@he-dad also bad timing. Wasn’t it normally held in the summer? I’ve never been to one and planned on going this year. I’m going on a cruise (Disney which = more broke than normal) presidents week when the kids are off from school so now I won’t be able to attend.

@brasco Yea August bro. Weather is also tough in March for half the country. There are always bad blizzards in March. Driving and flying can be impossible depending on how the weather acts.

"Nothing ever truly dies. The universe wastes nothing.  Everything is simply transformed."  Keanu Reeves

I still hold out hope that Val Staples will rise from the ashes, like the Phoenix.  Every MOTU fan -- and I mean EVERY MOTU fan -- should remember it was Val who almost singlehandedly kept the dying, flickering flame of the franchise alive during the dark years when there were so few fans left, when there was no She-Ra television series, when there was talk about a new He-man movie, when there were no commercials even alluding to He-man.  He-man.org and Power Con were his babies.  Val's professionalism, drive and selfless dedication to the franchise was what kept it alive all those years.

The MOTU fan base owes Val and his team and enormous debt.  I wish him and his team well, and I hope they rise again.

@theman I get the feeling Val is not into He-Man as much anymore. That happens to people. You give your all to something for decades and sometimes it can just run its course.

Power-Con died to me when it stopped being a MOTU convention and changed to a general toy convention like dozens of others.  It will never come back as a MOTU convention unless it gets Mattel MOTU action figure exclusives again.  Mattel's behavior at the 2021 con left something to be desired, canceling in person appearances mere days before and then offering up all the exclusives on their website.  This Atlanta con sounds more like a way to keep the name alive by partnering with an existing con rather than really a full blown effort.  I'd be surprised if it is much different than past Atlanta cons.

@firefly Val said the money he made on the Mattel exclusives paid for the entire show. The rest of the show money became profit. When Mattel stopped giving Val exclusives he had to expand to other brands hoping new exclusives deals would pay for the show. They didn't. I think you nailed it about trying to keep the Power-Con name alive. I don't see the point.

Posted by: @he-dad

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@theman I get the feeling Val is not into He-Man as much anymore. That happens to people. You give your all to something for decades and sometimes it can just run its course.

When you begin doing something you love for money and then the money dries up it is hard to go back to doing it out of love. Look at Pixel Dan. He got accustomed to getting all the figures for free and when that dried up so did Dan's figure reviews. He still gets some from Mattel for free and he reviews those but in the early days he paid for his own and didn't miss a figure.

@firefly 

I'm thinking long ago Spider-man comic fans were saying the same thing...until the Spider-man films hit.  Let a great MTOU film come out that racks up four or five hundred million in worldwide box office and we shall see about Power-con.  😉

In the last few years, there were two cartoons and three toylines running concurrently in retail stores yet no MOTU con.  I think our best chance for a new MOTU con is if Mattel decides to do one, but I don't think they run any Hot Wheels or Barbie ones, so I don't see them doing a MOTU one.  I don't see a movie toyline out selling Origins or even Masterverse lines at their heights. 

Posted by: @firefly

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In the last few years, there were two cartoons and three toylines running concurrently in retail stores yet no MOTU con.  I think our best chance for a new MOTU con is if Mattel decides to do one, but I don't think they run any Hot Wheels or Barbie ones, so I don't see them doing a MOTU one.  I don't see a movie toyline out selling Origins or even Masterverse lines at their heights.

That was the plan. It is why Mattel did not show-up for their scheduled panels at Power-Con, and sent someone that morning to deliver a USB of pre-recorded videos to play instead. And it is why Mattel sold the Power-Con exclusives on Mattel Creations the next day with free shipping, even though attendees had to pay for shipping because the exclusives did not arrive in time for pick-up.

Someone at Mattel decided that Mattel should follow the lead of Hasbro, and hold its own convention featuring all of its properties. That person was later fired, the Mattel convention never materialized. Mattel seems to think that the successes of Power-Con should be its successes, so it seems reluctant to collaborate on exclusives which are necessary to fund the convention. It is the same reason why Mattel pulled its support from Universal Studios theme parks, because it is building its own Mattel Adventure Park.

Val made the below statement on Facebook.

