Thursday, September 1, 2011

overview: the 1980s

Okay, so there was this convention in Atlanta called the Atlanta Fantasy Fair, and according to the internets it might as well not have existed. But exist it did, from 1975 until 1995. The following is an incomplete overview of the AFFs of the 1980s, when and where they were held, and who was there. Information has been culled from various sources including AFF program books, convention listings, usenet posts, and comments from readers. I will keep updating this post as more information comes in. If you have any data, image files of flyers or artwork, t-shirts, program books, please contact me at terebifunhouse@gmail.com.
Thanks to all those who have contributed!






1980 Atlanta Fantasy Fair VI
July 25-27, 1980
Location: Dunfey's Royal Coach 
Guests: Robert Bloch
Visions #2 published.

Gil Kane was due at 80 show, but didn't make it. Robert Bloch, however was there. They showed his 3 STOS episodes prior to/in conjunction with his presentation. (T. Johnson)



1981 Atlanta Fantasy Fair VII
July 24-26, 1981
Location: Dunfey's Royal Coach / Castlegate.
Guests: Al Williamson, Michael Whelan, Bob Burden, Mike Jittlov? Visions #3 published.



1982 Atlanta Fantasy Fair VIII
August 13-15
Omni Hotel & World Congress Center, Atlanta GA
Guests: Frank Miller, Ray Harryhausen, Will Eisner, Philip Jose Farmer, Forrest J. Ackerman, Bob Burden, Mike Barr, Dick Giordano, Brad Linaweaver, Somtow Sucharitkul, Len Wein, musical guests "Axis". 4000 copies of program book (Visions #4) published.


1983 Atlanta Fantasy Fair IX
August 5-7
Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta GA. Guests: Theodore & Jayne Sturgeon, Gerald Page, WSFAns Ted White & Forrest J Ackerman, Bob Burden, Forry Ackerman, Bob McLeod, Wendy and Richard Pini& more. Rooms were $44 a night, 3 day passes were $19.


1984 Atlanta Fantasy Fair X
August 3-5
Omni Hotel & World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA. GOH: Larry Niven. With: Forrest J Ackerman, Robert Bloch, Al Williamson, Marv Wolfman, Bill Sienkiewicz , Howard Chaykin, Chris Claremont, Sharon Webb, Richard Pini & others. Membership: $25. Write to: Atlanta Fantasy Fair. P.O. Box 566, Marietta, GA 30061

"Not only saw Buckaroo Banzai, but I have a real polyester Buckaroo Banzai headband given out as a freebie at the Atlanta Fantasy Fair in the summer of 1984. I wonder if anyone's insane enouW^W^W^^W what it would go for on Ebay? (jackd) "




1985 Atlanta Fantasy Fair XI
August 2-4, 1985
Omni/WCC. Newt Gingrich and Fredrick Pohl are guests.




1986 Atlanta Fantasy Fair XII
July 25-27, 1986
Omni/WCC.
I attended the 1985 and 1986 AFF.(...) But for the 1986 one, Stan Lee was there with a clip from the upcoming monster hit movie "Howard The Duck". It was a big deal at the time. Other guests for the 1986 AFF were Jim Shooter, Chris Claremont, Archie Goodwin and Tom DeFalco. (J. Helmick)





1987 Atlanta Fantasy Fair XIII
July 31-August 2, 1987
Guests: Adam West, Nichelle Nichols, Caroline Munroe, Tom Savini
Omni /WCC. Lamar Waldron displaced as con chair before the 1987 convention.




1988 Atlanta Fantasy Fair XVI
June 24-26, 1988
Atlanta Hilton & Towers in Atlanta, GA. Convention location displaced due to Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. Guests: Stan Lee, Mark Gruenwald, Chris Claremont, Steve Jackson and others.



1989 Atlanta Fantasy Fair XV
July 21-23 1989
Atlanta Hilton and Towers, Atlanta, GA.
Guests: George Perez, Michael Dorn, Jerry Robinson, Gary Gygax


enjoy a psychic adventure at AFF '89


4 comments:

Timothy Stone said...

I recall seeing Gwar at the AFF, but don't remember if it was late 80s or early 90s. Any idea what year that was?

d.merrill said...

I don't know that GWAR ever played at Atlanta Fantasy Fair. You may be thinking of Dragoncon.

MrVonesper said...

an early incarnation of GWAR performed in 1985 according to their book "Let There Be GWAR" There are video stills. Anyone have this video!?

Penny Courtney said...

GWAR was certainly a fixture at Fantasy Fair around ‘85-87. I saw photos of them from probably 1985 in the costume contest. Also a short film titled ‘GWAR Must Be Destroyed” was in the short film contest which I saw in ‘87. Audience reaction was negative to the film, but it caught my attention for sure. The film that won was called “Too Much Star Wars”. Made by this teenager using stop motion techniques to animate his SW toys which attacked him. It was said at the time George Lucas liked the film, but I cannot find mention of it anywhere online.