110 Fun Facts About Cosplay

The word 'cosplay' is a blend of which two English words?

It follows a Japanese habit of fusing the first moras of two words.

Who coined the term 'cosplay', in a June 1983 magazine article?

He worked for Studio Hard and wrote for My Anime.

Why did Takahashi coin a new word rather than use the Japanese for 'masquerade'?

He was reporting on fan costuming.

Who are credited as the first people to wear costumes to a fan convention?

At the 1st Worldcon in New York, 1939.

What did Ackerman and Morojo call their 1939 outfits?

Green cape and breeches based on pulp artwork and Things to Come.

What did Ackerman later admit he had thought about costumes at the 1939 convention?

Only he and Douglas dressed up.

What was Morojo's fandom nickname derived from?

She and Ackerman met through the Esperanto movement.

Which genre nickname did Forrest J Ackerman coin?

He also edited Famous Monsters of Filmland.

Which comic-book vampire character did Ackerman co-create and name?

A play on Barbarella.

Which costume won the masquerade at the 2nd Worldcon in 1940?

David Kyle wore it; Leslie Perri made it.

Who made the mask for Ackerman's 'Hunchbackerman of Notre Dame' costume at the 1941 Worldcon?

He also made Morojo's Akka mask.

What rule did Worldcon adopt in response to a wave of nude contestants?

Partial nudity stayed allowed if faithful to the character.

What did artist Scott Shaw's 1972 Worldcon costume 'The Turd' consist mostly of?

It went rancid under the lights and got food banned.

What prop at the 1962 Worldcon led to fire being banned from costumes?

Rules grew in response to specific costumes.

In what year did the first nude contestant appear at a Worldcon masquerade?

The trend peaked in the 1970s.

Which comic strip Martian is arguably the first fictional character people cosplayed, in 1908?

A Cincinnati couple wore Skygack costumes to a skating-rink masquerade.

Which French novelist sent almost 700 invitations to an 1877 costume ball where guests dressed as his characters?

An early case of dressing as fictional characters.

Where was the 1891 Vril-Ya Bazaar, an early call for costumed attendees, held?

Based on a science fiction novel from two decades earlier.

What was fan costuming called in Japan in the 1970s, before 'cosplay' caught on?

Comiket launched in December 1975.

Who wore the first documented convention costume in Japan, at Ashinocon in 1978?

Based on the cover art of A Fighting Man of Mars.

At Ashinocon 1978, what was one impromptu Tusken Raider costume made from?

Worn by a friend of future Gainax co-founder Yasuhiro Takeda.

Who attended the 1965 Academy Con in New York in a Plastic Man costume?

Possibly the first costume contest at a comic convention.

Who won first place at San Diego Comic-Con's first Masquerade Ball in 1974, as Ackerman's vampire heroine?

Voice actress June Foray was MC.

Fans began dressing as characters from which 1975 film within a year of its release?

The initial incentive was free admission.

When was Costume-Con, a conference dedicated to costuming, first held?

The International Costumers Guild followed in 1985.

When and where was the first World Cosplay Summit held?

Five cosplayers came from Germany, France and Italy.

Which country won the first World Cosplay Championship in 2005?

Giorgia Vecchini, Francesca Dani and Emilia Fata Livia.

Which broadcaster organised the World Cosplay Summit until 2012?

It incorporated in 2012.

From roughly how many countries does the World Cosplay Summit select cosplayers for its final?

The final round is in Nagoya.

Which Nagoya district gives its name to the World Cosplay Summit's street procession?

About 100 cosplayers joined the first one.

What happened to the World Cosplay Summit championship stage in 2020?

Many countries also could not send teams in 2021.

What is the single largest event featuring cosplay?

Thousands of cosplayers gather on the exhibition centre roof.

How many people attended the first Comiket in December 1975?

By 2019 turnstile attendance was 750,000.

Where has Comiket been held since 1996?

In Ariake, in August and December.

According to a 2014 Comiket survey, roughly what share of cosplayers there were female?

Crossplay is common in both directions.

Which is Australia's biggest cosplay-featuring event?

