A 10-year-old Dean Zanotto correctly guessed The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy came from Kansas in a 1999 furniture store competition.
His prize? A Nintendo 64 and, subsequently, a lifetime of love for gaming and pop culture.
"The love has passed onto her," Mr Zanotto said of his daughter Charlotte, who proudly wore a Princess Daisy outfit.
He and wife Jhoana matched the two-year-old with Mario and Luigi outfits, which were topped off with prized hats bought at Japan's Universal Studios theme park.
They were among the hundreds of Canberrans representing their favourite characters and themes at Thoroughbred Park, celebrating what has colloquially become embraced as geek culture.
"You should see our house," Mrs Zanotto said, smiling.
"It's pretty much a museum," Mr Zanotto added.
The family weren't the only passionate, grinning fans attending on Saturday.
Movie villains and heroes, anime characters, full-body leather getups, medieval dress, steam punk wear, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones were just some of the costumes making up GAMMA Gaming and Pop Culture Expo.
When this reporter approached a truly terrifying Jason Voorhees for an interview, they remained committed to embodying the iconic Friday the 13th killer, staring menacingly before moving on.
Another man said it took him 40 minutes just to put on his 18th century medieval outfit.
"Any excuse to dress up at the end of the day," Andy Price, dressed in a movie-quality replica outfit from Star Wars television show Andor, said.
Mr Price is visiting from Sydney but the rest of his villain character "garrison", who spent Saturday taking photos with fans of the beloved sci-fi franchise, are Canberrans.
They belong to the 501st Legion, an international Star Wars organisation so dedicated to accurate costuming it has contributed members to the extras casts of movies and TV shows.
GAMMA attendees were offered more than just the chance to dress up for the weekend but could also peruse dozens of stalls and take part in competitions.
Actor John Jarratt took the mic to regale fans with tales of his time playing Mick Taylor, the murderous villain in celebrated Australian horror Wolf Creek, and working with Quentin Tarantino.
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