Cosplay is an ever-growing phenomenon that proudly holds its own as a staple of many major and minor conventions. Japanese reporter Nobuyuki Takahashi attended Worldcon in LA way back in 1984, and it was there that he coined the term ‘Cosplay’ (combining ‘costume’ and ‘play’). But cosplay (formerly known as costuming) began even earlier. ‘Costuming’ can be traced back to the late 1930s when cosplay pioneers Forrest J Ackerman and Mojoro wore the first costumes to a convention in New York. Now, in 2019, cosplay is still growing and is showing no signs of stopping.
While we were at Toronto Comicon last weekend, we were fortunate enough to be among hundreds (maybe even thousands) of cosplayers of all different skill levels; from kids wearing store-bought costumes and rocking them, to people who spent hundreds of hours painstakingly making sure everything was perfect on their handmade cosplays. Everyone was having a great time cosplaying, and that’s what the hobby is all about.
One thing you can almost guarantee to see at most big cons is the 501st Legion. The 501st is a fan-based international organization comprised of people who construct and wear screen accurate replica costumes of various villains from the Star Wars universe. They attend cons (like Toronto Comicon) dressed up and raise money for charity through a variety of ways. My favorite is shooting stormtroopers with a Nerf gun for charity.
Of course, the convention also had some professional cosplayer’s in attendance, but for the most part, the cosplayers we saw were there participating just because they wanted to and enjoyed the activity. Here is only a fraction of what the convention had to offer in terms of awesome cosplays:
(Photos: Wesley Olson)
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