Cosplay Mania in the Philippines is a dedicated con.

Where was the first Anime Expo held in July 1992?

1,750 attended; it now tops 100,000.

Which anime convention narrowly out-drew Anime Expo in 2003?

The only year AX lost the North American attendance title.

In what year was San Diego Comic-Con founded?

Shel Dorf's first three-day con drew 300 people.

Roughly how many attendees fill San Diego Comic-Con each year since 2010?

Attendance has been capped since 2007.

Which company produces New York Comic Con?

It is a for-profit event unaffiliated with San Diego.

Over which holiday weekend is Atlanta's Dragon Con held?

It began in 1987 as a project of a local gaming group.

In what year did Dragon Con start its downtown Atlanta parade of costumed participants?

It ran from Centennial Olympic Park to the Marriott Marquis.

What is 'crossplay'?

Also called gender-bending.

Which type of crossplay is far more common in most countries?

Manga's androgynous bishonen make it easier.

What does 'bishonen', the manga archetype that eases crossplay, literally mean?

An Asian equivalent of the elfin boy like Peter Pan.

What do animegao kigurumi players wear to reproduce anime faces literally?

Often male cosplayers portraying female characters.

What does 'animegao' mean?

It distinguishes the masked cosplay from onesie kigurumi.

What is the Japanese term for photographers of cosplayers, short for 'camera boy'?

They once gave cosplayers printed photos as gifts.

What did Japanese cosplayers formerly call themselves, pronounced 'layer'?

Now the term is used for literal layers of hair or clothing.

What is 'ishoku-hada'?

For blue, green or grey-skinned characters.

Which Tokyo bridge near Meiji Shrine is a famous cosplay gathering spot?

It passes over the Yamanote Line south of Harajuku Station.

Which Tokyo district has hosted cosplay restaurants since 1998?

Waitresses dress as game or anime characters.

Which permanent Tokyo venue, opened in 2001, formalised the frilly-apron waitress style?

Earlier cafes were temporary tie-ins to a video game.

Which video game did the first temporary maid cafe promote, in August 1998?

At the Tokyo Character Collection event.

What are the male-staffed counterparts of Japan's maid establishments called?

Shitsuji kissa in Japanese.

How much profit did Japanese cosplay costume manufacturers report in 2008?

Costumes are sold online and by dealers at conventions.

Which four criteria are common to cosplay contest judging?

Seen at World Cosplay Summit, Cyprus Comic Con and ReplayFX.

For a contest award, cosplays usually must be what?

Contestants may perform a skit or simply pose.

Where are the finals of the European Cosplay Gathering held?

EuroCosplay's finals are at London MCM.

Which Swedish city hosts NarCon, home of the Nordic Cosplay Championship finals?

One of several international finals.

Which movement, started in 2013, campaigns against sexual harassment of cosplayers?

Founded by Rochelle Keyhan, Erin Filson and Anna Kegler.

Which city's Comic Con began posting large anti-harassment signs at its entrance in 2014?

Attendees were reminded to ask before taking photos.

Which cosplayer was described as a well-recognised figure both inside and outside cosplay circles?

She appeared on Syfy's Heroes of Cosplay.

Where was Yaya Han born?

She spent her teenage years in Germany.

What was Yaya Han's first cosplay?

She now lives in Atlanta.

Which 2009 costume at San Diego Comic-Con made Jessica Nigri go viral?

She has been modelling since 2012.

Which video game heroine did Jessica Nigri win an IGN contest to portray in 2012?

PAX East asked her to leave over the revealing outfit.

Which company produced the 2018 documentary Becoming Jessica Nigri?

Directed by Mat Hames.

Where did Jessica Nigri grow up?

She was born in Reno.

How much did professional cosplayer Enako say she made in two days at Comiket 2016?

She said she earned over a million yen a month.

Which reality show about cosplayers premiered on Syfy in 2013?

It followed nine cosplayers to conventions and contests.

Which Syfy costume-competition show premiered in 2017?

Call to Cosplay ran on Myx TV from 2014.

Which two Japanese cosplay magazines are especially popular?

Cosmode has an English digital edition.

