ilDragon Con Cosplay Spotlight – Trashy Panda Cosplay
While working on our last Dragon Con cosplay post, we reached out to see if any other cosplayers wanted to be featured on our site and they did. The next cosplayer we are turning the spotlight on is Trashy Panda Cosplay!
FN: Hi there, please introduce yourself.
TPC: Hi, I go by Panda online, the play on trashypanda was an homage to raccoons which I find completely adorable. I always wanted to be found easily on social networks. I am primarily active on instagram at TrashyPandaCosplay. I specialize in making low cost cosplays because I don’t think cost should be a barrier to entry. I’ve made closet cosplays that I am particularly proud to show off.
I work with my mom a lot on my cosplays, it’s sort of how we spend our bonding time together now. She is also much better at sewing than I am but I do a lot of monotonous tasks so she can focus on the detail work. Like as an above average sized human, it can be hard to fit patterns so we just google how to make “x” pattern and we draft it ourselves. (it’s a lot of fun and takes up our whole living room).
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Photo credit: AudienceKillerCosplay
FN: How long have you been cosplaying?
Panda: I started in May 2019, my first time cosplaying at a con was Momocon in Atlanta this year.
FN: What was your first cosplay?
My first cosplay was Kagura from Gintama. I tend to cosplay less mainstream characters because I want to change up the cosplay feed. Also, Gintama is my favorite anime and I love to get other people into it as well. This is a more recent picture I have from a photoshoot.
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Photo credit: David J Brown
FN: How long have you been attending Dragon Con?
I’ve attended on and off since 2015.
FN: Which fandoms do you cosplay from?
I cosplay mostly from anime and video games. I’m a big fan of older anime series and JRPGS specifically. I threw together a Starlight from The Boys for dragoncon this year. I made it in about a day and I regret not getting any good pictures of it other than a selfie.
Terra from FFVI is a great example of my preference.
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Photo credit: speakernightgraphix
FN: What’s been your favourite cosplay you’ve done to date?
My favorite cosplay is of Aqua from an anime called Konosuba, I’ve worn her at least half a dozen times now.
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Photo credit: Cassie Rae Space
FN: What’s been your toughest challenge?
Finding a good balance to work on cosplay and also do anything else. Cosplay taught me how to budget myself so I don’t feel overwhelmed when bills come.
FN: What do your friends and family think about your hobby?
Most of them by now know that I cosplay, they are pretty supportive!
FN: What about work, what do you do for a “day job?
I work in engineering.
FN: Do your colleagues know you cosplay? If so, what do they think?
Yes they know I cosplay, sometimes they ask me for Halloween costume tips! (FN: That’s brilliant!)
FN: What’s been your best experience at Dragon Con while cosplaying?
It really makes my day when people stop me for pictures or recognizes who I am!
FN: And the worst, if you don’t mind sharing?
I think the worst is the comments I’ve received body-shaming me in a more revealing cosplay, I don’t get it as much in person but occasionally online some one will say a rude thing to me. Overall DragonCon always has felt safe to me.
FN: Do you have any other hobbies other than costuming?
I do aerial stuff like lyra, I like dancing as well. Fitness that is fun really helps to motivate me.
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FN: What do you think is the most important aspect of cosplay?
Cosplay should be fun, if you’re not having it then maybe it’s time to take a step back for a bit or a break. I like to make my cosplays, so I am proud to show off my creations.
My mom was on a break from work and we were able to make this in 2 days and the sword was actually painted from a Halloween sword.
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Photo credit: ChrisWoldPhoto
FN: If you could give one piece of advice to someone who is thinking about getting into cosplay, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to buy a cosplay or try making one. There are so many online resources and groups that I can point you in the right direction. I am fortunate to be an extrovert and I will put my self out there in order to figure out something that I don’t know. I message cosplayers all the time asking for help and most of the time they have been such a wonderful resource!
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Photo Credit: Cryst4Femme
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Trashy Panda Cosplay for taking part in our Dragon Con Cosplay Spotlight series. Please do go check out her instagram as she has loads more pictures of awesome cosplay. Stay tuned as we have more cosplayer profiles to come soon!
