This week’s hobby is one that spans across many different areas, and has many many participants. It is called CosPlay (short for Costume Play of course). In this hobby people create costumes and then dress as their favorite characters from tv shows, films, or even comic books. Some people may think this is pointless, or childish even, but think back to the last time you wished you were someone else? Maybe some warrior from your favorite movie. Well CosPlay gives you an excuse to be that warrior!
CosPlay is almost exactly like dressing up for Halloween, except it’s not centered around one specific day. Many times you will see people dressed up at certain movie releases, conventions or other events, but you can dress up whenever you want. Some costumes may be extremely detailed and yet some very simplistic, but that’s one of the great things about CosPlay. It doesn’t take a fortune to participate! All you need is a desire to wear a costume and a little bit of time to create it. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to sew either, there are plenty of websites and tutorials out there that can help you, and if you’re really lazy, you could just get someone else to make the costume for you.
There are also many CosPlay groups out there centered around specific areas. Some of these require the costumes to be very close to the originals while others allow you to be creative. One of the most famous CosPlay groups is the Star Wars 501st Legion. They are a group that centers around Star Wars characters (of course), and they are very strict with Costumes. The 501st has members all over the world, and while they only allow “bad guy” star wars characters to join, they do a lot to help local charities and events. Even if you aren’t interested in joining the 501st, you could have them at your next event!
Here in Alabama, there are groups for Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. The Alabama Fandom website can lead you to many of these groups, and you can learn more about them, and even join in the fun. This past weekend, the Alabama Ghostbusters were at DragonCon, and if you were there, you might have seen them in the parade. If not, you can see them in the video below along with many other CosPlay participants.
The Ghostbusters appear between 21:57 – 23:30.
So in the end, CosPlay, like many other hobbies, is about having fun. You make your costume, you dress as that character, and in the process you could even meet people who share the same interests as you and make many new friends. If you are interested in joining a CosPlay group, or just want to learn more about them, you can start with Alabama Fandom, or just do a google search for CosPlay groups in your area. Just remember, Have Fun!
Oh, and I said we would have a winner this week too…. Congratulations to the random winner (by coin toss) Jonathan! I will be contacting you about your prize.
