Cosplay is a hobby that anyone is capable of doing. Through practice and experience, cosplayers can rise up the ranks to be professionals. Cosplay is different for everyone and many do it for their own personal experiences. There are several students at NHS who enjoy this hobby. Junior Ryan Sweeley is one of these students who cosplay. In this issue of The Mill Stream, we highlight 10 things you didn’t know about cosplay.

1.Wigs (depending on difficulty) can take a range of 2 hours to 3 days to style. Heavy styling such as spikes, extra hair extensions, and curling can take up to 3 days whereas simplistic wigs that are straightened or have waves can take up to two hours.

2. There are three main types of cosplay: bought cosplay (purchased from online sites and conventions), handmade cosplay (pieces that are created by hand) and found object cosplay (already existing pieces that are transformed into something new).                          

3. Cosplays that are handmade can cost from $30 to $250 (armor cosplays, especially those with working lights, can cost up to $500).

4. Gender bends are a popular form of cosplay where the original gender of the character is changed either from female to male or male to female.

5. Most cosplayers do a lot of research on their characters before even starting their costumes. This can include watching the show or reading the comic, looking at reference photos or asking fellow cosplayers for help. “Either Kristi [Stumpp] or my mom will help me with sewing or even just helping me hold down a pattern,” Sweeley said.

6. Often cosplayers will cosplay characters they identify with the most. Someone is who brave and is friendly may identify with a character like Finn from Adventure Time on Cartoon Network.

7. Cosplays are planned out months ahead of the convention or event to allow time for ordering materials, sewing, etc. “[I] usually [plan] a few months in advance [for my cosplay],” Sweeley said.

8. The first documented cosplay masquerade was at WorldCon in 1950. A cosplay masquerade is a competition in which cosplayers show off their costumes to win awards, much like a beauty pageant.

9. The word cosplay was invented by a Japanese reporter, Nobuyuki Takahashi, who combined the English words “costume” and “play” at the 1984 WorldCon in Los Angeles.

10. The first hall costume, a costume worn by cosplayers as they attend the convention and wander through the convention, was worn by Forry Ackerman in 1939 at WorldCon.