I saw an article in Wired magazine a few years ago about “cosplay” –people dressing up as video game or anime characters–and didn’t think anything else of it, other than judgmental and pejorative things like get a life and OMG, you’re 40-years-old and wearing spandex, a platinum wig and about 2 pounds of makeup.

Then I took my kids to the park near my house and a I spotted a group of them in the wild:

I think that is Alice and the Mad Hatter having a tea party. Not sure why someone with an on/off switch on their ass was invited. No idea what that peanut-thing on maroon girl’s back is either…and not knowing is just fine with me.

Dude. I hope frog (lizard?) girl digs your helmet, because you’ve narrowed down the list of members of the opposite sex that won’t shoot Diet Coke out their noses upon seeing that getup to a rather small group.

When I was taking some pictures of another group (Batman sidekick Robin and some goth-looking chick), one of them yelled “security!” Really? Are you going to send Astroboy over here to take my camera? My son is four and hence, deep into the ‘question’ phase of growing up. I have to admit when he asked “who are those people, Dad” and “why are they dressed like that?”, I didn’t have a good answer. Well, I did. But he’s still a bit young for the judgmental and perjorative phase.