Karen Schnaubelt Turner Dick
Encyclopedia
Karen Schnaubelt Turner Dick (born March 25, 1955) is the daughter of Franz Schnaubelt, founding chairperson of Costume-Con, and creator of The Whole Costumer's Catalogue.
, pursuing and obtaining both a BA and a MA in Anthropology.
Coupled with her interest in science was also her interest in costuming. Introduced to anime
at the age of nine via the animated series Astro Boy, two years later she and her father started watching Star Trek
together. Karen started creating her own costumes and wearing them to science fiction conventions in the 1970s. In doing so, she has been credited with being one of the first people to cosplay
at a convention in 1980.
As fannish costuming quickly gained popularity, Karen and Kelly Turner co-founded Costume-Con in 1983, an event originally conceived as a one-year-only convention dedicated to costuming in its varied forms. The convention has just celebrated its 27th year of existence. The Whole Costumer's Guide was created the same year as a way of consolidating varied costuming resources. The book went through 14 editions before finally finding a home on the internet.
Karen has pursued varied professional costuming careers over the years, including working on her husband Ricky's professional clown costuming company, high end corsetry, and theatrical quality Halloween costuming. 1993 marked the start of a new business venture: a haunted house, based within and around the home she shares with husband Ricky Dick.
In 2006, Karen and Ricky became co-hosts of the horror host
TV show, Midnight Monster Hop
. Filmed in their home in Beallsville, PA, the show had a three-year run and can still be seen in select national markets.
Biography
Karen was born in San Diego, California. She attended Helix high school, then went into San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, pursuing and obtaining both a BA and a MA in Anthropology.
Coupled with her interest in science was also her interest in costuming. Introduced to anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
at the age of nine via the animated series Astro Boy, two years later she and her father started watching Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
together. Karen started creating her own costumes and wearing them to science fiction conventions in the 1970s. In doing so, she has been credited with being one of the first people to cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
at a convention in 1980.
As fannish costuming quickly gained popularity, Karen and Kelly Turner co-founded Costume-Con in 1983, an event originally conceived as a one-year-only convention dedicated to costuming in its varied forms. The convention has just celebrated its 27th year of existence. The Whole Costumer's Guide was created the same year as a way of consolidating varied costuming resources. The book went through 14 editions before finally finding a home on the internet.
Karen has pursued varied professional costuming careers over the years, including working on her husband Ricky's professional clown costuming company, high end corsetry, and theatrical quality Halloween costuming. 1993 marked the start of a new business venture: a haunted house, based within and around the home she shares with husband Ricky Dick.
In 2006, Karen and Ricky became co-hosts of the horror host
Horror host
Horror hosts are a particular type of television presenter, often tasked with presenting low-grade films to television audiences. This tradition is primarily American, though there have been a few international hosts over the years.-Film Packages:...
TV show, Midnight Monster Hop
Midnight Monster Hop
Midnight Monster Hop is a horror host television show that first aired in 2006 on HSTV in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.In February 2008, the show began airing on WPXI/RTN Pittsburgh, and as of May 23, 2009 became available nationwide on select Retro Television Network affiliates, showing cult and B...
. Filmed in their home in Beallsville, PA, the show had a three-year run and can still be seen in select national markets.
Awards and recognition
- 1986 - Fan Guest of Honor, Westercon
- 1995 - International Costumers' Guild Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2004 - Costumer Guest of Honor, Lunacon
- 2006 - Cosplayer Guest of Honor, Anime USA
- 2009 - Fan Guest of Honor, Arisia