Hello everyone!
Val Staples here, Event Director for Power-Con.
My goal today is to address several of your questions. And I apologize in advance for the long-winded nature of this post.

First off...
1. Will there be a Power-Con in Columbus, Ohio for 2025?

The answer is, unfortunately, no.

In 2024, we ran into date conflicts that made it impractical to move forward with the show. I've been a guest on a couple of podcasts to discuss what happened and we at Power-Con have also made comments on social media addressing this.

2025 ended up facing a different situation. Power-Con has grown to a size that limits the number of venues that can house the event in its current format. And in the years post-covid, competition for venue space for larger events has become increasingly fierce with each passing year. Dates are harder to come by that don't conflict with other shows or holidays of importance. Despite all of this, we thought we had found a venue with dates that worked for 2025. Unfortunately, as we neared the end of negotiations with the venue, they decided that our foot traffic was too large for their venue. Which I suppose is a good problem in theory, but it meant the hunt had to continue.

Our target timeframe for a standalone Power-Con show is spring to early fall. But the downside is the amount of time that was put towards venue discovery pushed 2025 out of the picture as we ideally need to book a venue about a year out from the event dates. So now we're looking at options for 2026.

But there's been more behind the scenes on a personal level that added to the delays in planning. I'm not too keen on sharing private information. That said, I'm going to put some of my own business out there and trust that this info will be appreciated by those who value such transparency.
I had been recovering from surgery for a number of months in 2025. It was nothing life-threatening but it kept me from working for quite some time due to an inability to use one of my arms effectively. In addition to that, there's been a serious health matter in my immediate family that has required time and resources. All of this was taking place while dealing with the hunt for venues. I apologize that my personal life has had an impact on Power-Con, but I hope you all will understand.

That brings me to...
2. Is Power-Con merging with Toylanta?

I realize the announcement of Power-Con being a part of Toylanta came out of no where, and with short notice to make plans to attend. Please note that this is a bonus feature to Toylanta. It is not a merging of both shows.

Brett Barton, who runs Toylanta, allowed Power-Con the chance to have a 2025 presence through his show. I am very grateful for this and am looking forward to how this all comes together. I've heard amazing things about both Toylanta and Brett, and it means so much that he would help keep Power-Con in the minds of collectors during what has proved to be a difficult time. I am happy to help support Toylanta and I hope to see many of you there this Marth 28-30 in Duluth, Georgia.
Please click here to learn more about the show: https://www.toylanta.net/

While there has been a lot of excitement about the Toylanta announcement, there has also been some past Power-Con attendees and vendors who have expressed their sadness and frustration over this announcement. I completely understand and I value that feedback. And it's always possible we may do more with Toylanta. But please know that this does not mean Power-Con is disappearing. More on that below.

Finally, I'd like to address a couple of other questions that come up frequently...
3. Will Power-Con focus on Masters of the Universe again, and will it ever return to California?

I have been upfront about this with anyone who has asked. There is no scandal or falling out that led to why Power-Con evolved the way it did for 2022. It was merely business.

Prior to the 2021 show when it was time to discuss the 2022 venue, I received the news that Power-Con would no longer receive exclusive action figure support from Mattel for 2022. These exclusives provided the supplemental income that helped fuel the deep guest roster and programming that Power-Con offered for He-Man and She-Ra fans. Then as the show got closer, the panel programming continued to change all the way up to the show until most of the MOTU panels were pre-recorded and excluded the usual live Q&A sessions. So what does that mean exactly? Well...

In discussions leading up to the 2021 show, Mattel continued to praise the show and wanted us to continue with a MOTU-focused event in 2022. In lieu of action figures, they were willing to offer us limited support in the way of products like apparel. But I made it clear the show could not exist in its current size and scope without exclusive action figure support as that was the primary revenue generator with collectors. I was given no reasons for the directional shift with exclusives and programming. But that's okay as Mattel is not required to explain. Yet in order to move forward with future Power-Con planning, this meant I had to do some detective work to find out what was going on.

