Cosplay, short for “costume play,” refers to dressing up as characters from, for example, anime, games, manga, or public figures. It is estimated that cosplay originated from science fiction events held in the United States between the 1960s and 1980s. Initially, people mainly cosplayed sci-fi characters, but the variety of characters has increased over time. The hobby spread from the United States to Japan in the 1980s and reached Finland in the mid-1990s through sci-fi events.
In Finland, cosplay based on Japanese source materials began to gain popularity especially around the turn of the 21st century through events like Animecon, which often involved dressing up as Japanese (or Asian) characters. Particularly popular cosplays included characters from anime and manga such as Naruto and Sailor Moon. However, from the 2010s onwards, cosplay has gradually expanded to include costumes from other sources as well.
Read the blog post by cosplay enthusiast Meri-Tuuli Malkamäki Cosplaying for 10 Years. (in Finnish)
