It was my first time going to NYCC so I didn’t know what to expect. I was especially concerned how my 9 month old son would react. A friend who is an OG at the con suggested we go Thursday or Sunday since those are the slower days. We went Thursday, the opening of NYCC. My son and I cosplayed as Chi Chi and little Gohan since I’m a huge fan of DBZ. I also made sure to choose easy comfortable cosplays so I could focus on the baby, unlike most I have that would typically require a handler.
His Gohan outfit made so many people happy. Especially at the Dragon Ball booths. He ended up taking a nap at the Dragon Ball panel. He was squealing and jumping at the new Daima trailer and then suddenly knocked out a minute later. I guess he wasn’t impressed lol. We would make sure to take plenty of breaks to get him out of the stroller. Otherwise, he would get fussy.
The show area had several booths that were carpeted which was perfect so we would just sit in a corner for a bit to rest. He almost crawled for the first time during one of those breaks! NYCC also has a designated spot on the first floor for kids activities. It was a very convenient area to rest and feed him. My son also wears a helmet so we put a Captain America decal wrap over it. The extra day we took him, he was Captain America to meet Chris Evans at his photo op. Chris loved his outfit! Overall it was one of my favorite cons. Seeing my son have so much fun even at 9 months old created unforgettable memories for me.
Hestu from Legend of Zelda / Cosplayer: @any_reason_to_empower_cosplay / Photo: @jamesyealyvisuals
My mother helped me make different Halloween costumes always different then before. Looking into homemade Halloween costumes kinda lead down the rabbit hole into cosplay. In school I had other friends who’s been to conventions and talked about cosplay, it helped fuel me into looking in the community more. Since jumping into cosplay, it’s something I’m not looking into quitting anytime soon.
Our instagram came to life because we are two best friends with a love of a good theme and having any reason to dress up. The idea of anyone feeling empowered to try something new because they saw something we did would just be amazing. But even if we don’t reach others, we are constantly inspiring each other, and that in itself makes this all so much fun.
The con goers loved Hestu and he even got an honorable mention during the hall costume contest. People who were familiar with the character would say dialogue from the game to him and many others requested photos. It was amazing to hear a passing voice yell “Hestu!” “Yahaha” or “SHAKALA” when walking around the con.
Our Hestu at Katsucon was my second version of him. The first version was rough (but still brought much joy) and I wanted to redo him so he could easily be reworn whenever we wanted. He is a larger than life character that makes everyone smile, especially when shaking his maracas. I like to make cosplays that evoke nostalgia or joy especially if I get to learn a new skill set.came from both.
For his construction, the original pattern was hand drawn on large paper by looking at pictures of the character from the video game Breath of the Wild. I used nylon rip stop fabric so that he could be inflated. There are two fans that insert into the back. He was hand painted with acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium to lessen the cracking of the paint. His eyebrows, nose, and canopy are made of the same fabric as the body but are filled with polyfill. They attach to the body using Velcro. His leaf mask is a thin piece of foam painted with acrylic and coated with a sealant.
The person wearing Hestu is actually wearing a steel shoulder strap harness (what snare drummers use for marching band) that was modified to screw pvc pipes into it to help support the structure of Hestu’s tree limbs and canopy. The maracas were made from a balloon and a pvc pipe. Paper mache, plaster caste strips, and foam clay helped make the final form before painting with acrylic paints. Just like in the game, korok seeds we made from resin were used to make the maraca sounds. Our Korok named Jeff also loved handing out golden korok seed pins to con goers who found our group throughout the day.
Toad is a timeless character. Both young and old love them, Toad was such a scene stealer in the almost recent Super Mario Bros Movie, and is one of the best characters to play/interact with in the game.
The costume is mostly made out of foam padding and felt fabric. Two materials I had never worked with before. The most challenging part is trying to glue everything down, make it stick, and keep its shape!
Almost everyone recognized Toad at New York Comic Con. I could barely get a few feet forward before getting asked for pictures. It was quite challenging and the inside does get hot despite the two fans I had inside.
My cosplay origin story started back in 2015 when a close friend invited me to my very first New York Comic Con. I had built a Bane costume out of cardboard and tubing. After seeing all the intricate cosplayers in attendance, I was inspired to also build my own.
Red Hood from DC Comics // Cosplayer: @raijincosplay // Photo: @marcosmedia
I've always had a particular love for characters with tragic backstories which they turned into strengths and what drives them. The Red Hood has a soft place in my heart for these reasons as well as the personality he has.
