Cosplay isn’t just about costumes; it’s an intense passion that brings together creativity, community, and personal stories. Each cosplayer has a unique journey, often filled with challenges, triumphs, and unforgettable memories. These personal stories paint a vivid picture of what it means to step into the shoes of beloved characters.
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Scrapper Costuming (New York CIty)
Photo: @making.with.megan The Classic Batman TV series, to my memory was my first real exposure to superhero media- my parents were both the right age to watch the…
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Marc Kandel (NEW YORK)
Photo: @Miggychagon Iron Man, the Silver Centurion and later the Modular armor, were chosen as all my builds are, from a period from roughly 1982 to 1994, the…
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Molotov Bailey
All the responses were great but this one older guy on the Hyatt sky bridge totally flipped out, Jumping around and Yelling that he had been watching…
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EMMA (New Mexico)
My first con was in Baltimore for Otakon 2001. Pre 9/11! I originally wanted to attend a con either out in Colorado or Texas, but I was the…
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Buffalo’s Best Batman (Buffalo, NY)
William Lorenz, Jr. may not be a name you immediately recognize; however, Lorenz’s alter-ego has brought him increasingly into the spotlight as Buffalo’s Best Batman. Ever since Lorenz…
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Project Bazooka (Los Angeles, CA)
(ge.sicht and woodwarder_) Interview by Ejen Chuang / Written by Zippy Project Bazooka is a West Coast photographer based in Los Angeles. His cosplay photography journey started at…
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@alia_vera
Dressing as Madame Leota was inspired by many years of visiting Disneyland with my favorite ride being the Haunted Mansion. My family wanted to do a group costume for…
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@vakermaker (Dallas, TX)
For as long as I can remember, Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays due to the fact that it was the one where you could…
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ventuswentus
(photo: Felix Wong) He’s cool as hell, punk, AND BLACK? That’s such a win for black fans, especially black fans who are alternative like me. This has been…
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kangelicx (Washington DC)
(photo: @quachstar.jpg) I started making my costumes at the age of 12. I learned about cosplay through my love of art, movies, and gaming. As a child I…
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@blueclarice (Pennsylvania)
I’ve always enjoyed dressing up. When I was a kid I would refuse to go anywhere without wearing a tiara which eventually evolved in me not going anywhere…
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@super.ultra.omega (Rhode Island)
( photo: BakedKristi ) With my builds, I do my best to pay the ultimate tribute. ‘Toy Story’ has been a franchise that never ceases to take me…
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@NIMSCRAFT (Cleveland, OH)
My Assassin’s Creed outfit was my one of my most ambitious projects and I have learned a lot of crafting techniques in the process of making it: leatherwork,…
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Miss Relena & Angelic Threads (Hurricane, UT & Las Vegas, NV)
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Alice in Wonderland stories from when I was little. When Ouran High School Host Club was released, I was equally…
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Mike and Carol Resnick
(Image source) In 1972, as I was standing shoulder to shoulder with half a hundred sweating photographers trying to get pictures of some of the masquerade costumes, I…
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Logan Allen Wolf (Atlanta, GA)
Since I had a Spider-Man costume, I decided to bring it and wear it – much to the dismay of my childhood friend Kevin. I can hear my…
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Sumikins cosplay (portland, OR)
I am cosplaying Rue from Princess Tutu – Specifically her Fire Festival dress from Episode 5. Princess Tutu is arguably my favorite series of all time. I love all of…
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CaffEineCraft & Setterspecs (Chicago, IL)
Photo: Payton’s Photography CAFFEINECRAFT: This is the story of how Setterspecs and I met and how things came together for us to get married the day before Anime…
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LuckyGrim Cosplay (Boston, MA)
As soon as all of us in Sakizou costumes found each other we gushed over each others costumes. In this photo was showing the girls the new metal…
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IAN (Dallas, TX)
I was reading the comic Young Avengers when it re-launched from Marvel. It was not only super funny but super insightful about gender norms and race. As a…
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Damon & Yancey (Minneapolis, MN)
