Interview with Jurassic Park Netherlands

In our "Insights" articles we go behind the scenes of the convention life. We talk to people who organize conventions, sell merchandise or DVDs, Cosplayers, Costume Groups and more like this. In earlier articles in the series we already talked to: KLZ Events (organizing conventions and fan events), Zeno Pictures (distributing films),Dirtees (t-shirts and merchandise), Ghostbusters Dutch Division (Costume Group) and Dutch Garrison (Star Wars Costume Group). Today, we're talking about Jurassic Park Netherlands! 

 Jurassic Park Netherlands started in 2013 and was founded by two Jurassic Park fans, who were already active in the Dutch cosplay scene (Steampunk & Harry Potter). In the beginning there were just a few people, but through the years, the group grew to currently 17 members. A lot of different people, from nurse to baker and even people with a film making background. A place for every JP fan! It all started in the Netherlands, but the group also has members in Belgium and contacts all over Europe and the USA.

We're big fans of the Jurassic Park movies as well! Who hasn't seen them? We can keep on watching these movies, so we were very excited when Jurassic Park Netherlands kindly agreed to answer our questions. First we asked them to tell us something  about the cosplay and props: 

"The costumes we use for our cosplay are almost all 90 to a 100% film accurate. Some small parts excluded. It is part of our 'rules' to get the best representation. And as fans of the films, something we like of course.

Hours and hours of research on Google, Forums and looking at pictures to get the best results. (You can easily get distracted with all the cool JP stuff you encounter while searching ;-)  ). Some (most) of our members are also Jurassic Park collectors. So props we use are mostly from private collections. Some decorations are bought internationally and the rest we build our self, based on the films or similar to get the right atmosphere. Like using small animal cages to hold dinosaurs or turning a BBQ into an egg incubator. In the future I hope to expand our collection of props and decor pieces, so we have more variation. "

We also asked about the goal they have for their group: "Our goal with this group is to bring (cosplaying) Jurassic Park fans from the Netherlands, Belgium and maybe other countries, together. As a group we attend various events. Sometimes just as visitors, the other times with a booth/stand. The most important part is having fun together, discuss the films, help each other with costumes and props and more. 

We have a private Facebook group where we share information on costumes, discuss the upcoming new film and have a chat about all kinds of things. Via our official Facebook page we share information on the films, news on paleontology and all things related to our group, such as events where we are going to be and pictures of previous events."

Sounds cool doesn't it? We'll make sure to stop by when we're at a convention to have a chat, It's a great goal to want to bring fans together. We love the goal of having fun, discuss the movies and help each other out! 

We love your group and the goals. Tell us please :)! At what kind of events can we find you? "We started our events with Elfia. We also did a Jurassic World DVD release promo at "Mediamarkt" and we supported the opening of "Dinoland"- Zwolle with members in costume and our JP Jeep. Since last year we started going to various Comic Cons. Which is a great success! So there will be more of that in the future.

Organizations and private people can contact us for events by sending an email (jurassicparknetherlands@gmail.com or via a message through our Facebook page."

And.. can you tell us about one of the best memories you have of an event? 

"Last year's Elfia Arcen comes to mind.. We had a good looking setup, with our interpretation of the Visitors Center and a dinosaur enclosure. Most members were present, we had a lot of fun together, the weather was excellent and we got a lot of compliments from the attending visitors. Some kids did not want to leave when asked by their parents haha. A great experience altogether!"

That sounds great! Does it take a lot of preparation to attend an event? 

"First of all, we decide which members will be present. For an event like Elfia, we try to get everyone there, but for a Comic Con the limit is often five or six members. Then we'll have to look how much floor space we can get and after that we start to puzzle. Which stuff do we have, what theme are we going for and how to fit that into the space we get. Are we going for a mixed theme, jungle or dinosaur creating laboratory? Are we going to need / build new props? Costs a bit of time, but so much fun to do."

It sounds exciting! Every event is different like that. 

We're so happy that you were willing to cooperate with this interview. We love seeing your group at conventions and can't wait to come by and chat at the next Comic Con. We still have a few more questions left for now! Tell our readers, what do they need to know about your group? "It is not only about cosplay, almost every member is a true Jurassic Park fan with some huge related collections of toys and props. 

Members are living across the Netherlands and Belgium and JP brings us together online and in the real world. We also have meetings outside the events for a photo shoot or just for fun!"

We can totally imagine that someone is reading this and thinks: "This is such an awesome group! How can I join?". So... If that someone is reading this right now. How can they join? "People who want to join Jurassic Park Netherlands can send us a message through our Facebook page or an email (jurassicparknetherlands@gmail.com). Preferably you already have a complete Jurassic Park or Jurassic World costume, but we can help get you going in the right direction. For actual representing us at events you need a costume and be active within the group. If you bring dinosaurs, it's a big plus  ;-) ". 

Do you want to know more about Jurassic Park Netherlands? They have lots of pictures on Facebook and Instagram (Jurassicparknetherlands).