What I learned is that some of the talent at Mattel, who have since left the company, had a big focus on wanting to make a digital shift to online presentation. Warner Brothers had made a big splash with DC FanDome in 2020 when virtual events took the world by storm. Many companies, including Mattel, were very impressed with the viewership DC FanDome received. Millions of people viewed FanDome streams, primarily for TV and film related presentations. And at the time it made sense. Covid had made in-person events difficult to host and the technology was there to create outstanding presentations with none of the in-person planning. I understood this all too well because Power-Con 2021 was facing challenges with covid regulations in an effort to return to an in-person event. In addition, Mattel was placing a big push behind their online Mattel Creations portal with direct sales and information to fans. All of this helps to explain the pre-recorded panels which tested fan reaction to that digital format, and it played a role in why the Power-Con exclusives were handled as a shared exclusive that went on to be sold directly by Mattel on Mattel Creations after the Power-Con event.

It was bitter sweet for me at the 2021 show knowing that fans might be enjoying their last MOTU-focused Power-Con. And by that point, I had already begun venue negotiations in the Midwest for a different type of Power-Con event. But that was information I could not share with anyone at that time. There was no benefit to dampening the mood of the 2021 festivities. And my goal was and still is not to vilify Mattel for doing what they felt was best for business.

That's because I understood where Mattel was coming from. From a business perspective, it was a logical choice considering how covid had affected in-person shows combined with Mattel's desire to prioritize their direct-to-sale platform. I was saddened as a fan but I respected the decisions Mattel had made for the future. But it didn't take long for things to change once again. DC FanDome made 2021 their last online event; a decision that reflected the status of a number of other virtual events that came and went quickly. It wasn't public knowledge at the time but Warner Brothers went on to announce in September of 2022 that they were moving back to in-person events. This was also the approach for most other events. Many who had invested in virtual shows swiftly started moving back to in-person because they all saw the preferred value of this format. And I learned that due to the rapidly changing convention landscape, a number of companies scrapped plans for their own virtual event plans before they even got them off the ground. It was both a fascinating and infuriating time for conventions.

But as I mentioned earlier, by the time this shift back to in-person shows was happening, Power-Con was well into its plans for 2022. We still had to move forward with Power-Con and use the momentum built over the years. This began the age of our general toy and collectible focus. And with this new format, attendance for Power-Con was better in 2022 and higher still in 2023.

Despite that, Mattel has been made aware that everyone at Power-Con would love to work with them again. There is absolutely no ill will between anyone because the right decisions were made for everyone at the time. That means that if Mattel ever chooses to partner with Power-Con once more, then I will use a Power-Con event to lift the MOTU brand as high as before. And if they don't, then I am still grateful for all the previous years of support from Mattel which allowed us to put on amazing events with a large focus on MOTU.

At the same time, I do not want to lose what I have already started to build thanks to Power-Con being able to reach a larger toy audience with no brand-specific programming. We now have a lot of companies and creators that value what Power-Con has to offer. And while we love California, being in a more Midwest location like Ohio helps to serve a larger collecting audience while making the show more accessible for a larger number of guests and toy companies.

So what does this mean for the future of Power-Con?
Is it possible that two Power-Con events could be in the works to cater to different audiences?
Perhaps we'll experiment with format, size, and approach?
Could new people be coming on board to help advance Power-Con?
Maybe we'll try a different location or two if Columbus continues to be challenging when it comes to landing the right venue at the right time?
All I can say for certain is that we're actively working on those plans.

While Power-Con is always evolving, it is not going any where any time soon. The show may skip a year or two when needed, but the show means a lot to many people which, in turn, means a lot to me. I've sacrificed a lot with every Power-Con show and others have volunteered a lot of hard work and time in order to put on what we feel is an incredible convention.

Thank you so much for your time and continued support. If you are able to attend Toylanta then it would be fantastic to catch you there. I have no doubt it's going to be a memorable convention. And I would love to see you at a future Power-Con event. It is my hope that the best is yet to come!

What a very self absorbed way to start off.   “Event director “ Pretty sure 90% of people know who he is…

This is interesting. Thank you for posting this. What is fascinating is this message turns into a public appeal to ask Mattel back.

