At the Daniel Boone Regional Library’s Cosplay Con Monday night, more than 100 people came to show off their costumes and cheer for their friends posing on the runway.
Cosplay events, where people dress up as a favorite fictional character, are growing in popularity — and in cost. But creatives in mid-Missouri are working to keep cosplay accessible and affordable for people in the region.
“I’m from here, so it’s nearby, so it’s really fun to be able to go here and do what we love and see other people,” said Emelyn Henderson, who cosplayed as Sailor Jupiter from the manga and anime series Sailor Moon.
Some attendees dressed up as characters as new as Zoey and Mira from “KPop Demon Hunters,” a Netflix movie that just released in June. Others opted for characters who’ve been around for a while, like GIR, from turn-of-the-century cartoon “Invader Zim.”
“It’s local. It’s free,” Emelyn’s father, Blake, said while they were waiting in line to register for the cosplay contest. “Can’t beat that.”
Emelyn won a third-place prize in the 12-to-18 age category.
Youth Services Librarian Megan Durham said the goal of the library’s cosplay con is to create an accessible event for families like the Hendersons. There’s no entry fee, and it’s just a one-day, two-hour event that doesn’t require a long drive or hotel stay.
“It's a great place for people to bond,” Durham said. “But it's also like, ‘Oh, there's comfort in coming to the library. I'm not going to another city. I'm not going to a new space with crowds and crowds of people.’”
From niche to mainstream
Dana Bocke is a library associate and is one of the staff members who founded the library’s Cosplay Con 10 years ago. She said she remembers a time when there was a stigma against cosplay, when cosplayers were called weird. But now, “nerd fandom” is becoming popular.
“The cons have kind of stayed the same size,” Bocke said. “The amount of people that go to them is unbelievable sometimes, and it's hard to remember what it used to be like.”
But Bocke noted that the rise in popularity means more competitiveness and consumerism, too.
People can now make a living from making and displaying cosplays, and the industry is growing. According to a report from Persistence Market Research, the global cosplay clothing market is expected to increase by 6.6% in the next decade, increasing the market value in the United States from $5.6 billion in 2025 to $8.7 billion by the end of 2032.
Participating in the events can get pricey. For gatherings like Planet Anime Kansas City or Anime St. Louis, registration could cost up to $100, and while some costumes on Amazon can cost anywhere from $40 to $70, others can cost hundreds of dollars to make. Vendor halls are often packed with merchandise, and actors and artists might set up booths for meet-and-greets and photo ops that could cost $100 or more.
Dressing up has become increasingly competitive, too. Bocke recalled some controversies at larger conventions, where judges made assessments based on how “challenging” — and maybe expensive — a costume might have been to create.
“I sort of hate that, where for some people, it isn't joy and it isn't happiness and it isn't something that they love, it's something that they feel like they have to do as their job,” Bocke said. “And they're picking characters because they're popular, not because they identify with them in any way.”
But because this contest at the library is free and stratified by age — not experience level — people can show up and focus on characterization and self-expression. The contest can be a touchpoint for kids to open up and make connections with their peers.
Ava Horseman Garnett attended the library’s cosplay con with her friends, who all competed in the 12-to-18 age bracket. Their costumes were made by putting together items that they already had or by shopping around locally.
Horseman Garnett appreciates the opportunity for authentic expression.
“I just really like exploring myself in costume and showing that I have different personalities,” Horseman Garnett said. “It shows that I actually like something with a huge flare in my heart, instead of just making it so that people will think that I’m okay and that I’m normal. Because I have to do that a lot on a daily basis, and it’s usually really hard for me to figure myself out when that happens.”
Bonding over shared interests
Librarian Megan Durham said that in her nine years of being involved with the convention, she’s watched kids open up during the event. Some have even grown up with it, going from kid to teen to judge.
The con has inspired the library to establish a roster of cosplay-related events throughout the year for children and adolescents, such as makeup tutorials or classes that teach people how to make props using foam board. Durham said it can be otherwise challenging to get teens into the building. But now that there’s programming situated around an interest, they expect kids to show up and build friendships over a niche topic.
“We did a cosplay swap where we had people bring in stuff that they hadn't used in a while, or for a thing that they hadn't dressed up as,” Durham said. “Somebody brought in this anime mask that they had made, and then the one person who was there was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you know this thing!’ And it was, like, a web series that was on this small, niche corner of the internet. And they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, I know this too!’”
Lauren Freund is trying to lower some of those barriers to connection and creative expression too. She’s about to start a free sewing class at My Quilty Pleasure, a fabric and sewing store in Columbia that opened this spring. She said costumes bought online aren’t cheap, and sewing can be a more affordable option for getting a look just right.
“I sew and teach completely for free,” Freund said. “I have extra machines. I will bring one if you don't have one. If you can't afford fabric, I have far more than I should.”
Freund has been dressing up for events since she was 10, and she now creates her own costumes for her live action roleplaying (LARP) group, Falcon Tor. She currently posts in their Facebook group to offer free lessons for creating everything from tunics to belts. She said the group has become a safe home for her — and things like anime can stir up conversation among the group members and help those connections grow.
Billye Clemons, the owner of My Quilty Pleasure, said sewing can foster relationships in a similar way. That’s why she’s partnering with Freund to reach out to the local community of cosplayers and LARPers.
“Sewing with a friend or a group of friends is always fun,” Clemons said. “No matter what you're doing in life, if you're baking or riding a bike or going shopping, it's always fun to do it with a friend, and sewing or quilting is no different.”
Josiah Simmons works at My Quilty Pleasure, and at the library’s cosplay con, he dressed up as Shiny Decidueye, a Pokemon. He’s been making his own costumes inspired by anime and video games since he was in middle school and has since learned how to sew them together.
“If the subject ever comes up and someone asks me what my favorite show is, and I tell them, then they say that they were into that show too, it's very exciting,” Simmons said.
This visit to the library’s cosplay con was his first, and the location was convenient — he was able to walk there. As the con wrapped up, people complimented his arrow prop and said they would stay in touch with him online. This year, Simmons tried out the event by himself but said if he comes again next year, he'll see if he can bring his friend to play along, too.
