Costume and Cosplay Checklists

Costumes for cosplay are complex, in that they often comprise an extensive list of items to wear, even for a single character. My Pokémon costumes are no exception, and they are also made up of lists of numerous items. It would be a challenge for some cosplayers to remember them all, and even I have trouble sometimes. That is why I have made costume and cosplay checklists so that I could make sure I remember to bring all the parts to the event or convention, and on the tail end, not leave anything behind once I'm done and wish to go back.

The problem of forgetting to bring costume parts (and bringing them back afterwards) is one that I sometimes hear about. Last month at a certain convention, I heard one of my friends left his character's footwear at the event, and he's been distraught ever since. And then for the previous event, one of my friends left two crucial parts of his costume, one of which has been previously forgotten before! There are other similar tales over the years I've cosplayed, and I'd like to think these can be avoided in some way. That is why I have these checklists.

I make checklists for costume sets that I deem are significantly different for a character and warrant the creation of a separate one. Consider, for example, the Lucario Prince Ash costume I've worn on previous occasions:

This is the actual checklist I have compiled for the parts of the costume, and it's a long one. They're all necessary (except for the one I've marked "optional" - by experience, I rarely use the ball, especially if I'm already carrying the staff) and it would be a pain to forget even just one of them anywhere. This checklist keeps me in line when I decide to wear this costume.

But that's not the only checklist I make. I also make one for other things I need when I cosplay any character at events or conventions:

A few notes: "essentials" means things like wallets and keys, things that people need to go anywhere; shoes are only needed if the costume requires a change of footwear; "entry pass" and "transport items" may be passes, tickets, and so on that have already been purchased beforehand; and name cards are something that will be discussed in a separate post. And yes, even the checklists are a checklist item, if I keep them on paper.

These checklists are certainly different for every character, and even the "necessities" list will be different from one cosplayer to another. Because of that, I encourage cosplayers to think about what they need and what works for them. But the point is that there will always be things to bring for cosplay, and when those things can be listed, it is worthwhile to make a checklist.

Cosplay is fun, except for the part where cosplayers have to bring things and then bring them back. These checklists are my solution to make that complex effort manageable and less of a hassle to remember. I want to have fun with my cosplay, especially my Pokémon cosplay, and my checklists allow me to do just that, when all the things for cosplay are in order.

One year ago: Pokémon World + Hero's Come Back = ...