Denver Oddities & Curiosities Expo Recap — October 3-4, 2026
Denver was another great show, as usual. The Oddities & Curiosities Expo at the Colorado Convention Center on October 3rd and 4th was busier than I expected — and it stayed busy, right from opening each day. A steady stream of people from the minute the doors opened.
The fans are the best part
One of my favorite moments: a customer stopped by wearing an orange vest absolutely covered in patches and pins — Skinwalker Ranch, a ghost that says "Ghosts Are Real," a black cat, a spider, an hourglass. That's what this is all about. People don't just buy patches, they build them into something personal. Every vest tells a story.
If you're starting your own, the cryptid patch collection is the place to begin. And if you've got a vest or jacket featuring my work, I genuinely want to see it — tag me or send a photo.
The Frogman surprise
What I didn't see coming: Loveland Frogman stuff sold like crazy. All weekend, people were grabbing the Loveland, Ohio travel patch and asking me questions about the Frogman — what the sighting was, where Loveland even is, the whole story. Denver is not exactly Frogman country, so I didn't bring deep stock. Lesson learned.
For the uninitiated: the Loveland Frogman is a 1972 Ohio legend — witnesses described a four-foot frog-like being near Cincinnati, supposedly waving a sparking wand over its head. It's one of my favorite weird little regional cryptids, and apparently Denver agrees. If you missed out at the show, the Loveland Frogman cute patch and the Loveland travel poster are both in the shop.
Road notes
Flew in with the usual setup — Pelican cases full of inventory, the whole traveling roadshow in three hard cases. Ate a genuinely great burrito at 3 Margaritas in the Aurora area.
Also: found a lost wallet in the grocery store parking lot near my hotel. Returned it to security, obviously.
On the flight home I started sketching a new zombie design.
What's next
Back home, restocking, and getting ready for the next round. Portland and Sacramento are coming up in November — if you're on the West Coast, come say hi. And if you grabbed something in Denver, thank you.
