Oh, Cosplay. One of the highlights of any Comic Con is seeing the array of colorful costumes, taking pictures with handmade versions of your favorite characters and inching away from that one guy who’s way, way too into character. In recent years, cosplay has gone from a casual hobby to a full-on way of life for some folks, with grand competitions, thousands of Youtube how-to’s, and even “Cosplay Celebrities” with their own followings.
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We’ve chronicled many cosplayers here on CBR, but notably, thus far, they’ve all been humans. Unfair, right? With 8.7 million different species on earth, why should people get have all the fun? Well, we’re happy to report that some quadrupeds have been getting in on the costume game, from the most delighted dogs to the most curmudgeonly cats. That’s right, we spent days scouring the net for the most adorable animal cosplays (which, lets face it, we were all doing anyway), to bring you the best in show.
15 SHAZAM!
Though the casting for Black Adam has been set in stone for a while, there’s still no word on who will play the hero formerly known as Captain Marvel. Some are saying it should be WWE Superstar John Cena, others say it could be Galavant’s Joshua Sasse. Recently, video surfaced of Arrow actor Parker Young auditioning for the role.
If we had to pick who we’d like to see on screen in the role, we’d have to go with Ollie the French Bulldog. Just look at him -- he’s got the poise, the dignity and the grace to pull off such an iconic role. His flawless costume, as seen at San Diego Comic Con, fits him like a glove. And let’s be real, Ollie to could take The Rock’s Black Adam in a fight, right?
14 KRYPTO
It has to be rough for aspiring animal cosplayers to look out and see so little representation. Sure, there’s a whole world of human characters to get the four-legged treatment, but what about animals straight from the page? What dog really wants to dress up as Miss Lion from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends? Where’s the fun in that?
Thankfully, Superman had a whole slew of super pets, from Streaky the Super Cat to Beppo the Super Monkey. And while you may not see Comet at Comic Con -- those buzzkill San Diego security guards told us repeatedly you can’t bring a full-sized horse into conventions -- an eagle-eyed fan might just spot Krypto the Super Dog ready to save the day, like this handsome boy spotted at New York Comic Con.
13 HARLEY QUINN
Lets face it, after four fun-filled days of any Comic Con, you sit back, reminisce with your pals and say, “If I never see another Harley Quinn costume as long as I live, it’ll be too soon.” We have no interest in gate-keeping geekery, but from BTAS-accurate to the revamped Suicide Squad skimp, and from gender-bent to period-piece, you probably think you’ve seen it all 20 times over. But you’d be wrong.
Allow us to present to you Harley Quinn-chilla. Sporting a costume designed for pets ranging from hamsters to rabbits by the Etsy shop La Marmota Cafe, this crepuscular rodent looks ready to team up with the Clown Prince of Crime for all manner of ridiculously adorable hijinks. Call up Warner Bros. We have a great pitch for Gotham City Sirens.
12 CASTIEL
We all know Supernatural. Whether you watched the long-running CW show, have seen the countless memes on Tumblr, or accidentally stumbled across some of the fan-fiction and exclaimed “Oh god! Guys, they’re brothers! What is wrong with you? This is so weird. No other fanbase is like this! Please stop!!" you have most likely interacted with the popular franchise in some way.
At some point, you’ve probably seen Misha Collins as the smoldering Castiel, an Angel of the Lord who brought Dean Winchester back from hell. And if there’s anybody we’d trust to fetch something from the underworld, it’s this good boy right here. Spotted by EPBot.com at Tampa Bay Comic Con, this is one snazzy Servant of Heaven. Gotta say, we like this doggy’s style… oh wait, that just reminded us of the fan fiction. Ugh.
11 NICK FURRY
Some dogs dress up as heroes. Others, through their training and actions, are real life heroes. And sometimes, like this little fella, they’re both. Spotted at New York Comic Con, this head of S.H.I.E.L.D is, in real life, a service animal. He's also appeared as Captain America, but it's this Nick “Furry” that really takes the cake.
