One of the best things about going to any comic convention is seeing the absolutely amazing costumes that people come up with. In fact, it's a shame a lot of these people aren't working in Hollywood, because in the age of too much CGI, having people who can put together a practical monster costume would be a huge asset. There are plenty of characters out there that are cosplayed frequently: Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Captain Jack Sparrow, not to mention the various Disney Princesses. However, there are also a lot of cosplays at these conventions that truly go beyond the standard collection of characters you might expect to see. That's because some of these characters might be considered impossible to cosplay.
The difficulty level is too high, and the recognition factor may be too low. When people go the extra mile to bring these characters to life, it's like hitting a whole other level of nostalgia. Imagine running into a cartoon character from your childhood that you had completely forgotten about at one of these conventions. You would probably be pretty amazed that someone took the time to create that costume and that they actually got all of the details correct. As anyone who has tried to put together a great Halloween costume knows, finding all the pieces you need can be exhausting. These kinds of cosplays are worthy of respect and admiration, if only because the cosplayers have gone the extra mile to make them happen. Take a look at these 20 cartoon cosplays that probably should have been impossible to pull off. Somehow, these people managed to make them perfect.
20 KRUMM FROM AAAHH! REAL MONSTERS!
Aaahh! Real Monsters! was way ahead of its time (it was also really gross). The show examined the life of monsters well before Monsters, Inc. did the same. The show followed the lives of child monsters who were just learning how to effectively scare humans. It's not exactly a show that would inspire a lot of cosplays, but this cosplay of the character Krumm is particularly effective.
All of the details this cosplay should include are there: Krumms gross armpit hair, the color of his skin, and especially the giant eyeballs being held above his head. The cosplayer is even able to make their head look like Krumm's bulbous nose. It all adds up to a great cosplay that should bring back memories for any '90s kids.
19 CYNTHIA AND REPTAR FROM RUGRATS
Here's yet another blast from the Nickelodeon past: Cynthia and Reptar from Rugrats. These unidentified cosplayers have really gone deep in their choice of characters. Cynthia, of course, was Angelica's prized possession. Despite the teased hair and the overall bored look on her face, Cynthia had always been her favorite doll. This costume captures Cynthia's look perfectly.
Then there is Reptar, a Godzilla like monster that the babies absolutely adored. Reptar had his own movies, amusement park, there was even "Reptar on Ice," a figure skating special featuring the big, reptilian monster. This Reptar cosplay is particularly impressive in the attention paid to the small details, like the color of Reptar's tongue and the spikes on the top of his head.
18 BEBOP AND ROCKSTEADY FROM TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles produced some really memorable characters that would be perfect for cosplays: Shredder, April O'Neil, even the Turtles themselves. However, two characters that would be a true challenge to take on in cosplay would have to be Bebop and Rocksteady, Shredder's not-so-intelligent main henchmen. However, these two cosplayers managed to pull it off.
All of the details are there, Bebop's turtle shell shoulder pads and signature purple mohawk, as well as Rocksteady's bandolier, and green helmet. These two definitely look menacing, and the extra muscles on the arms just makes them look even more like they are ready to cause a lot of trouble.
17 YAKKO, WAKKO, DOT, AND HELLO NURSE FROM ANIMANIACS
What can you say about this Animaniacs cosplay? How about that it's zany to the max? Animaney? Totally insaney? One thing you could definitely say about is that it is super accurate. Pictured above from left to right are cosplayers Starlla, Holly Heitman, misfitghost, and Nani-Mizu.
The biggest mystery about the Warner brothers was what kind of animal they are supposed to be. The show even dedicated an entire musical segment to it once. This cosplay manages to convey that mystery perfectly. The design of the Warners doesn't appear to be based on any specific animal, although the elongated snouts and noses kind of resemble the look of the Whos in the live action How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
16 CARTMAN, STAN, KYLE, AND KENNY FROM SOUTH PARK
Is it hard to throw together a group cosplay that basically just requires winter clothing? Maybe not, but to match the exact colors and outfits of the boys from South Park is pretty impressive. That's why this cosplay pulled off by Tanuki-Tinka-Asai, Pin-In-Motion, and MaceRider is so special. Every detail is accounted for, down to the style of hats and even the pockets on Kyle's jacket.
