If you've ever been to a video game or anime convention before, you know the feeling. You're there in your favorite Mass Effect shirt, and then a group walks by in an incredibly detailed group Dragon Age cosplay. You hang your head and silently weep right outside the Doctor Who panel.
Or maybe that was just me.
Either way, there's no reason to be intimidated by people who have intense, intricate costumes at your local convention. Putting together a great costume doesn't have to be a gigantic ordeal. In fact, here are 5 crowd-pleasers that are easy and cheap to put together. We'll even link you to all the odds and ends you might not have. Don't thank us, just remember us when you're a big fancy cosplay superstar.
Misty, Ash, and Brock
For as iconic as these characters are, a group cosplay of the three main characters from the Pokemon TV show is criminally easy.
Misty
If you're a redhead (and a Pokemon fan), a Misty cosplay is a no-brainer, and you likely have everything you need already. A yellow crop-top tank, cuffed jean shorts, and a pair of red suspenders are all you'll need to take on the role of Cerulean City's favorite gym leader. Oh, just don't forget a hair tie for that cute side ponytail!
Brock
This is another very simple costume that you can largely put together with things you already have in your closet (or from the local thrift store). All you really need is a pair of brown khakis or work pants, an orange shirt, and a green fishing vest. Extra credit if you wear a backpack as well, but it's not necessary.
Ash
Ash isn't that hard to put together, per se, but the person in your group cosplaying as the character will likely have to buy a fair amount of stuff that they don't already own. The base of a black shirt and light blue jeans are easy enough to find, and most of you will have a backpack laying around that you can use as well. The top, hat, and gloves, however, will likely need to be sourced elsewhere.
Luckily, eBay has a plethora of bundles that include the jacket, hat, and gloves all in one package for a decent price! In addition, Amazon has a pretty nice version of Ash's Pokemon League hat as a standalone item available here.
Ness
Speaking of hats, why not go as Eagleland's favorite world-saving little kid, Ness? Assuming you have a favorite pair of jorts and some red shoes at the ready, all you'll need is a blue-and-yellow striped shirt, and Ness's trademark hat. Amazon has the hat and you can likely find the shirt at a thrift store, but for folks who really want to impress, Fangamer has a package including super-high-quality reproductions of Ness's hat, shirt, and even his yo-yo! In addition, it even comes with a collection of Earthbound-inspired pins. Oh, and hey, just so you know, Fangamer itself started out as an Earthbound fansite, so they know their stuff. This is their wheelhouse.
Navi
This is probably the simplest costume we'll feature today. It's just two pieces: a unisex blue bodysuit and a pair of small fairy wings. Done!
Well, you would be, if you weren't going to go the extra mile.
Before the con, grab yourself a dowel rod or piece of PVC pipe from the hardware store, as well as a signboard and some duck tape or adhesive. Then, in the most annoying font you can muster by hand, in gigantic letters, write those two words that have been the bane of every Zelda fan's existence since Ocarina of Time was released: HEY! LISTEN!
It'll go over great. Trust us.
Little Mac (Training Outfit)
Just as a heads up, though this costume is easy to put together, it might be a bit tougher on the wallet given the amount of stuff that you'll probably have to buy. Well, unless you have a pair of green boxing gloves lying around.
That said, recreating Little Mac's iconic training costume can be done in one Amazon browsing session. Your boxing gloves are right here, and for those of you who want to go the extra mile and get wrestling or boxing boots, yep-- they have those too! But they're expensive. Your high-top Converse All-Stars would work fine, I'm sure.
All that's left are the hoodie, the pants, and a personal trainer to tie you to the back of his bike and drag you all across New York City. We're sure this one will be a
wait for it
wait for it
you ready?
Knockout.
Tetris Block
For those of you who weren't scared off by that terrible pun, we've saved the best for last. This costume can be made in a single afternoon on the cheap, and the wow factor will be immense. First, visit this website and pick your favorite tetromino. In terms of difficulty, I'd recommend either going with the long I block, or an L block. Mark down its color, and head on to the hardware store.
All you'll need are 4 shipping boxes (make sure they're big enough to fit around you!), a can of spray paint in your Tetris block's color, 4 long metal rods to support the structure, a roll of black gorilla tape, and a roll of regular duck tape.
When you get home, remove the tops and bottom flaps of the boxes as necessary. For example, the L-block will require two blocks to operate essentially as tubes, and one block to cap them off, with one complete box attached to the side. For that reason, two of your boxes will need to have the tops and bottoms removed, and one of your boxes will need the tops removed. After you've done that, assemble your block! Add the metal rods for support and tape them to the inside of the block at the corners. Then, use the duck tape to secure the block pieces together at the outside, taking care to secure everything super tight. Also, make sure to tape any visible flaps together. Then, spray paint it!
After that's all dried, cut out face and arm holes, and frame each box with the black Gorilla tape as a final touch, to give your block that classic Tetris feel.
And that's it! You've got a Tetris piece costume!
Have you cosplayed before, or are you a first timer? Are you planning on attending a convention this summer and trotting out one of these costumes, or one of your own? Let us know in the comments, and please tweet at us @GameSkinny to show us your cosplay skills! Also, be sure to check out these amazing Overwatch cosplays, as well as this amazing (and functional!) Captain America shield!
Published: Jun 1, 2016 11:08 am