Get ready to go prize hunting at Anime Impulse OC

Anime Impulse took place Aug. 22-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center, celebrating anime, manga and fandom. The yearly convention showcased a range of events from ZZZ New Eridu Live Concert on the Main Stage to exclusive drops, limited apparel and giveaways. Among the new events, a highlight in the artist alley came from tradition: stamp rallies.

Stamp rallies are a treasure hunt created by collaborating artists at an event. Attendees receive a treasure hunt card, and after completing a required task, they get a stamp from an artist. After completing all required tasks on the card, attendees will go to a designated artist booth to receive a prize, such as stickers, keychains or clothes.

While stamp rallies have been around for decades, they’ve seen a recent resurgence and have become a staple in artist alleys.

Lavinia Shong, an attendee at Anime Impulse, said the activity is a great way for artists to put themselves out there and let attendees find them when they participate.

“My favorite thing about stamp rallies is really the exploration of it. You have to scavenger hunt them (the booths) down, you’re seeing new artists a lot of the time, and it’s also just fun to get a nice prize at the end,” Lavinia Shong said.

Different stamp rallies may have different requirements depending on the prizes or theme. Some stamp rallies require attendees to make a minimum purchase from each designated artist to receive a stamp. Others may be as simple as following the artist on social media or answering a question the artist may have about the theme of the stamp rally.

Attendee Angela Wang participated in two stamp rallies for the first time at this Anime Impulse.

“I have been aware of them before, but today was the first time I actually participated. The first one was just really funny, and my friend recommended it,” Wang said. “There was very little economic barrier to participating in it because a lot of the time for other stamp rallies, you need to buy five different things from five different artists, and not all of them are to my style.”

The economic barrier has been a big talking point in the stamp rally community. Some argue artists have to make a profit or at least make back the money they spent on manufacturing the prizes. Others say required purchases become a barrier for attendees.

Diane Seo, an artist alley veteran, said she hosts stamp rallies regardless of their profitability. Seo said some convention artists are able to host fun, free rallies.

“[Stamp rallies] could be very beneficial if they’re done right,” Seo said. “[Artists] always put a twist on it, and it makes people who want to participate in it have fun. So that’s why those types of rallies, people want to join them, and people want to participate in them. If it’s like too many rallies where the requirement is to buy and stuff, or you have to pay a certain minimum, then it’s not it.”