@elder You noticed that too? There was a lot in there about DC FanDome recognizing the error of their ways and kind of suggesting Mattel hasn't got there yet. That doesn't make sense when you think there was many MOTU SDCC panels the past few years. None of this should be relevant to Power-Con now unless Val is saying he needs Mattel to continue which I think he is. On one of those podcasts Val said he lost money with the last two Power-Cons.

So Power Con will have a booth at Toylanta?

So...who's going to Power Con?  

I don't understand its current form.

So as a newcomer, can any of y'all give me a brief history of Power-Con?

I know it started out as a MOTU focused con but other franchises have seeped their way in over the years.

I kinda wanna know more and for it to be on my top 3 big geek conventions I would love to attend some day alongside TFCon or Star Wars Celebration.

Posted by: @slycooperastroboy51

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So as a newcomer, can any of y'all give me a brief history of Power-Con?

 

I know it started out as a MOTU focused con but other franchises have seeped their way in over the years.

 

I kinda wanna know more and for it to be on my top 3 big geek conventions I would love to attend some day alongside TFCon or Star Wars Celebration.

Power-Con was established in 2011 as the first and largest annual convention dedicated to Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power in North America. In 2012, it expanded to include ThunderCats; and in 2013, it expanded again to include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Power-Con had historically been held in California; and in 2014, it had been requested to hold the convention in New York. There was not enough demand for the convention in New York, so Power-Con was cancelled that year.

After a year hiatus, Power-Con returned in 2016, once again in California, and with an exclusive focus on Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power. In 2020, Power-Con was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

And in 2022, Power-Con was moved to Ohio, and it became a general toy show with a heavy emphasis on Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power. After a year hiatus in 2024, Power-Con is returning this March in collaboration with Toylanta.

I have a feeling we have not seen the last of Power-Con in its original format. 😉 

So, how many Power-Cons have you all been to since its inception?

I have only been to one, in 2016.

Posted by: @caliban

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He probably did it for the love for the property. Being a pseudocelebrity must also have its charms.

 

Wait... Val Staples is considered a pseudocelebrity? 🤨 

Posted by: @ornclown

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So, how many Power-Cons have you all been to since its inception?

I have only been to one, in 2016.

I have attended all of them, but I will not be attending Toylanta.

@ornclown he considers himself one bc he’s a giant douche. I’m not just saying that bc of the way he handled shutting down the org either

@brasco Without a doubt, the closing of the .org was a giant flustercluck... with little to no information being given to anyone. Even the mods were left in the dark for much of the time.

Indeed, the biggest question has to be why the torch wasn't passed on instead of the site just being torched.

Posted by: @ornclown

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@brasco Without a doubt, the closing of the .org was a giant flustercluck... with little to no information being given to anyone. Even the mods were left in the dark for much of the time.

Indeed, the biggest question has to be why the torch wasn't passed on instead of the site just being torched.

I am pretty sure this was addressed. The message board software had reach the end of its life, and the company that produced it went out of business. It would have been prohibitively expensive to port everything to a new platform, so technology debt effectively decided for everyone that the site would need to be retired before its renewal date. It is not as if the site generated revenue, it operated at a deficit for over a decade. 

Posted by: @slycooperastroboy51

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I kinda wanna know more and for it to be on my top 3 big geek conventions I would love to attend some day alongside TFCon or Star Wars Celebration.

Sad to say you probably missed your chance. I heard Val burned his bridge with Mattel and until Mattel wants to bankroll it again I don't think Power-Con is ever coming back. And I don't consider getting a booth at another convention coming back.

Posted by: @ornclown

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@brasco Without a doubt, the closing of the .org was a giant flustercluck... with little to no information being given to anyone. Even the mods were left in the dark for much of the time.

Indeed, the biggest question has to be why the torch wasn't passed on instead of the site just being torched.

Val was done. He said he used to make money on ads and now he was losing money and he wasn't up for a labor of love. He told us he was looking for cheaper hosting options and couldn't find anything afordable. The only party he was willing to sell to was Mattel. If he wanted the Org to live on he would have accepted a buyout offer from one of us or start a gofundme page to raise the money for hosting. I guarantee you he would have raised the money he needed. Val was done and didn't want Org under new management unless there was a big Mattel payday. He took his ball and went home.