Mommy, what’s a cosplayer?

Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure^?), short for “costume play”, is a type of performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea from a work of fiction. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play. A broader use of the term cosplay applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context.

Favorite sources include manga, anime, comic books, video games, and films. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Inanimate objects are given anthropomorphic forms and it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa. There is also a subset of cosplay culture centered on sex appeal, with cosplayers specifically choosing characters that are known for their attractiveness and/or revealing costumes. (wikipedia)

I’ve known about comic-cons for a few years now and have been a film, video, comic book and anime fan for years and years but it wasn’t until just three years ago that I entered the world of cosplay and I’ve been hooked ever since.  There are some who just do it as a lark; some are very serious about it and belong to groups that have events throughout the year.  Players buy their costumes off the rack, cobble them together out of whatever they may have at home or they buy and alter, and then there are some like a friend of mine who make everything from scratch!

No matter how you pull it together, cosplaying is all about seeing, being seen, and having a lot of fun!

Krypto the Super Dog

Hulk Jr.

Batman and Bane battle

The Joker and the Riddler

Chewbacca

Character from Star Wars

Ghostbusters

Spawn