I have gone through several renditions of the character over the past 5 years I've done him. Tapping into my own creative talents as well as various other artist's creations. I started primarily at the suggestion of a close friend of mine (@8o8darkknight) who gave me a helmet he created. Over time in our group I had a love for the character more and more that I decided to do a version of him all my own using different parts from other artists. A helmet from @godofprops, leather jacket from @lucajackets, body armor from UD replicas along with a few other pieces I've had sitting around and I had something I liked and felt comfortable with. Err well maybe not comfortable but rather looking the part (The entire outfit is an OVEN).
Goodness me the past 5 years with this character has certainly blended together. Aside from our local conventions, I've taken the outfit to Anime Expo and Dragon Con. I've done more sidekicks and obscure characters so I often get mistaken for other characters but it's no problem to me. I believe the best response I've ever gotten was during the 2018 Dragon con parade. There a young child in the crowds that was along the parade route back, recognized my buddy and I as Red Hood and Batman Beyond. When he shook my hand as I walked by I forgot about the heat and all I remember was making the little guy happy. That made my entire day worth it.
Sam from Trick R’ Treat
Cosplayer: @jenumicosplay
Photo: @cosplay_reverie
Con: Dragon Con 2022 (Atlanta, GA)
I created this dress to have to interchangeable trains. One that was short, for walking around the con, and one that was extremely long, that I wore for a villain fashion show and photoshoot. After my photoshoot during DragonCon, I decided to keep the long train on since we were planning on staying in the same area. People would accidentally step on it and with horror in their face, apologize profusely for stepping on my gown. To which I would reply "No need to be sorry! It's free weathering!" The beauty of creating a weathered costume like this is that you can always use more wear & tear.
Sam is the main character from the most underrated & amazing Halloween movie, Trick R' Treat. (If you have yet to watch this movie, you need to change that ASAP) Sam is the spirit of Halloween night, symbolizing both its innocent whimsy and underlying darkness. I had fallen in love with this movie the first time I saw it and it quickly became a yearly tradition to watch it during October. I had decided to pay homage to this masterpiece of Halloween by putting my interpretation of Sam in ballgown form.
Majority of the candy on the front of the dress was all hand made. The suckers were laser cut from acrylic. The candy bars were made from foam, foam clay, and real candy wrappers. (My boyfriend took one for the team & helped me with acquiring wrappers from Halloween candy). For the razer blades, I used orange plastic scrapers that I painted and cut into shape. A fun side note, the bloody handprint on my dress was made with my own hand. I had been splattering the red paint & then realized I had a lot of paint still on my hand. So instead of wiping it off with a paper towel, I used the fabric... strategically of course.
Somnacanth from Monster Hunter
Cosplayer: @the_gnome_queen // photo: quachstar.jpg
I’ve been cosplaying for 9 years and every time I choose a cosplay I like to add something new to my skillset. Sometimes it’s from a franchise I’m deeply familiar with and sometimes it’s just something that catches my eye. Somnacanth was an example of the latter. I saw the concept art for the armor and was immediately drawn in by how different it was. The colors, the design, and the potential to add my own details to the armor was what attracted me. But I don’t like being ignorant of the source material and I hadn’t played Monster Hunter in years, so I started picked up Monster Hunter Rise. What I love about the game is the creature and world design, as well as the ability to craft materials into your own weapons and armor.
Although the world of Monster Hunter doesn’t technically have magic, there are similar qualities to the experience. The Somnacanth Armor reminded me of something inspired by mysticism and the creature itself has almost supernatural qualities that I wanted to capture in the amor and details. I love finding new technology and incorporating it into my cosplays. With a recent project I discovered tiny LCD screens that play back eyeball visual effects with movement. I knew I wanted to incorporate that into the monster head prop. However, I had never used that technology before and so it took some time to learn and master the coding needed to customize that effect as well as the wiring involved.
One of my favorite aspects of cosplay is connecting with other creators and “talking shop”. Each year, NYCC draws extremely talented individuals to compete in the Crown Champsionships of Cosplay. I’ve been able to meet some truly amazing makers who are so giving and passionate about sharing knowledge within the cosplay community. NYCC was one of the first conventions I returned to in a post pandemic world and so it’s special to me in that way.
This was my third time competing in the Crown Championships at NYCC and while I had won a category in the past, this was my first time placing in the contest. It’s truly an honor (and so humbling) to be recognized by such inspiring judges and stand alongside other cosplayers who are at the top of their game. I’ve never travelled to a convention that hasn’t been within driving distance from my home. The chance to attend C2E2 for the finals and meet other cosplayers from around the country and the world is thrilling! I hope to make the Monster Hunter community proud!
