I don’t know about you, but I am and always have been a pin goblin. And one of my favorite booths to stop by every year, the one that I reliably give most of my money to, is Hanspins by Hannah Kate. A Star Wars fan, and a big fan of Loth Cats like myself, she makes some truly unique pieces, including Marriott Carpet themed Loth Cats, Porgs, and Droids. If your crow brain, like mine, just craves that enamel, I definitely know the place you need to go.
Daily Dragon (DD): Hi! I can’t wait to buy everything not nailed down, as per usual, but first, I do have some questions. How long have you been attending Dragon Con, and how long have you been a vendor there?
Hannah Kate (HK): I attended my first Dragon Con in 2022, and started vending in 2023. I had never been to a convention before 2022, and it changed my life immediately!
DD: What first inspired you to make fandom art?
HK: I have loved fandom culture for as long as I can remember, and started collecting enamel pins in 2017. While shopping for pins online, I discovered fanmade pins for the first time. They fascinated me, and I fell in love right away. In 2020, I had an idea for an enamel pin that I couldn’t get out of my head. I couldn’t find where anyone had done it before, and I just had to have it in my collection. So, I decided to make it myself. I had dabbled in different forms of traditional art over the years, but I had never tried digital art – so I had a lot of learning to do. It was a lot of fun, and I’ve enjoyed continuing to grow my digital art style over the last 6 years.
DD: How do you choose what designs to pursue?
HK: Kind of like that first design I did, I mostly do designs that I can’t get out of my head or that I haven’t seen made as an enamel pin yet. But I also love putting my own spin on more popular subjects by drawing them in my own art style. There are definitely a lot of recurring themes in my products, and those are the things I can’t help but return to.
DD: When do you start prepping for Dragon Con?
HK: I am always thinking about Dragon Con! As soon as it’s over, I’m starting to think about changes I want to make for the next year. And of course the hotel Hunger Games plays a big part in my plans – I have loved staying at The Westin the last few years. While I vend at other shows throughout the year, Dragon Con is by far the biggest one. I will typically order pin restocks every 2-3 months, and I am always considering my stock from Dragon Con when I place those orders. By June, I will start ramping up production of products I make myself at home – like koozies and buttons. In July I will start planning my booth display.
DD: How long is the design process for one of your pins, typically?
HK: I mostly enjoy designing small pins, so on average each one takes about 2 hours to design. I go through 2-3 sketch stages before I feel ready to start the final linework. Lately I have enjoyed designing buttons and postcards that are more complex and take me between 5 and 13 hours to complete. It has definitely been stretching my abilities and pushing me as an artist!
DD: Obviously the carpet patterns are going to be popular, but are there any other designs that you find do better at Dragon Con than other places?
HK: I have found that more niche characters tend to have a “cult” following among Dragon Con attendees. One example would be Matt the Radar Technician. I’m a member of the Matt Attack group that has a meetup/parade on Sunday night at Dragon Con, and my Matt items get a lot more recognition and love here than at any other show. I also think that people love purchasing pins for the unique droids that they meet at the show. I think that there is a definite correlation between what people see throughout the weekend and the merch that is more popular. People want to purchase things that will help them remember the con!
DD: Have attendees ever inspired a new design for you?
HK: I am constantly inspired by the creativity of Dragon Con attendees! Particularly the mashups that people do. The first year I attended, I was blown away by the use of the Marriott carpet pattern on everything. In 2023 it inspired me to put the carpet pattern on my favorite thing: loth cats! Thus the Carpet Cat was born. In 2025 I had it made into a patch for the first time. The design has completely sold out every year, and it has been a huge part of my Dragon Con journey.
DD: What item do you love most and are you secretly rooting for to sell out this year?
HK: I worked really hard on a new loth cat pattern that I hope does well! It has 24 unique cats on it. It is a repeating pattern, so I was able to make it in a bunch of different products. My current favorite is the deskmat/playmat. I think that the quality is amazing, and it’s a very unique item that I’ve never done before!
DD: Okay, last question for you. What’s the most “Dragon Con” thing you’ve ever experienced?
HK: In 2024 on Friday night I met a group of men cosplaying as the criminals that dress up like the Power Puff Girls, with giant paper mache masks. I got their photo and they gave me a ribbon. I had just made a Star Wars/PPG mashup design, so I told them to come by my booth the next day and I would have a gift for them. They came to the booth and I gave each of them a sticker of the Power Puff girl that they cosplayed, but as a Star Wars character! That night at the Last Party on Alderaan, I saw them again! They had each purchased a lightsaber to match their PPG color, and they were cosplaying as Power Puff Jedis! They showed me that they had each put my sticker on their badge, and I had inspired them to get the lightsabers and do those cosplays for the party that night. Then in 2025, they came by my booth again! I had just released those designs as enamel pins, and they bought the set of 3 to split, so they could each have a pin of their Power Puff Girl. It was such a wild full circle moment. I hope I see them again this year!
Be sure to check out Hanspins on the 3rd floor of the Vendor hall at booth #D178-179 to pick yourself up some truly unique Star Wars collectables! I’ve already got my Carpet Cat; do you have yours?
