Actor Butch Patrick, who played boy werewolf Eddie Munster on "The Munsters" TV series, is joining the cast of celebrity guests at the Third Annual Spa-Con Sept. 21-23.
Spa-Con is a multigenre comics and pop culture convention sponsored by Visit Hot Springs and the Garland County Library.
"Eddie Munster and his monstrous family became cultural icons in the 1960s, and their popularity has never waned," Bill Solleder, marketing director for Visit Hot Springs, said in a news release.
Patrick was spotted by a Hollywood talent agent at 7 years old, which led to a series of appearances in television commercials and guest appearances on TV shows, the news release said. In 1964, Patrick landed the role of child werewolf Eddie Munster, starring alongside Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster, Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster and Al Lewis as Grandpa on "The Munsters," a fantasy situation comedy loosely based on Universal Studios movie monsters.
Additionally, Patrick starred in the 1966 feature film, "Munster, Go Home," and later starred on the ABC Saturday morning series, "Lidsville," from 1971 to 1973.
"I had a lot of experience. But maybe it was because my fangs were my own teeth," Patrick said of how he thinks he landed the role of Eddie. "My teeth were so bad, that even when I closed my mouth they stuck out. I was about a head smaller than the other kids, and they liked that because it played off Herman's height."
He appeared in 70 episodes during the show's two-season run.
Patrick continues the Munsters' legacy by touring with the Munster Koach and Dragula tribute cars and the original 1964 Barris/Von Dutch Chain Link Schwinn Stingray bike, and other Munster props including the Munster Go-Cart, Baseball Bat, Wolf Wolf, Miniature Spot, and Street Signs.
According to Solleder, Patrick will be bringing the Munster Koach and Dragula tribute cars for the appearance.
Patrick will be joining actress Pam Grier and a group of other special guests who were previously announced for Spa-Con.
Grier, known for her award-winning performance in the title role of Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" and, more recently, as Amanda Waller on "Smallville," will be joined by other celebrities, including Sean Maher, star of the cult-classic movie "Serenity" and the TV series "Arrow," Arvell Jones, a renowned illustrator for Marvel Comics, Nightingale Vixen, the well-known cosplay performer, and Veronica Taylor, the voice of Ash Ketchum from "Pokemon."
Other Spa-Con guests announced previously include Nipah Dubs, an award-winning cosplayer with more than seven years of experience styling wigs, sewing, making props and armor, and promoting the art of cosplay; Chad Maupin, a comics and visual artist known for his work developing the brands Fayettechill and Houndstooth Clothing Co.; David Lasky, a comics and visual artist who will be returning to Spa-Con in September; Bill Tsutsui, president and professor of history at Hendrix College, who will present a special panel at Spa-Con 2018; Ross Watson, an award-winning game designer and author; Yale Stewart, a cartoonist from St. Louis, best known for creating, writing, and illustrating the award-winning webcomic, JL8.
Solleder said collectively Spa-Con will host more than two dozen celebrity guests, adding that in 2017 more than 5,000 people attended the event.
Solleder told The Sentinel-Record Friday that cosplayer Ginny Di will return to Spa-Con for a third year by popular demand.
"She is bringing this amazing centaur cosplay with her that you've just got to see," he said.
Thomas DePetrillo of Extreme Costumes will also be on hand for the event, bringing with him a 12-foot "Transformers" Bumblebee cosplay, Solleder said. Extreme Costumes has won Best in Show at New York Comic Con twice, he added.
Spa-Con will be held at the Hot Springs Convention Center, with an array of activities that will include laser tag, an escape room, video games, panel discussions, workshops, cosplay contests and interaction with the celebrity guests.
Weekend passes and VIP passes for Spa-Con 3 are on sale now at www.spa-con.org.
Local on 06/10/2018