What's really incredible is how accurate the look of Kenny is. Pulling off the hood covering the cosplayer's face without going too far must have been difficult, but it works perfectly. You almost expect something crazy to happen just looking at this picture, like an alien abduction or an attack by Mecha-Streisand.
15 EDUARDO AND KYLIE FROM EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS
Back in the '90s, there was a growing trend of making everything "extreme." Everything from comics, to toys, even snack foods were labelled as being "extreme," as if the '90s just wanted to tell everyone "this ain't your parents' decade!" It was a trend that eventually fizzled out, but it did leave some pretty great things in its wake, such as the animated series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
While the series only lasted for 40 episodes, it was actually a pretty decent update of the Ghostbusters mythos, and featured a diverse group of teenagers as the new busters. Two of them were Eduardo and Kylie, portrayed here by cosplayer SuicideSlade and his girlfriend.
14 JOHNNY BRAVO FROM JOHNNY BRAVO
Whoa, mama! This Johnny Bravo cosplay by metalslimer hits all the right notes of the classic character. First, you've got the incredible blonde bouffant hair. Next, the dark sunglasses. The black T-shirt and jeans finish this cosplay perfectly, but what really ties it all together is the flexing pose.
Anyone who remembers the show Johnny Bravo will no doubt recall that Johnny was not exactly a ladies man, though he fashioned himself one. Actually, he wasn't particularly liked by anyone. However, this Johnny looks like he could get looks of approval from a lot of people (and not just his mother). You'd definitely want to do the monkey with this guy.
13 ROSIE THE ROBOT MAID FROM THE JETSONS
Every year it seems like we're getting closer to the future envisioned in The Jetsons. We may not have built anything as complex as Rosie the robot maid yet, but who's to say that the roomba isn't a step in that direction? Right now, the closest we can get to seeing a real life Rosie is this homemade costume by Stephanie C.
Everything about this costume is great: the bulky exterior, the color, even the square robotic hands. It's practically a perfect representation of the Jetsons' sassy robot maid. Why did they want their robot maids to be sassy in the future anyway? Wouldn't it be better to have a robot maid that doesn't judge how messy you are?
12 DEMONA FROM GARGOYLES
If there's one thing about being a cosplayer that is important, it's dedication to the role. Take this amazing cosplay of Demona from Disney's Gargoyles for example. Here, cosplayer Alysha Garza channels all of Demona's menacing power into one snarl. Beyond that, the costume is a work of art.
Gargoyles is strangely one of the only Disney properties that hasn't made its way back onto television or been adapted into any films. It's weird to think about, considering that it was one of the most popular animated series of its time and had its own rich mythology and canon. Hopefully if it ever does come back in a live action form, the producers take note of this version of Demona.
11 OTHER MOTHER FROM CORALINE
One of the more creative aspects of Coraline was the alternate world where people's eyes had been replaced by buttons. Of course, that didn't end up being the scariest part of the movie (crazy spider mother takes that prize), but it was frightening in its own way.
Here, the look of Other Mother's button eyes and faux-caring smile are beautifully recreated by make up artist Manuel D'Andrea. Notice the attention put into the eyebrows, the lipstick, even the small beauty mark. All the little touches, along with those creepy button eyes, add up to make one creepy, but highly impressive cosplay.
10 NEW NEW YORK COPS SMITTY AND URL FROM FUTURAMA
Here are two of New New York's finest, looking good and sporting their glowing batons! This Futurama cosplay is not only a great creative choice, but it also proves that the series had a number of great bit players, all of them worthy of being cosplayed.
These costumes, made by JarmanProps, are not only hilarious, but are totally accurate to the characters. You have the clear plastic face masks, the giant white collars, and the blue jumpsuits emblazoned with the word "police." Those helmets are so important that the cops don't even take hem off when they're undercover. Now that's dedication to the job!
9 MISS FRIZZLE FROM THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS
Will this be a normal convention? With the Frizz? No way! This Miss Frizzle cosplay gets everything right about the character, from the planetary dress to the Liz on her shoulder. The other things that make this cosplay perfect are just the unknown cosplayer's warm smile and curly red locks.
In a convention where you're going to see some pretty intimidating superheroes, villains, aliens, monsters, and all manner of other scary things, it's kind of nice to see someone who is keeping childhood memories alive and cosplaying as someone who had a genuine love for teaching and exploring the natural world.
8 MITSUKO, KRIEGER, ARCHER, AND CHERYL FROM ARCHER
When cosplaying as a cartoon character, it's hard to get the small details right. No matter how much work you put into your costume, at the end of the day, you're still just going to look like a real person. Unless of course, you pull off something like this group of cosplayers did.
Not only did they get the outfits of their respective Archer characters right, they also accented their cloths with black paint to give them a more animated look. All this group needs is the rest of the Archer gang. Mallory, Cyril, and Pam would really round out this crew.
7 URSULA FROM THE LITTLE MERMAID
This Ursula cosplay by Matsu-Sotome is absolutely breathtaking (or should we say voice taking?), and it clearly resulted from a lot of hard work and great effort. What is there not to love about this cosplay? Every part of it is totally authentic to the character.
First, you've got that hair. Can you imagine how long it would take to get your hair to stand up like that? You would need a metric ton of gel or hairspray. Next is the purple skin, which is absolutely perfect. Finally, the make up touches and the shell necklace round out this cosplay to take it to the next level.
6 BUTTERFREE, METAPOD, AND CATERPIE FROM POKEMON
Remember the first time you caught a Caterpie in Pokemon? You'd get so excited about training it up to be a Butterfree, but you knew what was coming. Before you could reach that stage, you had to put up with sending your Metapod into battle just to get the experience points.
These unknown cosplayers did a great job of showing the individual personalities of each form of this Pokemon. You've got Caterpie and Butterfree ready for action, standing in poses that show they're prepared to fight. Then, in between them, Metapod just hanging out and doing nothing. That seems about right.
5 DARKWING DUCK FROM DARKWING DUCK
There must have been trouble, because it looked like someone called DW. This Darkwing Duck cosplay, by Imgur user verbalfonders, is practically perfect in every way, right down to the color of the suit and cape. Even the small touch of Darkwing's gas gun is executed perfectly here.
The only thing that might be a pain to walk around with for a whole convention is that duck bill. Even though it looks awesome and completely adds to the costume, it has to be a drag having that on your face all day. That's what you have to put up with when you're cosplaying though.
4 CATWOMAN FROM BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
There have been many versions of Catwoman throughout the years. The most modern version of the character is typically seen wearing a more tactical suit and goggles, giving her a more realistic look. However, the one most people who grew up in the '90s remember is the Catwoman from the original Batman animated series.
This cosplay by yukilefay evokes memories of the animated series and the Catwoman that graced TV screens during that time. She gets every part right, even the stylish belt with the golden circles. There are a lot of people who cosplay as Catwoman, but most of them can't get this close to recreating the animated look.
3 MOJO JOJO FROM THE POWERPUFF GIRLS
Alright, admit it: if you saw this cosplayer walking around at a convention, would you not think that this is the real Mojo Jojo? This cosplay by Reddit user TheJedibugs is almost too good. The outfit is absolutely perfect, and the hat has actual lights going!
On top of all of that, you have the most impressive feature: the monkey face. Every part of it is so detailed, right down to the eyes. Mojo Jojo never looked this menacing on The Powerpuff Girls, so it's pretty crazy that he could look this scary in real life. You would definitely want to call Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup if you ran into this guy!
2 TE FITI FROM MOANA
Remember at the end of Moana when Te Fiti is restored and she looks like a beautiful woman that is made completely of nature? Did you think that it would be impossible that anyone could cosplay as her? Well if you did, then you were wrong. This cosplay by Reddit user azn_juju09 is the proof.
This Te Fiti cosplay is so amazing in how captures the verdant greens of Te Fiti from the film, while also allowing the cosplayer to radiate the kind of gentle kindness that Te Fiti had in the film. The little Moana in the palm of her hand is also a great finishing touch.
1 LINGUINI FROM RATATOUILLE
Cosplaying as a Disney character is always a popular option. You have a lot of characters to choose from, many of them instantly recognizable. There are also plenty of them out there who probably don't get as much attention as they deserve. One of those is the young, clumsy wannabe chef Linguini from Ratatouille.
However, make up artist Manuel D'Andrea thought that Linguini deserved a little more attention. This cosplay and make up job is absolutely amazing. The cartoonish look from the movie is created with great detail in real life, including the freckles, rosy cheeks, eyebrows, and cartoonish nose. Another nice touch? The rat tail hanging out of the chef's hat.