BotCon 2011 Transforms the Pasadena Convention Center!

The robots in disguise took over the Pasadena Convention Center this past week to celebrate all things Transformers as fans from around the globe came out to immerse themselves in the world of Hasbro‘s hit toy franchise and grab more than a few exclusive toys while they were here. Here’s just a peek at what the show had to offer:

1. Exclusives – Tons of exclusive figures that these hardcore collectors paid a pretty penny for, because everyone knows you don’t want an incomplete Transformers toy collection. And knowing is half the battle (wait, that’s another Hasbro franchise…).
2. Cosplay – Fans in custom made costumes, most of them two or three times taller than the average person, and many of them inhabited by *girls*!
3. Transformers Universe – Fans got a look at the Transformers MMO that’s in the works.
4. Transformers KRE-O – Hasbro’s answer to the empire of LEGO, KRE-O offered up a free Optimus Prime figure to each attendee. The great thing is that the building bricks are to scale with the existing Legos you may already have, so the building options are endless.
5. Fan Art Contest – Fans young and old expressed their love of Transformers through a variety of art forms: diorama, color art, black and white art, computer art, and, of course, action figure customizing.
6. Habro Action Figures – While kids battled with Transformers on a variety of terrains in the play area, collectors drooled over the future of Transformers toys locked away in display cases, most of which were from the new film, Dark of the Moon.
7. Comics – IDW was on hand to show off their latest expansions into the wide world of Transformers.
8. Photo Ops – Fans posed for pictures with their favorite Autobots and Decepticons from the movies via the magic of a green screen.
9. Autographs – Voiceover stars and artists from the various cartoon series were on hand to sign autographs for fans.
10. Video Games – Activision let fans demo the upcoming Transformers: Dark of the Moon video game, based on the movie.
11. Vehicles from the Films – Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Bumblebee surrounded a life-sized giant Bumblebee statue in the center of the room.
12. Transformers Prime – The folks behind the new animated series showed off some behind-the-scenes clips and artwork.
13. Transformers Hall of Fame – A variety of favorite Transformers characters and the men behind the Transformers movie franchise, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay, were inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame on Saturday during a special ceremony.

Check out these PopCultureGeek.com exclusive pictures and the video below: