For those of you not in the know, Heroes of Cosplay follows a group of talented people at different ComicCons around the country. They fashion amazing costumes in a matter of days, so that they can compete in the various costume contests. It is very cool stuff, as we get to see the costumes start off in brainstorm mode, to actual work on the costume, to the finished project on stage. The judging on these costumes can get very intense but most of the participants remain steadfast that if they aren't having fun, then it is not cosplay.
The girls love to see the work that people put into these costumes! They build dragons, learn how to shoot arrows for a Merida costume, drive racing cars onto a stage, turn into Ironman...you name it! It is really hard not to get hooked on the awesomeness of watching someone put hard work into something they love and journey with them through their creative process.
What I didn't count on, is that the girls would start to think about their Hallowe'en costumes in this fashion too. Pixy wants to be batgirl with functioning wings and well, we all know what Banshee wants to be: Irongirl, duh! I think I may have dug my grave here, folks! It isn't like I am a stranger to making things by hand or perfecting something someone else has done. I love to do that! In fact, when I was teaching, I was known for changing lessons, creating new projects, and even making a class movie full of costumes....just for the thrill of seeing your hard work turn into something cool. I am just not sure that I can ever reach the calibre of the costumes the girls are loving on TV.
The prospect of building/making these costumes by hand becomes more daunting, as we are considering taking the girls to ComicCon in NYC this year. Banshee, who is probably the coolest three year old I know, has some special friends at Marvel Comics that she'd love to visit with and meet in person. The Sailor and I want this to happen for her very much...but. Yup, here comes a big BUT....Banshee and Pixy now want to go dressed up. Sigh! I am buckling under the pressure. What if I let them down? What if I can't make their costume dreams happen? What if, by some HUGE miracle, they want to do one of the kid contests? WhatamIgonnado?! Sigh!
Part of me is kicking myself. Why did I let them watch this show right before Hallowe'en? Seriously, I wasn't thinking. Now, the bar has been set high and there will be no return from it. The other part of me is silently giddy at the thought that maybe this opportunity might be good for the girls, especially for Banshee. Her ASD causes her to be shy and have social issues as herself, but put a costume on her and she feels stronger, more social, more awesome. Pair that up with the Pixy...well, now we have something super awesome happening. Something to think about, huh?
I am still in the brainstorming stages, and in the end, might just go with something pre-bought that we fix up and make our own. I will take it one step at a time. I just hope that the kids' judge, if the girls do the contest, isn't Yaya Han. (Pssstt...we love her!)
What are your plans for Hallowe'en? Homemade vs. Pre-bought. Talk to me! :)
