Beauty & the Beast/Doctor Who / Cosplayer : @thats_so_cosplay (Abbi & Ace) / Photo : s @booksavvy (IG) @carlosmphotos.cosplay (IG)
My "cosplay origin story" is pretty gradual. I have early memories of helping my mom sew a few of my halloween costumes growing up. Most notably we made an Arwen gown when i was in 6th grade. My mom did most of the sewing, but she made sure I was helping or watching the whole time. I also got really excited to dress up for fandom release party events in high school/college.
I attended to Leakycon and Chicago Tardis during college with closet/thrifted cosplays. I yearned for more cons and cosplay oppurtunities, but at that time I was too busy/stressed to make my own costumes.
Our first semi-homemade cosplay experience was Rey & Poe from The Force Awakens, for Wizard World 2016. The positive feedback experience of getting so many compliments and photo requests got me hooked and eager for more cosplay.
I sewed the Dalek gown from the same Simplicity pattern that I used for my yellow Belle dress, so it felt good to be working with familiar steps and techniques. I chose bronze & brown fabrics to emulate the popular Bronze Dalek, with a black mesh fabric and gold cording on the bodice to add the effect of the dalek's neck cage. I also added a black satin border filled with batting at the bottom of the skirt to be the Dalek's base.
I painted styrofoam half-orbs gold and sewed velcro onto the skirt to place them in rows. For the lights on the top of the Dalek's head, I 3d printed translucent casings for LED button lights and attached them to hair clips to go on my wig. Similarly, i constructed a "dalek eye" from a 3d printed light case and rubber tubing, and velcroed it to the bodice of the dress. I made arm cuffs from foam and elastic in the style of the metallic tiles that go around the dalek below the neck cage. Finally, I made the dalek's weapons from a real mini-plunger and mini-paint roller with velvet ribbon to hang from my wrists.
One big lesson that I've learned is the value of patience, practice, and test pieces. My biggest "issues" with construction have come from rushing a step. For example, the orbs on the skirt of the Dalek were Styrofoam semi-spheres that we bought. Without doing a test, we spray painted them gold and the paint caused the styrofoam melt and pucker badly. Some of the orbs were salvaged by sanding them down, others had to be trashed. Then we were able to refinish them with flexbond primer and acrylic paint.
I’m a 33-year-old neurodivergent cosplayer currently in remission from Cervical Cancer since January 16th. In September 2024, I was diagnosed late with Autism and ADHD, and just one week later, I found out I had Cervical Cancer. Cosplay has always been my safe space, a place where I felt at home. Yet, I often found myself leaving early from events, overwhelmed by sounds and sensations that no one else seemed to notice. It wasn’t until my diagnosis that I finally understood why I struggled in these environments.
Realizing I was AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD) helped make everything make sense, but just when I began accepting my neurodivergence, cancer entered the picture. In reflecting on my journey, I faced a choice: to succumb to a negative mindset or to embrace the heroes I cosplay as and use my story to make a difference in the world.
There is a lack of discussion on how to manage and survive a convention while being neurodivergent. The typical response is simply, “Here’s a sensory room,” but there is so much more to navigating a con than just that space. To help others, I’ve started sharing tips and advice on my social media, including the tools I bring with me to cope at these events.
This year, I had the honor of hosting my very first panel at Megacon Orlando, where I discussed how I survive a con weekend with my AuDHD. It was an incredible experience to share my strategies and connect with others who face similar challenges. I want to continue advocating for better understanding and support for neurodivergent individuals at cons.
Another topic that needs more attention is Cervical Cancer awareness and prevention. Many young women at comic cons might skip their annual pap smears, not realizing how crucial they are. If I hadn’t put mine off, I truly believe I could’ve avoided this diagnosis altogether.
Cosplay has been my source of strength throughout this battle. When I cosplay as my favorite characters, it brings out a side of me I never knew existed. It gives me courage, confidence, and the reminder that heroes never give up, no matter how tough the fight is. I want to remind others, especially those who are neurodivergent or face invisible disabilities, that they are seen, valued, and not alone in their struggles. Through sharing my journey, I hope to inspire and support others in their own battles. Remember, kindness is free, and we all deserve to be treated with compassion.