Something I really love about cosplay is seeing people’s reactions to something I’ve worked so hard on. With my Somnacanth Armor I was especially proud of all the details I added. From hand beading to lighting sfx and foam smithing to 3d modelling I am floored when people get to see the details I’ve added. There’s nothing more gratifying than someone saying “look at this…but then look at this….and then there’s this!”
I love sharing knowledge about making things. When someone reaches out with a question about how I did something, or how they can learn a new skill it feels good. I hope my passion for this craft and community comes across in what I share.
Cosplay has given me the opportunity to have a creative outlet among a group of likeminded people. Growing up, my father always taught me that age is just a number and if you love something you should embrace it. He passed away just before I started cosplay as a hobby and so I threw myself into it to deal with my grief. I was initially reluctant to share my hobby with those in my everyday life, but as I learned more about myself through crafting, I became more confident and proud of my creations. I realized I wanted to be the person that younger me would be proud of.
I know a lot of people find them creepy, but I really just love gnomes! I’m totally dating myself, but I grew up watching a cartoon called David the Gnome. Gnomes have always kind of followed me throughout my life. Friends and family give them to me as gifts. They’re all over my house in small and large ways. I even have two gnome tattoos!
SnowWhite from the Motherland
Cosplayer: @lakelilovescosplay
Photo: @shotbyryandee
I am an African American cosplayer and there is very little African American representation in certain genres, so I love to take well known characters and add my own cultural influence. It means a lot to me to have opportunities to show that cosplay can be inclusive and have diversity and that you can be creative and bring your own representation to any character. Snow White even by her name is historically the “fairest of them all” quite literally. Her name is even coined from having skin as white as snow. I thought this would be the perfect character to bring some color and minority representation to.
The biggest challenge was creating her dress utilizing African fabrics and designs in a way that the character would still be recognizable but I could still pay homage to African culture. I tried several different skirt designs before finally going with a design that could tie in the same colors as the original Snow White costume but add some flair to it. It wasn’t hard to add the accessories once I figured out the skirt and dress design
The best experience was being stopped by children and adults off all different colors, seeing the smiles when they saw my colorful dress, asking for pictures, wanting hugs, and being told that they loved my cosplay dress. It was so rewarding to have such a warm reception and to genuinely have my work appreciated.
I am a co-founder of a disability nonprofit organization called Telic Empowerment and the best part is helping bring respect, inclusion and acceptance of people with disabilities to my community. It is very similar to how I feel about cosplay in that I am passionate about helping change the culture of how people see others that are different. In cosplay, I’m trying to also expose people to seeing characters in all different shades and I’m advocating for people to respect, accept and appreciate the creativity a cosplayer of color has when they decide to cosplay a character that
[Cosplay] means creativity, diversity, and inclusion for all. Cosplay means anyone can participate and be free to create whatever you want. Cosplay is a positive outlet that allows people from all walks of life to come together. Cosplay is community.
The worst part of being a cosplayer is seeing the tremendous amount of hate, disrespect, and outright abuse that cosplayers of color have to endure when they choose to cosplay a character that is not of color. I have even experienced this type of racism. This is why I continue to make efforts to showcase representation in all characters I portray.
King Jaffe Joffer from Coming to America
Cosplayer @standoutcosplay
Photo @brilanimagery
There are MANY funny stories with this costume. You rarely see this cosplay, so people freak out when they see it. It's like EVERYBODY'S favorite movie. I get so many people yelling out quotes from the movie like "MY SON WORKS" to "WHAT IS THAT... VELVET ???". Another cool story is that I ran into other characters from the movie like Randy Watson and Hakeem in the McDowell's uniform. We instantly became friends and a cosplay group
Cosplay is literally MY LIFE!! I would do it even if there are no more conventions. I have been cosplaying for over 17 years. I am a Renaissance man, so I love being creative and seeing what I can come up with. I love the smiles on people's faces when they see my cosplays. They tell me that my cosplays make their day and that's my number one goal in cosplay. To inspire and see how many people I can make smile.
I came up with the idea of cosplaying King Jaffe Joffer from my favorite movie Coming To America. At the time Black Panther was coming out and I decided to make the cosplay for the premiere. My cosplay brand is Stand Out Cosplay, so I gear my cosplays to more nostalgic characters people rarely see!