The 2007 documentary Animania followed four cosplayers preparing for which convention?

Canada's largest anime convention.

Which Star Wars costuming group is nicknamed 'Vader's Fist'?

Made up entirely of volunteers.

Who founded Vader's Fist, the Star Wars costuming group, in South Carolina in 1997?

It began as a GeoCities site called Detention Block 2551.

Why was the Rebel Legion founded in 2000?

It covers the light side of Star Wars.

What is a fursuit, as worn by fursuiters?

Only about 15% of furries own one.

Roughly what share of furries own a fursuit?

Cost is the main barrier.

What was the first furry convention, held in Costa Mesa in 1989?

At the Holiday Inn Bristol Plaza.

Where was the first widely publicised Star Trek convention held, in January 1972?

With Roddenberry, Asimov and two tons of NASA memorabilia.

Who staged the first Renaissance fair, in her Laurel Canyon backyard in 1963?

A Los Angeles schoolteacher, as a class activity.

Which 1839 Scottish event, a medieval joust re-creation, marked historical reenactment coming of age?

Organised by the 13th Earl of Eglinton; tickets were free.

Which two historical fashion eras heavily influence Lolita fashion?

The Rose of Versailles manga was one inspiration.

Which Malice Mizer musician founded the Gothic Lolita brand Moi-meme-Moitie in 1999?

Its slogan is 'Elegant Gothic Girl, Noble Vampire Romance'.

Which magazine, first published in 2001, was central to spreading the frilly Harajuku style?

Tokyopop distributed an English edition abroad.

The term 'visual kei' derives from a slogan of which band?

'Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock', on Blue Blood (1989).

Who coined the term 'steampunk' in 1987?

As a tongue-in-cheek variant of cyberpunk.

What is Wonder Festival, a Japanese event where cosplay is also common, mainly for?

Sponsored by the Kaiyodo company.

What material are those hobbyist model kits most commonly cast in?

Hobbyists began making movie-monster kits in the 1980s.

Why is EVA foam popular for cosplay armour?

Compared with traditional plastic costumes.

What is Worbla?

Made of thermoplastic resin and wood flour.

What is a collectible recreation of a screen-used item called?

From resin casts to props with lights and sound.

Why did the ancient Egyptians create the wig?

Men and women commonly shaved their heads.

Which French king pioneered wig-wearing in 1624 after balding prematurely?

Elizabeth I famously wore a red wig.

Contact lenses that enlarge the pupil are used by cosplayers to echo what?

Colour lenses match a character's eye colour.

What did a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori popularise as a term for obsessive fans?

Published in the magazine Manga Burikko.

By which decade had mass-media character costumes become popular for Halloween?

Firms like Ben Cooper mass-produced them.

What do Britons call the event Americans call a costume party?

Guests depict fictional, stock or historical figures.

Which costume designer won eight Academy Awards between 1949 and 1973?

Born Edith Claire Posener.

Who wrote and illustrated Sailor Moon, one of the most cosplayed series ever?

Redeveloped from her one-shot Codename: Sailor V.

Compared with Japan, Western cosplayers are more likely to portray characters from what?

Western costuming grew from sci-fi and fantasy fandom.

Which costume style that Japanese cosplayers may wear freely is usually avoided in the West?

A noted cultural difference in taste.

In which country did protesters after the 2021 coup use cosplay to grab media attention?

Youth groups marched in costumes and wedding dresses.

Which TV series' costumes have US protesters worn against bodily restrictions?

Fictional characters used to convey a message.

How many active members does Vader's Fist have worldwide?

With over 26,000 approved costumes.

Dressing as fictional characters in China has been traced back to which dynasty?

Today cosplay is a big part of the regular Comic World conventions in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In which Washington city did a Mr. Skygack costume win first prize at a 1910 masquerade ball?

The Martian comic-strip character had already been worn to a Cincinnati skating-rink masquerade two years earlier.

Cosplayers from which three countries were invited to the first World Cosplay Summit in 2003?

Just five cosplayers attended that first gathering at Nagoya's Rose Court Hotel; a formal championship did not begin until 2005.