It would be an over exaggeration to say I’m like Guts, but throughout my life, I’ve empathized with his story of trying to stay decent through extreme and absurd adversity.
Both my Batman suit and Berserker armor were wrought not just from plastic but this profound desire, to be able to breathe something beautiful into the world even when I was at my worst.
Determined to make something of myself, I went against my curriculum, circumstances, and sometimes even family to render this work of fiction onto my frame.
When I see this armor, wrought from plastidip steel and blood dyed acrylic red, I see the part of myself that stands through suffering, that persists beyond pain.
At first it felt impossible, that a literature student could scrounge together this imposing, terrifying suit of armor, but somehow I did it. Even though the armors uncomfortable after 10 hrs at a con, I look at my pictures and think, this is the one thing I’ve done in life that even kid me would be proud of.
Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) / Cosplayer: @axiom_razor
Honestly, villains have more fun. That and it's such a powerful character that no one really thinks of until reminded. Then they remember just how sinister Judge Doom is. I like to keep it a bit more lowkey. There are tons of Spiderman and Deadpool (no offense to either, tons of them are great) and I like to have something different.
My selection is sheerly what I like. I've done Yakko Warner (with Rob Paulsen's approval), Pinky and The Brain (and learned that from now on, no face paint, get character heads), President Skroob (Spaceballs), and Judge Doom.
Some hit better than others. Part of the reason I've done Judge Doom for so long is how fun it is and how Christopher Lloyd has portrayed it. And yes, I've met him in cosplay (NYCC 2022 & RICC 2024) and received his approval for it.
This version is the 2.0 and even then, it's not far off from the 1.0. The original was missing the vest and watch chain, and I've upgraded the lights in the can since. The DIP can is an old pretzel can from the 50s, with some pipe straps under it so I can hold it with one hand for pictures and dip Roger into it. The Roger plush is an old one we had around the house. Then just some plasti-dip for the grey, and white paint for the markings. Drilled in some holes for the handle and it was done. The can is modeled after the DIP can in the Roger Rabbit ride in Disney. I do have plans to adjust the new lights, cheap connector was causing issues so I'm going to eliminate it and just solder the wire. A lot of the pieces I had already, from the waist down it's just my normal work clothes, then the cape was sewn, sourced the hat, had the gloves, found the glasses and chain, and a lot of other pieces I had.
The entire cosplay is 9 layers thick and about 10 pounds on my shoulders. That's undershirt, tux shirt, vest, suit jacket (it's 3 layers thick), the coat (2 layers thick) and the cape. And then there's the hat also keeping some heat in. I easily lose 5 pounds during a convention. Doing it for 7 years now though, I've gotten used to it.
I'm stubborn. I do not eat a lot during the con, or drink a lot during the con. I am too stubborn to use a con bathroom. It's also taught me that a lot of people will get out of the way of a 6'1'' person dressed like that. That and that I also have more stamina than I thought. I go for 10 hours usually, and NYCC is rougher as it's a bigger place and I have to walk about a mile to my car after, but I still enjoy doing it every day.
My first time cosplaying at a convention was probably 2012 Megacon; I went as Silver Surfer. I didn’t know much about conventions and didn’t even have any friends that cosplayed, but I had to see what it was like. So I had to get my buddy to try it out with me, he dressed up as Jax from Mortal Kombat as his first cosplay. We had a blast and went the next year as well. I went a few more times sparsely through the years but it wasnt until 2021 when I fully got back in to cosplaying
I came up with the idea while I was sitting in the lobby at the end of holiday matsuri 2022 to have ready by the next holiday matsuri. I wanted to make something festive for the holiday themed convention and that it was never done before but also spidey themed because its my favorite charcter, so I remembered seeing a gingerbread funko set that had marvel heroes and that was it.
All of it was pretty new to me. There was some brainstorming on the right materials to use, how to securely attach fabric to foam, sewing those thick and heavy panels together with the help of my wife, getting proper ventilation and most of all the right proportions. All to create the illusion that few would imagine there’s a 6ft guy standing inside of something so adorable
The black panther gingerbread funko cosplay I made for someone out of state ended up winning 2nd place at NYCC’s marvel cosplay contest. Ive never won a cosplay contest but it felt so great having some part of that with him. That was a really exciting day watching from the contest from home
Bayonetta from Baynetta video game / cosplayer : @lexi_from_space / photo: @scphotodesign25
I was worried about my shoes. Firstly, I hadn't worn proper heels in such a long time, and the Bayonetta walk is so iconic. With every fierce step she takes, I couldn't afford to fall over. Secondly, walking in heels on a carpeted floor would be challenging. I practiced for a while before going out and trained myself to walk in them again. I changed shoes for the carpet parts of the day
When I began cosplaying a year ago, it was to finally come out of a shell that I've been stuck in my whole life. Growing up, loving anime and video games was frowned upon. At one point I tried to distance myself from it. But at my core, I was always a gamer and creative. Anime influenced so many great things in my life and brought good people into my circle. I think that cosplaying is the highest form of respect for these types of media.
Bayonetta is my 4th official cosplay and will be a reoccurring one because I knew that becoming Bayonetta would be such a statement to the bold and beautiful woman that I am.
I've been gaming for 24 years and Bayonetta was the first game that introduced me to a female lead that was truly confident and needed no saving. I knew it would be exciting to put on an outfit so striking. Since it's a game considered to be older, I knew my audience would be people in their mid 20s and up. I was hoping to inspire more nostalgic cosplaying.
I always saw cosplaying from the outside. I thought of cosplayers as people who shouldn't be bothered. They've spent so much time prepping and they probably want to take pictures and go. But that's not it at all. We do this for the joy it brings both to ourselves and others. I've met so many wonderful friends through it and have created a space for those around me who were curious as well.
Dante from Devil May Cry 2 // cosplayer : @liminal.kiryuu / photos : @codyjabroni / @scphotodesign25
What many people overlook often is pattern making. Yes, the weapons are big and take time to create perfectly, but creating a tailored coat with high standing collar from pleather is not easier. I made about 5 prototypes of the coat and 1 of my pants before working for 1.5 month with the actual fabric.
I decided to make the newer versions because they look better, in my opinion. I chose these two swords specifically because they are the main ones in the game usually, and I just wanted something big and elaborated. It took me 3 months of cutting, gluing, and sculpting from foam and foam clay. I used a lot of mixed media for the paint process, such as spray paint, acrylic, oil paint, graphite powder, and floor varnish.
My experience comes from 5 years of professional studies in fashion design. I took many classes for pattern making and sewing, so I was able to know the construction part pretty well. But custome made things usually don't come out perfect from first shot unless you have been doing it for many, many, many years.. I just referred to books and kept putting on the prototypes to see what were the mistakes and fix it on a pattern until I was happy.
I met so many talented people recently but what amazed me is how progressive the beading work is over here in America. It's still not the most popular technique but I saw a few that were breathtaking and inspiring.
Darkwing is a pretty niche niche character to some and I always want to spread people’s awareness on what a great show both the original and the new reboot was! In my opinion he will always be the face of the Disney Afternoon, and quite possibly my favorite Disney character of all time
I got so many reactions from many different people! There was a fellow Megavolt cosplayer who was ecstatic to see my cosplay, and so many other people either said my catchphrase “let’s get dangerous”, or sung the theme song when they saw me! It was so good to see so many people recognize such an iconic show from long ago!!
Darkwing Duck was and still is a huge inspiration to me and many others growing up. He may have been bull-headed and egotistical, but he genuinely cares about the people he decided to have in his life and he will never back down in any way.
Whether it’s his original incarnation or the new version from the Ducktales reboot, he never gives up and always keeps swinging and that is always a huge inspiration!
Princess 'Kida' Kidagakash from Disney’s Atlantis : The Lost Empire / Cosplayer: @itsimanibee / photo : @fremenlives
This was my first comic con AND my first cosplay. I think anxiety held me back from doing it for so long. In the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure if it was right for me. In reality, everyone was so kind and I got so many compliments! I probably posed for over a hundred photos, which surprised me because it felt like being a celebrity for a few days. Whenever I took a photo, I also made sure to ask everyone their name just so they can feel a bit more seen.
I went to a small college in upstate New York where it was cloudy and gray most of the school year. I remember having a terrible day and walking along the path back to my dorm feeling very alone and pretty depressed. I passed by this guy, Clark, who looked me in the eye and said hello to me. It might have seemed insignificant but I remember my entire day and mood improved because of that simple gesture. He unfortunately passed away shortly after we graduated, but I think of him often and always make a point to look people in the eye and acknowledge them since then.
Overall, seeing the little girls whose eyes lit up when they saw me was definitely the most memorable part. I cried halfway through SDCC because I had never been surrounded by so many supportive, nice people.
Ever since I was little, I’ve been obsessed with Atlantis. I had the VHS tape and basically watched it on repeat as a kid. It was one of the first fantasy films I remember watching. More importantly, it was the first animated film where I saw a dark-skinned character. It was really cool to see someone who looked like me. I also thought she was SO badass, knowledgeable and ethereal yet grounded. I wanted to be her for as long as I could remember so it was only fitting that I cosplayed as Kida! This is my first cosplay, which surprises a lot of people. I want to cosplay different characters who I would want to emulate in real life
I’ve always loved the Zelda series and always considered cosplaying Zelda, but I never really resonated with her character or any of her outfits. I started looking at some fan art of her redesigned in some of Link’s designs. When I saw the Fierce Deity one I just loved seeing her as a strong character.
It is hilarious to wear this cosplay because of the contacts. Constantly hearing people walk by and freak out because the eyes are pretty creepy. But it was great when someone would come up to me and be like “Fierce Deity ZELDA?!” I just love that moment when you are able to share the love for a character. It’s one of the main reasons I love cosplaying, is just seeing someone’s reaction when they see your cosplay. The excitement of seeing a character you love come to life.
When I first got tickets to my first comic con back in 2019 I felt this pressure to make something to wear. Not a bad pressure, but I felt like how could I go and not wear something that I had made? I turned to some of my current favorite video games to come up with a character design that I liked and thought that I could make. It turned into the perfect hobby for me as I’ve always enjoyed making and crafting things.
In the spring I competed in my first cosplay contest at the Gem State Comic Con. I was pretty nervous because I’m pretty introverted and not good at acting in character. Showing off your cosplay on stage can be so intimidating. Fortunately it was laid back and I did not have to talk too much! I was pretty proud in my Valkyrie cosplay, I had spent a year working on it and had already had a good response to it. Winning the cosplay contest really gave me the confidence in my own cosplays. When you are an artist, you always have some sort of hesitancy about the quality or how good your work is. You can be so critical because it’s your work. But winning the cosplay contest really helped me see past all the things I felt like could have been better.
Lute from Hazbin Hotel / Cosplayer: @alyssabelleross
So I repurposed some of the items from the original design, and commissioned some very talented people for the more intricate parts like the chain mail and wings.
I am cosplaying Lute from Hazbin Hotel! I decided on the character because when I watched the show I was drawn to her character design, her color scheme closely matches my personal out-of-cosplay style, and I always prefer to do the more villainous characters. I also love her personality in the show and love to play with that emotion when posing for photos or videos.
Growing up my biggest dream was to be a Disney princess and when Frozen came out I made my first cosplay, an Elsa ice dress. I then discovered that there was an entire community of people who loved to dress up as their favorite characters. I’m still new to the convention side of cosplaying, my first one was Megacon Orlando 2022. And only started going to them more frequently this year.
Cosplaying and conventions have had a pretty big impact on my life just from the people I have been able to meet and get close with. I’ve met some of my closest friends just by cosplaying from the same show at a con and striking up a conversation about it.
Cowboy Peach & Mario with Toad @hollarityart @icecolebrew @thechristopherescalante / photo : ejen
I have been cosplaying Princess Peach for almost two years now and I have cosplayed as her in her regular princess gown, her vacation swimsuit, a witch version of her regular dress, her red carpet dress, her wedding dress, and now her cowboy outfit.
I grew up loving Princess Peach when I was a child because she was a beautiful princess who could hold her own in a video game world. She’s demure yet determined, and a personal role model. Peach is such a joy to cosplay because almost everyone recognizes her and is so excited to see her. I especially love seeing how kids react to seeing Peach.
Conventions can be overwhelming and confusing to people, especially children, who are not used to all the characters and activities there, but Princess Peach is a familiar face they can recognize. Having worked with kids for a few years now, I enjoy being a reassuring presence and greeting kids and families with a warm smile and a Peachy platitude.
When the video game Princess Peach: Showtime was announced I knew I had to try one of her new outfits. She has several new costumes in that game and while I was drawn to many of them, it was Cowgirl Peach that called to me the most.
As a homegrown Texan it felt great to represent my state and heritage with this cowboy fit. For this cosplay I re-used my Peach wig, her brooch, and my Bowsette horns (another similar cosplay that has horns).
For the new elements, I thrifted and modified most of the pieces- the chaps were a pair of vegan leather pants I found at a thrift shop and cut into the correct chap shape. I also picked up a belt and cowboy boots at the thrift store too, and I modified the belt to fit through the chaps and through a rodeo style belt buckle. I work at a children’s toy store so I picked up some of my cowboy gear there (the hat and some accessories). And the lasso was a repurposed Wonder Woman lasso of truth, haha.
I am big on recycling clothing items I already have, and this was a great down to earth cosplay to do that with. My husband cosplayed Cowboy Mario with me and most of his outfit is clothing items we already have plus additional cowboy accessories I picked up from the toy store I work at. His outfit is based on the Mario Party cowboy outfit!
The response was wonderful! So many people asked to take our photos and the gasps of recognition we heard when we turned a corner or got off an elevator were delightful. It really feels like being a celebrity when people stop to ask to take your photo. We even had a moment when we were talking to someone real world famous who has millions of followers (I won’t name drop) but people stopped to ask to take photos of us while we were RIGHT next to them. It is so surreal, and makes me want to work harder each time I cosplay. It’s like being an ambassador for the character. You want to represent them respectfully and leave people with a great impression.
Warren Worthington (Angel) from The X-Men : @kingsmilescosplay / photo: @heardthisstorybefore
So I didn’t put them together; I got them from a shop on Etsy. Unfortunately the shop closed down and I can’t remember the name of it, but they took about three months to arrive to me. From my understanding about them, they’re a thin styrofoam I believe used for ground insulation or something like that you can find giant rolls of at a hardware store. Individually cut then layered on some kind of posable frame.
Navigating crowds was pretty alright, honestly! Most people gave a wide berth around me to make room, and when going through Artist Alley, I just took my time. Lots of understanding (and impressed) people that definitely had a lot of patience with me, lol
Any kind of compliment on my cosplay feels like the lottery, but those people that completely stop to ask me about the wings or ask me for a picture feels incredible. Someone took a picture of me and put it on Twitter, and my non-con friend sent me the picture the next day and was like “is this you?!? You’re viral on X/Twitter!” At its peak, the post reached almost 400k views which made me freak out haha. Definitely overwhelmed with love, ESPECIALLY from fellow X-Men fans! Many said they’d never seen an Angel cosplay, but let me be the first to say I’m definitely not the first - @oldfashionednerd was a big inspiration for me.
When Miles Morales (Spider-Man) was first introduced in the comic books, my brother was inspired to do a short film and my mom got him a suit. When we went to a con, he didn’t move 10 feet without being stopped for a picture. I thought he looked awesome and he had everyone’s attention. When his suit needed an update, my mom extended the offer to me and I said yes! I was maybe….I believe 17 at the time. I went with Nightwing.
Nightwing was a hero is kinda familiar with - watched a LOT of Batman growing up and I thought the suit was so cool. I went to my second ever con in costume, and that was all she wrote. Pics from conger’s were fun, but then when my friend suggested we go to a nearby alley and take some “on-scene” photos, it became more than pics at a con in costume. I felt so strong, so connected to the hero, and it was awesome. Then I started making my own money and it was OVER for my wallet.
Susumu Kodai from Space Battleship Yamato
Cosplayer: @the.yamato.boy
Photo : @m_padron15
Funny enough at anime cons, not a lot of people recognize it as the Space Battleship Yamato, they usually just get hyped over seeing a massive ship at a con or war buffs notice the resemblance. Only a couple of people have recognized it. The ones that do though go nuts. The fanbase is fiercely loyal and even at Katsucon, the official Hotel Liason let me store the Yamato in his executive suite! Alas sadly barely anyone in my age group knows what Space Battleship Yamato is.
C2E2 was the first time I ever brought Yamato to a regular comic convention. The amount of people that recognized it there was actually comical. The cherry on top was that most people recognized it as the Argo or Intrepido.
What I'm most appreciative is that it's a way to bond the current generation of anime fans with the old and offers an opportunity to explore anime history.
Yamato started out as a binding point with my dad and I. He’s always been there for me but was a mystery at the same time. When I was like 2-3~ish my family still had an old Quasar TV with a built in VHS tape player. This was the kind of TV where you could feel your eyeballs melting out from the TV static. Anyway we had a singular VHS tape of Star Blazers- specifically the episodes where Argo uses the asteroid ring and then says goodbye to your families. As a certified Scooby-Doo fan, seeing #1 a cartoon with actual camera angles and cinema techniques was mind blowing to me and really stuck out, #2 there was a journey. The episodic countdown made me so mad because I knew I was only watching a piece of something bigger. My dad realized this and for my 5th birthday he bought me a full DVD set of all the episodes from Season 1. Afterward I drew little Yamato’s everywhere.
Eventually the spark that was Star Blazers would erupt into a burning flame that has become my love for Yamato. A couple of years ago my Grandpa was fighting with terminal lung cancer. We lived in America and he lived in South Korea so commute was tough and I didn’t get to see him all the time. During this time I was also getting bullied a lot and my mom thought it’d be good if I finished my elementary school years in Korea with my cousins so we moved there for a bit. I was a total fish out of water but a lot of my friends built Gunpla. I had no idea what a gundam was so I decided to research and went to Gundam Base Side 3 which is in Downtown Daegu. Remember the remake just came out at this time so there was a huge display dedicated to Yamato 2199. I really wanted a Yamato and had a meltdown in the store, like a full tantrum. I remember coming back to my apartment with my mom and just thinking non stop about it.
The week following, my grandpa took me instead and I’m guessing my mom told me how badly I wanted it because he got me not only a 1/1000 Yamato 2199 kit, but also the Garmilus 3 ship model pack. I was absolutely overjoyed and would not stop playing with that. The kit was later destroyed after a smaller big shelf collapse. He also died about a year afterward. It serves as a core memory and a reminder of him. As I shifted more into model building I dived more into gunpla until I was about 15. Highschool sucked. A lot.
The transition into being a freshman took a lot on my mental health. I got assaulted and the stress of everything caved in and I tried to take my own life. It’s a lot to Unpack and I’m not super comfortable talking about it, but it’s nessacary because of what happened.
Basically I got sent to outpatient which is like full time therapy sessions but school length. As cliche as it sounds, I brought a small Yamato with me. In order for it to fit comfortably in my pocket I froze super glue all over the fins and sharp bits so I would stab myself in the thigh on accident, iykyk.
One of the things they told us in outpatient as a coping mechanism was that if we ever felt as bad as we did previously, think about the small things, and try on focus things that we would want to stay for. Well oh boy let me tell you, Yamato 2202 was coming out at this time and because of the format they were doing the movie part releases so 4 episodes every 4 months I think and I kept convincing myself that if I was gone, I would not see the end.
The ending of 2202 not only brought around the end of that purpose but also wholly changed my outlook on my life. “The planets only stay in their places, only we have the power to give them beauty.” – Teresa of Telezart
To say the ship had an impact on my life is an understatement. It was a reason to live at one point. On March 2nd/3rd when the announcement of Matsumoto’s passing came out I was absolutely devasted. I didn’t eat or sleep the following couple of days.
not a lot of people still know Yamato so in order to make conversation with other anime fans I picked up other shows but Yamato largely was my heart and soul. Matsumoto’s passing was what urged me to finally start. I wanted to build something that would not only bring me closer to Matsumoto but would hopefully give Yamato what it had given me- another life- sort of- maybe a little too dramatic, interpret that as you do idk.
I want more people to watch Yamato and understand its message. We live in a day and age of constant bickering and isolation. We are all cogs in an economic machine. While we get blinded by work and debate, Yamato exists to teach people that it’s important to have dreams, to chase love and that maybe we can break out of our predicament – To truly know that you’re not alone is the meaning of Love, and that we must meet the challenge and the impossible will become possible – And finally, there is no one right-way to live – are all things that Yamato teaches.
Lobo from DC Comics: uhbrutal.cos / photo: @story_logic
Yes, it was Lobo! I decided on the character just alil bit after I first started cosplaying. I have only been for about a year and a half. Though I love his comics, another reason I chose him is because I am tryin to pick characters that showcase my natural hair. (I was rereading some one day and just had a brain blast to cosplay him)
I was alil underwhelmed by the response to him during Katsu. I will say I was lucky enough that some people who stopped me were just as big fans as I was or took some incredible photos I wouldn't have been able to. I think I was only underwhelmed because when I did Dr.Rockso from Metalocalypse my first convention, I was surprised how many people recognized him.
I think I have always known about cosplay? Just not the specific name itself til after high school. I always would see characters from tv shows, movies, or any other type of media and want to dress up as them from a young age. It took me awhile to actually get into it and I'm so glad I finally did
Captain America / Mr. Rogers : @booty_mk19 / photo: @story_logic
My origin story is my kids- I started taking them to cons maybe 12 or 13 years ago, and they wanted to cosplay. Trying to be a good Dad, I joined in with some simple stuff- Dr Who or Slenderman, things I could do with stuff in my closet already or spending less than $20 at Goodwill.
Then I found I enjoyed it- nothing makes my day more than being asked for a picture or a kid running up to excited because they recognize me.
My kids are adults now… but we still go to Katsucon, Otakon, and our local Dover Comic Con every year.
I tend to cosplay characters from older media- Gilligan from Gilligans Island, Robin from the 1960s Batman TV show, that sort of thing.
So when I saw a comic strip about Thor and Mr Rogers, the idea of Mr Rogers carrying Mjöllnir was born. From there, the Steve Rogers/Fred Rogers connection took over- and not just with me. There’s a fan theory that after Steve Rogers took back the Infinity Stones, he went into public television.
When Frozen came out in 2013, I immediately related to Elsa. She’s essentially stuck being perfect and just wants to be independent and live her life. This cosplay was bought from ProCos and modified to fit my measurements! I also bedazzled a lot of it myself. The costume was very well received at katsu! so many people came to ask for pictures and complimented me. I had a lotttt of kids as well!
I started cosplaying when I was about 14 to local conventions! I hand stitched all of my costumes because I was scared of sewing machines. I thrifted and modified a lot, and continue to do so with my cosplays! This is only my second Katsu, but I plan on coming back more and more!
My advice would be to never be afraid to try new things. Also, practicing crafting and making things. Thrift all that you can too! All cosplay is valid and you’ll always look good so long as you put effort in and have fun!
