Ian Fortey
It's hard to rank conventions according to some sort of sadness hierarchy. What makes Star Wars more deserving of a gathering than say, Blake's 7? These are the sorts of questions nerd scholars write dissertations on. But nerd academia is pretty much in agreement that a convention focused solely on the mid-'90s Disney cartoon Gargoyles, a show that hasn't been produced since 1996, ranks down near Harry and the Hendersons and Manimal as TV shows not deserving of their own convention, or even a mention in casual conversation at other legitimate geek conventions.
The annual Gathering of the Gargoyles convention includes a radio play (in which fans have to audition to read a Gargoyles script, which will be performed as a major con event later on), an art show, dinner and trivia. It culminates in a masquerade and dance, because no real con is complete until someone has dressed up like a fictional character and thrust around the dance floor to some Miley Cyrus music.
For those who like a more immersing experience, there is cosplay, which involves not only dressing up, but dressing up and playing pretend. As it should be obvious that dressing up like a Disney cartoon in front of strangers is dangerous, there are clear rules on the website for cosplay, including things like "Do not jump, backflip, handspring or otherwise hurl yourself bodily during your skit. Do not hurl anyone else bodily during your skit, either," which indicates past cosplay experiences have apparently been savage affairs with much bodily hurling.
Also noteworthy is that "genitalia and breasts must be covered," which is pretty much a good rule of thumb for any sci-fi con, and yet another indication that past Gathering of the Gargoyles probably ended with one or two participants getting a traumatizing eyeful of gargoyle scrotum.
