Vintage toys, video games and comic books coming to Idaho Falls at Retro X convention
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IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Rec Center will be filled with vintage toys, video games, comic books and much more this Saturday, May 20, when it hosts the Idaho Falls Retro X pop culture convention.
Retro X will have something that will appeal to kids of all ages, whether they’re into toys, video games, cosplay, comic books or general pop culture. The show gathers vendors together, giving attendees a chance to reacquire that long-lost favorite childhood toy or video game. (Click here for tickets.)
The show will also feature appearances from the 501st Legion “Star Wars” costuming group, characters from Storybook Parties Idaho and a cosplay contest with a grand prize of $250. One lucky winner will even get to take home a brand-new “Mario” edition Nintendo Switch.
If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to let your geek flag fly, Retro X is the event for you.
“We’ve emphasized this show as video games, comics and collectibles,” Retro X co-founder Brandon Kimball told EastIdahoNews.com. “We have vendors coming just with video games, just with toys, Funko Pops and comic books. Really, this event is focused on the 1980s and 90s, what adults now grew up with. It’s a blast from the past and a family event.”
While the toy vendors are a major focus, there will be much more to see and do at Retro X.
“Wild Lines will be there doing face painting,” said Retro X cofounder Phil Langston. “DragonTails Rescue will be showing reptiles. We’ve got a lot of backdrops we’ve purchased for if you want pictures.”
Both Langston and Kimball are veteran toy collectors who have spent years in collecting communities in the Midwest and Utah. When they saw there was an opportunity, they were both very excited to bring a toy show to Idaho Falls. As Retro X developed, it grew into something bigger than their original vision.
“This all started in November,” Kimball said. “We weren’t going to try to start a convention but when we had commitments from the 501st and Storybook Parties Idaho, we thought ‘Okay, this is bigger than a toy show now. Let’s see what we can do with it.’”
Kimball and Langston said there’s a notable excitement in the east Idaho community about Retro X. They are both excited to have an opportunity to grow the local pop culture community and give geeks another cool event they can attend.
“There is a demand, a passion, an excitement for this type of event,” Kimball said. “You’ve got ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel (Comics) that have really taken off the past fifteen to twenty years in film, so that’s increased the passion for this type of stuff. Seeing Salt Lake, seeing their (geek) community grow and seeing how much of Idaho goes down to participate in their events, it’s time for something here and we wanted to try it.”
“(Parents) have introduced young kids to Transformers, to G.I. Joe, to “Indiana Jones,” to (Teenage Mutant Ninja) Turtles, to He-Man,” added Langston. “Things that we grew up with and kept us out of trouble. And Idaho, I didn’t feel, had a lot for people that didn’t want to go do outdoor things that would keep kids from going ‘Oh, I want to go drinking with my friends’ or something. (Retro X) is fun. It’s a safe place they can come to and have fun.”
The fun and nostalgia of Idaho Falls Retro X will take over the Idaho Falls Rec Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with early bird admission available at 9 a.m. Tickets are $10 for early bird admission, $5 for general admission and $20 for families. You can also get $2.00 off day-of-show ticket by bringing in one can of food. All food donations will go to Community Food Basket of Idaho Falls.
You can get tickets here and visit the Retro X website or Facebook page for further information.
