Sydney Morning Herald
13 April 2014

Geekville has its own theory of relativity. On Saturday, Matthew Chaloupka-Wagner, 24, was walking around dressed as a video game console made from a cardboard box - his version of a character called BMO from the Adventure Time series.

Chaloupka-Wagner, wearing blue plastic gloves with white cotton inners to soak up the sweat, was hoping to meet the American voiceover actor who played Bender on the animation series Futurama. ''I liked it. It got better as it went along,'' he says.

What was the oddest thing he had seen so far that day? ''There was a guy dressed as a black stick figure, with a weird head, and he was holding a bell. I don't get that at all.''

Such is the social peculiarity of Supanova, the annual dress-up convention for fans of often niche TV series: the other guy is the weirdo.

Supanova, also running on Sunday at the Melbourne Showgrounds, is also a chance for the fans to meet their heroes, for a price. There was a steady line of people paying from $40-$70 to have their pictures taken with Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner, 2001: A Space Odyssey stars Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea, Peter Mayhew the wookie from Star Wars, The Walking Dead's Michael Rooker and Verne Troyer, also known as Mini Me from the Austin Powers movies.

Lucy Lawless - Xena: Warrior Princess - was the most expensive new best friend to be made: an autograph cost $70, while $100 bought a glamour-tinged selfie.

But a little flirtation for free had blossomed between Lawless and local lad Leonardo Milne, who was dressed as Toad from Super Mario Brothers.

''She and Leo were blowing raspberries at one another on Friday night … we kind of met her and had a chat,'' said Leo's dad Aaron, 22. Leo is eight months old.

His mother, Jamine, was dressed as a princess.

But this costumed family are serious devotees: Sunday will be their third day in a row at Supanova. ''Leo loves it,'' said Aaron.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald