Ask anyone who attended SlimeCon and they'll tell you, it was just as magical and groundbreaking as the show itself. For years, fans of the show You Can't Do That on Television longed for a way to trap lighting in a bottle twice. Growing up with a show that became the cult-classic that YCDTOTV did, it was only a matter of time before it became throwback-worthy. And boy, did it ever. As the 90s headed out and the 2000s rolled in, the MTV Generation began the wave of retro flashback nostalgia that still continues today. We missed YCDTOTV and we wanted to do something about it. So we did.
SlimeCon was created by YCDTOTV fan Byron Smith in order to give both the cast and the fans a once-in-a-lifetime experience like none other. Up until this point, the cast had not fully reunited since she show ended in 1990. And it just so happened that CJOH-TV had held on to many of the show's original sets and props. It only made sense to put all of the pieces together to create a cast reunion and fan convention. This unique, dual-purpose event was further grown by event planner (and co-writer of YCDTOTV's 1986 "Contests" episode) Emily Reichbach. The series' soundman, Jim Clarke, rounded out the initial team by serving as a link to not only CJOH-TV, but to the cast and crew as well.
After much planning and promoting, the first SlimeCon took place July 2002. Held at the studios of CJOH-TV in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the three-day convention featured discussion forums, contests, episode showings, and appearances/ participation by over fourty cast and crew members from the show.
Cast members in attendance included Christine "Moose" McGlade, Lisa Ruddy, Alasdair Gillis, Adam Reid, Vanessa Lindores, Doug Ptolemy, Stephanie Bauder, Jill Stanley, and the legendary Les Lye. Also in attendance was television producer-director-executive Geoffrey Darby. SlimeCon was remarkably successful and drew attendees from across the United States and Canada to the very studios where YCDTOTV was created, taped and edited. Cast and fans together ate real Barth burgers, watched episodes, discussed the show and were even slimed!
SlimeCon was intended to be a one-time-only event. However, as the 25th anniversary quickly approached following the first event, fans began demanding a sequel to coincide with the upcoming milestone. So, in 2004, a second SlimeCon was planned, marking the 25th anniversary of YCDTOTV. Byron Smith returned to co-coordinate with original SlimeCon staff member Josh Yawn, who came back as head coordinator and producer. While many of the events that made the original SlimeCon successful were carried over and amplified, the highlight of the convention was the release of Project 131, a final episode of You Can't Do That on Television. Highly-anticipated by YCDTOTV's fans, the completed Project 131 was shown twice at the end of SlimeCon 2004. Today, a copy of Project 131 resides with the master tapes of You Can't Do That on Television at CTV Ottawa.
Two DVDs, containing convention interviews and archival footage from both the original SlimeCon and SlimeCon 2004, were released in 2005. Interestingly enough, enough time has passed that fans are now nostalgic for SlimeCon. By popular demand, the two DVDs have been re-released along with an all-new line of T-shirts.
You Can't Do That on Television - but we did...twice!
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