Kirkpatrick ended up being a judge and the concession stand I went to was out of food other than salads and vegan wraps. I ended up getting the wrap as I needed to eat something and got back in line for the Saved By The Bell panel.
For Saved by the Bell it was Mario, Elizabeth and Mark Paul. They also talked a lot about behind the scenes and gave a lot of kudos and credit to Dustin Diamond for being such an amazing actor and not really caring what anyone else thought. They talked a bit about their first kisses, behind the scenes stories and when they all first met, what they’re up to these days, etc. It did seem a bit awkward at times and Mario almost seemed like he didn’t even want to be there but it was nice to see 3 of them as last con I went to it was only Mark Paul on the panel by himself. (Elizabeth had been slated to come but had to cancel.)
Then I was freeeee to roam the floor. I ended up trying to see Jeff Timmons but he wasn’t around, but was able to knock out Sabrina’s Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda, then went for a witchy trifecta with Thora Birch and by the time we did all that, Jeff was back. OF COURSE as we are chatting, MMMBop starts playing and I tried not to react at all. Jeff ended up telling me 98* would be touring in the fall and should be coming to CT in September so that was good to know! (I am kind of hoping the date he said he thought it might be isn’t accurate though as it’s pretty close to 90s Con Tampa which I am debating going to!) After that, Joey’s VIP line had no one in it so I mean, of course I had to go see him again. He ended up saying he loved MY shirt this time and I was glad he got the reference (Chuckie from Rugrats) because no one else seemed to. (And just after we left a line a couple girls came up to me and said “Your shirt, we know we know it, but can’t think of it…” And once I said “Chuckie from Rugrats” they were like “ohhh yeah!”) We ended up leaving a bit early to hit a local restaurant before the mad dash showed up – and we played it juuuust right as the line was nearly out the door when we left!
I opted to not go to the after party and instead hang in the hotel to rest up some more.
Day 3
My initial plan was to jump in line for Kathy Najimy ASAP and just hang there until I made it through or it was time for the 1pm Boy Bands panel. However, she unfortunately needed to leave early due to a family emergency. So I decided once again to just do panels all morning.
First up was Sabrina The Teenage Witch – with Melissa, Caroline, Beth, Nate and Jenna. It was absolutely hilarious, although the panel host kind of couldn’t keep them under control. They had some absolutely wild behind the scenes stories – even one about a lion (or panther?) that got on the loose and all the different props that didn’t quite work and were trying to kill them. They talked a bit about their favorite guest stars and even some of the mishaps with the guests on set as well. Caroline Rhea is absolutely hilarious and I think Beth was trying to keep her in check but it was not working at all! lol
Next was Clueless. Alicia, Stacey, Elisa and Breckin were in attendance. The ASL interpreter caught Breckin’s eye and he ended up saying “poop” to see what would be signed and then rapped a couple of songs to see if they could keep up with them. The interpreters absolutely could and he ended up getting up and hugging one and saying thank you. He seemed enthralled by watching them the entire panel. They talked a bit about Brittany Murphy and how they missed her and were sad that we can’t see what she would have been up to now and how she’d most likely be killing it because she was a great actress and singer and would have had so many opportunities.
Then it was time for the main event – the boyband panel! Joey and Chris from *NSYNC and Jeff from 98 Degrees. They all were absolutely hilarious, but I figured as much with Chris and Joey there. Poor Jeff kind of got railroaded and kept being told be was the “serious” one. Jeff “I am not!” Chris “Watch this” *Jeff answers the question with a serious answer* I had totally forgotten that Chris has been in a band with both Joey and Jeff too. They talked a bit about when they first were starting out and toured together in the UK which I didn’t know much about and also that 5ive and 98* apparently had some beef.
After the panel we grabbed some food and then wandered around a little bit before it was time for all the *NSYNC photo ops to start. Mine was the last, since I had a trio. I was on the fence about doing a fun pose or not, but when I walked in I told the guys my plan and they all agreed to it so that was fun! It came out perfect! Then we ended up going back to Jeff and he saw my Hanson popsocket and started saying how he really likes Hanson. Well, I guess I *should* have reacted when MMMBop was playing the day before. But this time 5ive was playing and when Chris came back to his table he yelled over to Jeff “They’re playing this just for you!” and Jeff started saying how they were a two hit wonder. We also went to see Caroline Rhea, and she ended up taking a picture of my shirt because she thought it was funny! After that everyone had seemed to start breaking down so we unfortunately missed out on The Golden Gays and a few of the other photo ops that were set up.
Then I got stuck trying to leave the parking garage – I had paid in the hotel but the machine ate the receipt. He ended up making sure I go the receipt texted to me and it was a good thing he did because they were trying to get me to pay another $45. Once I showed the receipt they got a manager involved and all was good, but I was there for a good 5 minutes lol
Overall it was an exciting and exhausting weekend and I can’t wait to do it all again next year!
