Every year, Dragon Con occupies downtown Atlanta during Labor Day weekend. It's the biggest science fiction, fantasy and pop culture convention in the South, and its annual parade draws onlookers from around the city -- and around the world.
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Ellen Ripley and her cohorts scan the crowd…
…But the only alien around seemed to be well in hand.
We have no doubt that Daft Punk could also help save Earth (especially with X-Men for backup).
Sith cheerleaders. Or should we say "anti-cheerleaders"?
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The Sanderson sisters -- Salem witches of Hocus Pocus. We noticed a surge in '90s nostalgia this year.
The Doctor's companion brought K9 along.
The Tenth Doctor. Allons-y.
Motley Whoniverse characters -- the Silence, Martha Jones and an out-of-Asylum dalek.
The Tenth Doctor again -- this time with [spoiler]'s hand.
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Police robot kept the peace….
…With a little backup from Iron Man. Both of these were constructed by Robot Costumes USA.
The Atlanta Pirates & Wenches Guild always makes a strong showing. Not sure how (and if) the bunny is related.
Atlanta's own Seed & Feed Marching Abominable played for the crowd.
Puppeters Kathryn Mullen and Karen Prell brought Mokey and Red of Fraggle Rock along for the ride.
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Lolita fashionistas charmed the onlookers.
Dragon Con isn't just about science fiction -- it's also about science fact. This group dressed up as the Table of Elements.
The Table of Elements features a lot of puns, including Polonium!
The Skeptics Track of programming crashes the parade with Cthulhu and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Walking in the parade can be Hobbit forming. [Ed. note: You can blame all puns throughout this gallery on TechStuff cohost Jonathan Strickland.]
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A group of dwarves from The Hobbit showed up. Can you name them?
Mirkwood's elf king Thranduil marches with the Tolkien group.
Even Captain Planet fans had representation in the parade this year.
The Adidas Stormtrooper and his briefcase boombox.
Cardboard Boba Fett was a real threat to Cardboard Han Solo.
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Dumbledore was overjoyed to join the parade after someone gave him new socks.
This Mary Poppins costume is practically perfect in every way.
These Disney Princesses ran afoul of some of the undead before the parade.
DC comics heroes and villains were a big part of the parade -- here the Penguin brandishes his deadly bumbershoot at a group of Deadpools off camera.
Hawkgirl and a timely Deadpool strut their stuff.
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One of the most popular costumes at the convention this year was Deadpool in different incarnations. Here we have MC Deadpool.
Though crossplay -- cosplaying as a character of the other gender -- was a big hit at the Con, fem!Loki is Marvel comics canon. (He sorta borrowed Lady Sif's body once.)
These blocky costumes -- the Box Heroes -- have been a hit at the Dragon Con parade for several years. Center stage here is Kitty Pryde.
A rocky, blocky Thing marches with other comic book characters with a real edge.
Black Canary and The Penguin are the rear guard for the boxy heroes and villains.
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The 300 represented some of the most physically fit fans at Dragon Con -- those abs aren't CGI.
The Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) celebrates medieval history in a fun and educational way.
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man gives us a wave.
A Spartan from Halo wields the massive Gravity Hammer.
Another Spartan has captured the flag. It's more beautiful than we ever imagined!
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Master Chief is a Spartan of few words.
Characters from video games like Mass Effect are a big hit at Dragon Con.
Video game celebrity Q-Bert has a few choice symbols for the Dragon Con crowd.
This Big Sister of BioShock II fame led a group straight from Rapture.
Hey Little Sister, what have you done? Characters from BioShock march in time.
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BioShock splicers were peaceful that day -- just don't make any sudden movements.
What's more American than a terrifying George (or Martha?) Washington automaton armed with a Gatling gun?
Another BioShock automaton demonstrates his patriotism.
A Big Daddy and Little Sister from the classic BioShock game thrilled the crowds with their attention to detail.
Maybe Black Mesa will help you. That was a joke. Ha ha. Fat chance.
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The Monarch travels with his minions while the Grand Galactic Inquisitor demands that we ignore him.
This man assured us that he, in fact, ain't afraid of no ghost.
It's a (ghost) trap!
Egon from The Real Ghostbusters showed up too!
The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man wreaks havoc in downtown Atlanta.
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Luigi pops out of his Haunted Mansion to join the rest of the Ghostbuster family.
Netherworld, a famous haunted house attraction in Atlanta, shows off some of its Hollywood-level animatronics and special effects.
The enormous eye stalk from Netherworld is on a motorized pedestal and it can totally see you.
An enormous, inflated alien wishes to get inside the nougat center of this pickup truck.
Some Stargate fans represent as they stroll down Peachtree Street.
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One of the most popular speculative fiction subcultures in recent years is Steampunk, also known as Neo Victorianism.
Steampunk Tigger bounces out of a history that never was.
We imagine Tigger's jet pack aids in the bouncing.
The Steampunk Tetriminos prove that a blocky video game and Neo Victorianism are a perfect fit.
A mix of Star Trek fans spanning the classic era to the Next Generation to the reboots hope the crowd will live long and prosper.
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It may have been the end of summer in Atlanta, but these fans were there to let us know Winter is Coming.
Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones are in the right place to find some dragons.
Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones talks softly and carries a really big sword.
It's a Game of Thrones smackdown with Brienne versus the bear. Our money is on Brienne.
Atlanta is the shuffling grounds for Walking Dead and zombies on Peachtree are something we're used to.
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The anti-zombie task forces, including a few Umbrella employees, were also out to keep the zombie infestation under control.
Even zombies get confused at all the different streets called Peachtree in Atlanta.
It's fun to slay at the YMCA!
Billy Dee Williams, known by Star Wars fans as Lando Calrissian, waves to the crowd.
The Dude abides as he walks with a White Russian.
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A Twilek Sith poses.
The Star Wars expanded universe has a lot to say about the Mandalorians, who wore this type of armor.
The Mandalorians in the Star Wars expanded universe were known as a race of warriors who craved battle.
Here's what happens when Star Trek meets Star Wars -- an officer runs afoul of a Mandalorian warrior.
Another Mandalorian cheerfully brandishing weapons. This is what we call their default disposition.
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The 501st Legion is a Star Wars fan club for people who want to make their own Imperial costumes. This poor Stormtrooper had to deal with an Ewok assaulting him for the entire parade.
Not everyone in the 501st aims to make a perfect costume replica. Fozzie Bear has gone to the Dark Side.
The Force is strong with young Mara Jade.
The Imperial Guard are recruited from the most elite Stormtroopers. Of course, that means they give up their guns.
This one Sandperson walked in single file to hide its numbers.
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This Battlestar Galactica viper experienced engine trouble in the middle of the parade, but its hardworking pit crew got it running again to close out the parade.
