Explanation

The blank describes fans who would wait in line for hours to talk to artists and buy toy variants, so a word like devoted would make sense. Choices (B) and (E) give roughly synonymous meanings, but nothing in the sentence supports the idea that the fans smelled bad.

Neither hirsute, which means hairy, nor impecunious, which means poor, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (C) and (F). Both staunch and zealous can mean devoted, so choices (A) and (D) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.