(Needs work/editing; This is a very recent event.)
About
Dashcon 2014 is a tumblr-based convention held in Schaumburg, Illinois in July of 2014. After news of the convention’s general lack of quality or planning surfaced on tumblr, the event became a source of ridicule by tumblr’s userbase on the Dashcon tag.
Welcome to Night Vale Controversy
One of the events scheduled by Dashcon was an appearance by the staff members of popular podcast series Welcome to Night Vale. However, because Dashcon could not adequately provide the funds for the staff’s appearance, the attraction was eventually cancelled from the convention.
Ball Pit Jokes/Extra Hour in the Ball Pit
Dashcon attendees were reporting that one of the most memorable attractions of the convention was a colorful children’s ball pit in an otherwise mostly empty room. When it was announced that the Welcome to Night Vale staff would not make an appearance at the convention, rumors spread of convention staff wagering that guests receive “an extra hour in the ball pit” as compensation. Soon, the prominent position of the ball pit led to mockery from both the tumblr userbase as well as the actual attendees of the convention.
As the convention weekend progressed, the ‘Dashcon’ and ‘ball pit’ tags on tumblr both received large numbers of posts, in addition to several rumors about the ball pit such as the ball pit’s deflation, it being urinated in, or having a child conceived in it.
$17,000
After news of the convention spread around tumblr, the userbase soon learned that Dashcon had amassed more than $17,000 USD in funds for presenting the convention. The $17,000 allegation combined with the moderately high price of $65 for admittance to a con on its debut year made many tumblr users suspect the convention of being little more than a money-grabbing scheme. Soon after, many users began stating alternate examples of things that the money could have been used on instead, so much so that the blog ‘17000dollars’ was created specifically for these statements.
Notable Examples
