Transformers: Workers In Disguise

I’m attending a Transformers fan convention that’s taking place in a hotel associated with a very famous theme park. Said park has offered convention attendees some extra perks, such as discounts on park passes, but has also issued one rule — we’re forbidden from wearing our costumes in the theme park itself. This strikes quite a few people as an odd rule, as the company that runs the park doesn’t own the Transformers brand (yet), but as far as I know, all attendees comply.

The morning of the convention, before the dealer room opens, several people don their Transformers costumes and go down to the lobby for a photoshoot. The shoot soon progresses from simple pictures to the cosplayers posing in “battle” poses, to some mild play-fighting… until all pretense of a photoshoot is forgotten. Now there are people in Transformers costumes running around the lobby, mock-fighting, dodging behind furniture, and in general, getting really into character. Soon, a group of GI Joe cosplayers shows up, and the “battle” gets even crazier.

In any other hotel, I’m sure these antics would get everyone involved thrown out. But instead, the play-fight attracts a huge crowd, not just of convention-goers, but of regular families staying at the hotel on vacation, who have no idea what’s going on but want to watch anyhow. People are taking pictures and cheering the participants on and having a good time.

I’m watching the proceedings when I hear someone mutter behind me, “Is this some kind of promotion for a new ride or something?” And that’s when I realize that the non-convention-goers think that the fake battle is being staged by paid cast members of the park, not ordinary people who are just here for a convention and not getting paid a dime for putting on a show for park-goers.

The “battle” soon ends, and some of the cosplayers take the time to sign autograph books for the kids before heading to the convention hall. This site is full of negative stories about people being mistaken for employees… but this was a “mistaken-for-employee” situation that turned out to make just about everyone involved happy.