The family that cosplays together, stays together?

Well, I don't know if that's always true. But, many of my fondest memories from childhood include dressing up with my siblings. From the cast of Popeye to Disney's Aladdin— from superheroes to our favorite musicians— we covered it all!

I'm the devastatingly handsome,
buck-teethed one in the back

And, here's a frightening, personal fun-fact: My first date (7th grade), much to my surprise and dismay, included my parents joining another couple in a costumed lip-sync of a Mamas and the Papas song at the Valentine's Day banquet we were attending. At the time, I was horrified! In retrospect, I'm not sure my family could get much cooler.

In my teen years, I took to the stage. I know, I know... unlike those crazy people who walk around in public wearing strange costumes, acting is a "legitimate" art form. Right? [gently dislodges tongue from cheek] But, isn't the theater just cosplay with scripted lines, colorful sets, and a captive audience? Cosplay is acting for the un-ticketed audience— taking Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women mearely players" to the next level. It's putting on a different reality— a different perspective. It's crafting a visually consumable expression of one's own, unique creativity. It's imagining what it might be like to be someone/something else and sharing that experience with others. It's living, breathing art!

In college, I met the amazing woman who would eventually become my wife. A couple of years earlier, she had been the costumer for a number of productions at Southeastern Louisiana State University.

Even before we started dating, we managed together to convince a group of friends to join us in dressing as the cast of Gilligan's Island for a big Halloween event. We went as Thurston and Lovey Howell. Clearly, she and I were a match made in heaven!

For our oldest son's first Christmas, we produced a "Cupcake Calendar." We dressed him in different costumes and took photos of him to represent each month. For my younger son's fourth birthday party, we asked all of the kids to come dressed as their favorite superhero, and their parents to dress as supervillains.

We were the only adults who wore costumes. Their loss. Because the truth is, over the years, our little family has had an absolute blast expressing our creativity, broadcasting our fan-boy/girl geekdom, playing together, bonding, and bringing joy to others— all through cosplay! Sometimes our costumes are more elaborate than others. It depends a great deal on time, resource, event, etc. But, we ALWAYS have fun!

While other families buy annual theme park passes, we secure passes to comic conventions and steampunk events. Other families spend the afternoon at the movies. We spend the afternoon at thrift and hardware stores, walking the aisles and imagining what we can create. I believe at this point I have FAR more family photos taken by photographers at conventions than I do from portrait studios.

Christmas 2014

We even cosplay for our Christmas cards! And, we've met more amazing, talented, creative, fascinating, and truly caring people in the cosplay community than I've ever met at a theme park or movie theater!

A few people we know make good-natured fun of us. "Oh, yeah. That's right. You'll be off playing 'dress up' this weekend." But, it truly is not possible for me to care less. When the back of the car is full of random costume pieces, or the living room floor is covered in gears and scissors and fabric and glue guns, or we're at a con or a charity function or a community event, striking a pose while people take photos— we're making memories. We're pushing the limits of our own creativity. 

San Diego Deaf Unity Day
(Cosplaying as part of the
Star Wars - Steampunk Universe.
Photo by Kansas City Photography)

We're bringing smiles to the faces of others. And, we're doing it... together! Honestly, I'm not sure I can think of better family fun.

Over the years, we've met some amazing people just like us who love to create and play together. We want to hear about YOUR family cosplay adventures. This modest corner of the internet is a place to share cosplay experiences, exchange ideas, and connect with each other. Check back regularly for interviews with and articles about families connecting through cosplay. And, feel free to weigh in with your encouraging comments and stories!