My first experience cosplaying…this may sound odd, but the best part was meeting many other cosplayers and those people who don’t cosplay but appreciate what we do. Wearing…
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Caroline & MoIses (Los Angeles, CA)
My first comic con that I attended was at Long Beach Comic Con 2009 where Stan Lee cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony. I was a bit…
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Camille (Los Angeles, CA)
Growing up, I was pretty sheltered. My parents wouldn’t let me watch too much tv or listen to music besides jazz and classical… and that probably is why…
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William, Evelyn & Natalie (Vancouver, WA)
The crowds never really bothered Evelyn. She’s kind of a ham and likes attention, so people asking for pictures made her day, plus she could show off her…
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Babychwan (Anaheim, CA)
I found out about cosplay through my friends when I went to high school. My friends Brittanie and Mat invited me to stay with them at Anime Expo…
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A7L Props (Huntsville, AL)
Written : Zippy Wayne Neumaier (A7L Props), a cosplayer, teacher, cancer survivor, and a veritable rocket scientist by day, had just seen the announcement of the Artemis II…
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@samurairocker55 (Los Angeles, CA)
It was 2002 and I just finished the first Devil May Cry video game. I had a black leather jacket, some toy guns and this huge sword so…
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@sweetieplague (Chicago, IL)
The idea to cosplay as the C2E2 sign has been in the making for around 4 years now. I was previously inspired to think outside the box by…
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Clinton (Owasso, OK)
I’ve always been a big fan of superheroes and I have a big fondness for a lot of the classics, especially Golden Age (1940s) versions. A friend and…
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@FernsideDragons (Seattle, WA)
CIA What inspired the Nyan cat? MEGAN I have loved Nyan cat ever since I first watched the video in April 2011. Nyan cat has always brought me…
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Rethink Cosplay (New York, NY)
Written : Zippy / Photo : Felix Wong Ariel Krupnik, aka Rethink Cosplay, creates elaborate and unique cosplays that not only make you do a double take in…
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Jordan Rennert (Los Angeles, CA)
I have been working on Cosplay Universe since 2015, so that means it’s been about seven years! I met Lauren St. Laurent while working on a previous film…
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Sheik (San Francisco, CA)
I grew up watching Wonder Woman with Linda Carter in it because my mom loved watching the show. I loved how beautiful, smart and tough she was. Everything…
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@CosplayMom99 (Los Angeles, CA)
Photo: @bb49r Everything Everywhere All At Once went viral and it was really exciting to see all of the buzz about it. Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis win the…
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Kim (Anchorage, AK)
I am a self taught seamstress, and aside from one class about how to thread my machine back when I was 13 everything else has been a mix…
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Myleah of Lumikha Cosplay Resale
At only 26 years of age, Myleah has already made her way through college, started an anime convention, worked as a journalist and a social media marketer, and…
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Trap Sushi (Atlanta, GA)
Over the last decade Atlanta’s reputation as a hub for fandom and geek culture has grown. Much of this growth is driven by the success of major conventions…
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Ted (Los Angeles, CA)
I’ve loved comics and superheroes ever since I was a kid. That was a long time ago, but I haven’t given up my “kid spirit”. Around…
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Benjamin (Cypress, CA)
I spend well over a year combining as many outfits as I could to create closet cosplays that actually weren’t half bad, and over time I got better…
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Dash Gordon (League City, TX)
Not all heroes wear capes; however, in the appropriately comic book sounding League City, Texas, there’s one hero who certainly does, and his good deeds are getting noticed.…
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OYIMI Cosplay (Seattle, WA)
We, Ben (Lone Starr), Victoria (Barf), and Karen (Dark Helmet), start tossing out ideas where we can convincingly incorporate the wheelchair into the cosplay. There is usually a…
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@theblackbard (Chicago, IL)
I’m a fashion designer and have always been a nerd/gaymer. But until about 8 years ago I never knew that cons existed, or that people dressed up to…
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StrangeCatCosplay & Fooprawn (New Orleans, LA)
CIA: What was it about @btanselanocian‘s redesign that inspired y’all to tackle this project? STRANGE CAT COSPLAY: When I saw the designs I fell in love with the props,…
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Ashentrees (Philadelphia, PA)
So i did change like the credit card numbers to be like 2023, all of the coupon codes are the dates of the first weekend of the first…
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Alan Yeh (Cary, NC)
Being in cosplay repair can definitely get you into some strange circumstances. Last year at Dragon Con a Mr. Mime cosplayer ran up to yelling “HELP ME MY…
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T.J Burnside Clapp (Arlington, VA)
The photos were taken at the 1977 Halloween party that was hosted by the University of Maryland Association of Star Trek (UMAST). I was a 16-year-old high school…
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TrisRex (Chicago, IL)
Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, TrisRex was enamored by horror/sci-fi films, ad comics at a young age. He’s best known for his dark and…
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Charmedseed (Denver, CO)
I was born in Indiana and raised in Wyoming before moving to Colorado for college. Having grown up very crafty and creative, as well as a little nerdy,…
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Aaron & Amber (Nashville, TN)
We were making jokes about Attack Titan characters one day and came up with the name Han-G, imagining her [{Amber] in gangsta gear and gold chains. Amber decided…
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Soydoka (Chicago, IL)
I decided to crossplay as Ruby Rose because she is my favorite character from Rooster Teeth’s RWBY. She’s fun character in the series, can be silly at times,…
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Sarah (Nashville, TN)
Styling wigs can be a pain trying to manipulate the fibers to stay in these shapes and forms that real hair has no control over. You sometimes want…
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Toni Darling (Phoenix, AZ)
The biggest misconception is that everyone will make tons and tons of money. That just isn’t true for most people. The hardest thing for most girls to accept,…
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Shiratori Hime Cosplay (New Orleans, LA)
I’ve been a fan of Steven Universe since the very beginning. Mega Pearl spoke to me in terms of the acceptance of oneself. This cosplay was initially made…
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Luna (Ocean City, NJ)
As a kid I used to make little costumes for the dolls. My parents would always help me make my Halloween costumes from scratch. So I was really…
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Monkey Monsters Cosplay (Los Angeles, CA)
Santos Medrano : The idea came from a joke that I made about myself. See, I love cosplaying, I always loved the idea of dressing up, sadly I lost…
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Brandon (Orlando, FL)
I found out about cosplay and conventions from my Vice President from the Japanese Culture Club, when we were in High School. I mostly knew only the culture…
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Punished Props (Seattle, WA)
I’m way into video games. For example, I played World of Warcraft for five years. At a certain point the only way that I could express how much…
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NegativeDreamer (Orlando, FL)
I got into cosplay a bit later than most… 28 years old. I always was into Halloween my whole life, and as I got older I tended to…
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Lisa Lake (Atlanta, GA)
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…
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Regina (Portland, OR)
When I started getting interested in cosplay and costuming, I had absolutely no knowledge of sewing or fabric! I remember going to @FabricDepot in Portland for the first time with…
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@Houston_Fisk (Houston, TX)
Alrighty so here’s my story. Dallas Comic Con . This was my first con to ever attend and I didn’t want to do cosplay at the time, because…
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Vaultfox (Pittsburgh, PA)
Cosplay is not only my creative outlet, it’s sort of morphed into my own personal therapy over the years. I started cosplaying back in 2016 when I bought…
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Subaru Camui (Las Vegas, NV)
So my cosplay origin story started back when I was in fifth grade. I was 10 and my mom told me she couldn’t afford to get me a…
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Cosplay Repair Fairy
I pretty much carry on with anything, and I mean anything, that I think could be useful. I have the basics that anyone would have like needle and…
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@Wasted_Fett (Las Vegas, NV)
Once you learn how to make molds and casts in which there’s hundreds of techniques and tons of materials to work with, the most difficult part is actually…
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Phaleure Cosplay (Columbia, MD)
We are all pretty local to each other so we do it quite often at least once or twice before each major con. If we can’t meet in…
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Lisachu (Anchorage, AK)
I chose to make a Vault Suit because Fallout is one of my favorite games. I’ve made other outfits from the series in the past, but held off…
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@DraconPern (San Antonio, TX)
It started probably back in 2006 or 2007. You get bored and you look online for anime-related stuff and by chance I see these characters, these photos online.…
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Josh & Sheena (Christiana, TN)
We met in high school and started dating. I used to carry a DragonBallZ notebook. I had about three or four hundred DragonBall Z pictures in it. Her…
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Superman (2012)
“That’s pretty much what superheroes are: a symbol of hope for society,” Christopher Dennis says. “When I’m out there on Hollywood, I’m portraying the character of Superman … that’s…
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Jez Roth (Las Vegas, NV)
I opened up the School of Cosplay in November of 2019, right before covid. And I wanted to open this because I’ve been cosplaying since I was 13…
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Steffanie (Ashburn, VA)
Photo: @Zarf_ I’ve only been doing cosplay for about 2 years. But in that short time, it’s become a major part of my life. My first con was MAGFest…
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Assist Wigs (Los Angeles, CA)
So the Assist Cosplay story started 30 years ago in 1992 with a company called NII, which stands for Nothing Is Impossible. They are a Japanese anime good’s…
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Rick Prince (Nashville, TN)
[Face Off has] been an absolute and incredible ride. Over the arc of the past year, things have been really moving in leaps and bounds, for me. It’s…
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Gerald (Nashville, TN)
Gerald of SPN Creative & Mage TV It all started back at a convention called Omnicon in Cookeville, TN back in 2012. I ran into a group of Kingdom Hearts…
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Patience (Anchorage, AK)
Well I don’t believe I really became a geek until my first time at Senshi Con back in 2012-2013. I didn’t know about the cosplay world until I…
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Volpin Props (Atlanta,GA)
In 2013 as part of the second book, I flew to Atlanta to visit cosplayers including Harrison Krix of Volpin Props. He had gain some attention for the…
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Kendra (Whitewater, WI)
Deadpool was one of the first comic book characters that I really connected with. The humor and antics were so funny, and it’s one of the only comic…
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Rachel (New Orleans, LA)
When I first started cosplaying was a silly thing and only thought you could dress up on Halloween. After a few years of myself cosplaying, I told my…
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@CosplayRepairMedic (Pittsburgh, PA)
How did I become a cosplay medic? I find we get this question a lot and it surprises people how far back this goes for me. When I…
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CHIP (Chicago, IL)
My group of friends usually gets pretty into Halloween, so everyone wants to have a good costume. And through that I found it was fun to create costumes.…
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Jessica Nigri (Phoenix, AZ)
Hi. I’m Jessica Nigri. I’m 22 years old. I’m cosplaying. Since 2009 at San Diego Comic-Con. I like long walks on the beach. Actually my friend got me…
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The Mending Medic (Raleigh, NC)
My favorite thing is people’s reactions when they realize that I have hot glue. It’s a mixture of disbelief and amazement, and I love it. Another awesome thing…
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Garrett (Los Angeles, CA)
My first experience attending a convention was in 2006 with a friend of mine. We just graduated high school and wanted to check out Anime Expo which was…
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Matt (Anchorage, AK)
Remembering my childhood, I believe My Neighbor Totoro was my first anime feature film, didn’t mind the dubbed version until discovering subbed versions of animes in my high…
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@alia_vera
Dressing as Madame Leota was inspired by many years of visiting Disneyland with my favorite ride being the Haunted Mansion. My family wanted to do a group costume for…
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@vakermaker (Dallas, TX)
For as long as I can remember, Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays due to the fact that it was the one where you could…
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ventuswentus
(photo: Felix Wong) He’s cool as hell, punk, AND BLACK? That’s such a win for black fans, especially black fans who are alternative like me. This has been…
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kangelicx (Washington DC)
(photo: @quachstar.jpg) I started making my costumes at the age of 12. I learned about cosplay through my love of art, movies, and gaming. As a child I…