ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Pop culture show “BAY-CON” returns to Bay College next month. Some attendees, like Bay College student Laura Palmgren, are already preparing for one of the most anticipated parts of the event.
“Regular clothes have never been my thing, so my dad actually got me into sewing when I was really little,” Palmgren said. “It just continued on as a Halloween thing, and I would go out and win costume contests.”
That was Palmgren’s first taste of cosplaying.
“It’s essentially taking your favorite medias—be it books, movies, art—and just bringing them to life,” she said.
She started attending conventions, creating more cosplays, and sharing them on TikTok and Facebook.
“Sailor Jupiter is my all-time favorite character that I’ve cosplayed, until I met the Mandalorian series,” said Palmgren. “I have created an original character. a half-goat, half-human. I have mushroom twin sisters and their names are Maia & Celia. I’ve done video game characters like Chun-Li from Street Fighter and Psychos from Borderlands.”
Palmgren is running the cosplay contest at “Return of the BAY-CON” on April 20. She recently finished her own cosplay for the event.
“It was just a dream of mashing together my favorite Sailor Scout along with the Mandalorian series,” she said.
The helmet is 3-D printed.
“My dad helped me wire in some lights for it,” Palmgren said, pushing a button to reveal a green glow.
The majority of the magnetic armor is made of foam.
“[It] involves me wrapping my body in saran wrap and duct tape, drawing the armor template onto my body, and then I’ll mirror that over so I don’t do it twice,” said Palmgren.
The cosplay took Palmgren about 80 hours to complete, but she says it’s worth it.
“I do it for myself because I love it and I love being able to express my imagination, but I also do it because I love to see the smiles on everybody else’s face,” Palmgren said.
While it may seem daunting to a newcomer, Palmgren encourages anyone who has ever considered cosplaying to jump into their first creation.
“Just go to Goodwill,” she said. “Have your idea, go find some clothes that resemble it a little bit, and you can just do tweaks. If you can’t sew, it’s all about hope and hot glue. The community is super supportive. We’re all there just to hype everyone up and to get more people cosplaying. That’s why I’m here!”
“Return of the BAY-CON” will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. In addition to the cosplay contest, the event will feature vinyl records, new and vintage toys and video games, trivia, live music, and food. Special guest voice actors include Vanessa Marshall, Rachael MacFarlane, and Anna Graves.
Visit the “Return of the BAY-CON” Facebook event page for more details and future updates. Click here to view Palmgren’s Facebook group for cosplayers, Hope & Hot Glue.