Sure, you can just slap any costume on any dog and it would be cute, but this particular combo just works. Whether it's the fur contrasting with the outfit to look like grey hair, or his grizzled, Sam Elliott-esque expression, you can’t help but think this dog has grumbled to his young puppy partner that he’s one day away from retirement. We can’t say for sure how effective he is against Hydra, but we hear he gives hydrants real hell.
10 NIBBLER
Beetlecat is a costume designer known for her highly-detailed mascot-style animal costumes, worn by humans for… well, various purposes. But it seems even in her off hours, a creative mind is never at rest. This fine piece of cat cosplay was modeled after Nibbler, the tiny alien with the impossibly heavy poops from the cult-hit Futurama.
Two things are worth noting: Yes, all cats look that miserable in any costume, or virtually at any time under any circumstances. It’s why we love them. More importantly, this great looking get-up was apparently thrown together as an afterthought, assembled just from odds and ends laying around the house. Damn, we put weeks into our own costumes, and we don’t look nearly as good.
9 BATMAN AND BATMOBILE
When it comes to cosplay, props are crucial. Without a lightsaber, you’re just some guy in a bathrobe. Without his jetpack, the Rocketeer just looks like a knock-off Beetleborg. The costume may be important, but that’s only half the battle. The costume and gadgets do not always the hero make... but it does help.
That’s why this pimpin’ pomeranian knew to bust out his sickest ride. What is Batman, after all, without his Batmobile. Sure, this isn’t exactly a movie-accurate Tumbler, but when it comes to cosplay, one can forgive sacrificing authenticity for style. And this little pup had all the style in the world outside San Diego Comic Con in 2013. Sure, he uses it less for chasing bad guys and more for chasing squirrels, but who are we to judge?
8 DOGPOOL
No, we didn’t just make up a cute doggy name for Deadpool. There is, in fact, a dog version of the Merc with a Mouth. Originally from Earth-103173, Wilson the Dog underwent cruel experiments that turned him into Dogpool, a healing mutant assassin. Later exploited as part of a circus act, he was finally rescued by the Wade Wilson of Earth-616. Good boy, Wade. Good boy.
We don’t know whether this dog is from Earth-103173, but he was spotted at the Jacob Javitts Center in New York City at New York Comic Con. We particularly admire the holes for the nose and tail that make the costume that extra bit more adorable. The inclusion of props is also appreciated, though one must wonder how he’ll be able to handle those swords without, you know, thumbs.
7 CHARMANDER AND PIKACHU
Cats and dogs have been getting most of the love on this list, as they tend to do on most of the internet, but we think it's time to feature a couple more little guys. Though they didn’t make their way to any conventions, these two adorable guinea pigs made their cosplay debut thanks to Imgur user BartholomewCubbins.
We did some digging, and it appears the costumes originated from Cuddly Cavies, a website that exists specifically to create and sell costumes for guinea pigs and rabbits. If you scroll the site and think some of the costumes look familiar, that’s because their pirate hat, bumblebee and other costumes were featured in the South Park “Pandemic” episodes. That’s right, Cuddly Cavies are the Edith Head of the guinea pig cosplay world.
6 ARROW
We’re not going to argue that there aren’t things about the CW hit Arrow that don’t work. Some writing and character choices weren’t well thought-out, shippers may have forced the show’s hand in some inorganic ways, and sometimes it feels like it gets ignored by its producers in favor of the super-powered shows like Flash or Supergirl, or the sexy Archie riff Riverdale. Yes, its 2017, Archie is sexy now. It’s weird, but we deal.
But the one thing nobody has ever raised issue with is Arrow actor Stephen Amell. As Oliver Queen, Amell has been consistently top quality, holding his own in even the lowest points. That said, no offense, Steve, but we’d totally swap you out for Ollie the French Bulldog. Come on, look at that face, it looks poised to bark out, “You have failed this city!” He’s already armed with arrows (we assume security confiscated his bow, the buzzkills), and for goodness sake, his actual name is Ollie. Come on, CW. Get on this!
