For those unfamiliar with the term, Cosplay is a type of costume play which is derived from a specific character. Cosplayers have created a subculture for themselves, which has broadened the term and those it applies to. Wikipedia says, “Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject.” This means, if it’s in the media, it’s open to “dramatic interpretation,” by its fans.

The practice began as far back as 1939 but it was not until 1984 that the Japanese term was adopted. Nobuyuki Takahashi is credited with coming up with “cosplay” as a way of describing costumed fans. Even though the practice has its roots in the world of masquerade, it is much different.

The first credited character to be cosplayed was Mr. Skygack from Mars. This was a popular character from A.D. Condo’s science fiction comic strip of the same name. In 1908, Mr. and Mrs. William Fell of Cincinnati, Ohio, attended a masquerade at a roller-skating rink dressed in Skygack and Miss Dillpickles costumes. In 1910, a woman in Tacoma, Washington won a contest while dressed as Skygack.

The practice of fans dressing in costumes began to build in momentum. In 1940, at the 2^nd Worldcon, David Kyle won a costumed masquerade dressed as Ming the Merciless.

There were rules about costumes regarding how nudity would be treated. After a nude contestant at a Worldcon masquerade in 1952, a rule called, “No Costume is No Costume,” was instated. This would prohibit nudity…