5 EWOKING THE DOG
We know everybody is Porg crazy with Star Wars: The Last Jedi on the horizon, but it's important that we don’t forget the OG adorable Star Wars critter, the Ewoks. Plenty of dogs have donned Star Wars costumes in the past, and subsequently taken the internet by storm (shout out to Chubbs the Wampa Pug), but our favorite has got to be this delightful little Ewok from Rose City Comic Con in Oregon.
It’s not just the joyful face on the dog in question -- though look at that face -- it's the structure of the costume itself. By giving the costume fake arms, it allows our little Ewok to carry a stick with him as a prop. Hopefully, fetch instincts don’t set in, or this little pup will be chasing his own fake hand around the entire Oregon Convention Center. Okay, actually, that would be adorable.
4 CATBUS
Anime cosplays are usually a gamble when it comes to conventions. Sure, sometimes you’ll get recognized, but other times you’ll be greeted with annoying questions like “Who are you?” “Is that, like, a ninja?” or “Are there any anime women whose costumes aren’t objectifying?” Yet, we’re really glad filmmaker Betty Lee took a chance on anime with her adorable interpretation of the Hayao Miyazaki classic My Neighbor Totoro.
Using only felt and some stellar sewing skills, Lee managed to turn her cat Yun Yun into a picture-perfect version of the Catbus from the iconic film. Take special note of the multiple “paws” and the mouse passengers riding at the top. Lee even posted video of the costume in action on her Sweet Ipomoea website. If that doesn’t melt your heart, nothing will... you heartless monster.
3 STAY PUFT AND SLIMER
Admittedly, we’re all a little hesitant to talk about Ghostbusters on the internet anymore after the whole "Ghostbro" debacle. That said, how could anyone resist talking about these adorable little guys? Yes, somebody avoided the temptation to dress their dogs up as the terror dogs and go far more elaborate, embracing the two most iconic characters from the original film.
Of course, it should be acknowledged that the actual picture does play a part. While these two would be cute in any context, the fact that Stay Puft seems utterly alarmed by his portly buddy in full Slimer get-up elicits the most emphatic aww. If these two get cast in the next inevitable reboot, we’d all be onboard. Just call it Ghostbow-wowsters! Sorry... kind of.
2 RED LION
Voltron has been seeing a real resurgence in pop culture recently. A Voltron robot cropped up on a recent episode of Rick and Morty. The most romantic moment in Deadpool centers around a Voltron ring. Hell, even the new Netflix revival is surprisingly good. So it was inevitable that Voltron cosplay would make a resurgence as well, but we don’t know if anything is gonna top this.
This adorable lil’ gal is named Uka, and she made her Red Lion debut at Hawaii’s Kawaii Kon 2017. Yes, the brilliantly constructed helmet can be removed to see her happy little face, and we bet you’ve never seen a robot wag its tail so fast. Red Lion in the show may be temperamental and hard to tame, but by all accounts, Uka seems to be a very sweet girl. Come on, Uka, where’s that commitment to character?
1 VALIANT VARIANTS
Are we cheating here a little bit? Maybe. But we can’t pick just one, and this is too awesome to ignore. Yes, variant covers can be tiresome gimmicks sometimes, and more than once these damned things almost killed the industry. Normally, we don’t want to encourage this kind of industry behavior, but on the other hand… cats!
Yes, Valiant released a slew of variant covers for its major titles like Faith and Bloodshot, each adorned with a cat cosplaying as the character. All 10 of these Valiant variants are amazing, but we’d like to draw your attention to the fantastically poised Faith model, and Britannia, wherein the cat seems very perplexed about this strange heavy object on its head. Let this be a lesson to all comic book publishers: We don’t want countless variant covers. Just give us cats.
Have you seen any adorable animal cosplays recently? Throw us a bone in the comments!