Find Your Inner Geek: Wheelchair-Users Doing Cosplay

Wheelchair-users love to dress up. Many of us love Halloween or any excuse to don the visage of someone else and get out of our element, even for a few hours.  There’s just nothing like it. And one of the best ways to really get out of your element when it’s not Halloween is by going to a comic convention.

That’s right – those geeky conventions you seen on TV. Do you dare to be this geeky?  If you’ve stopped caring what people think long ago and the notion of emulating your favorite movie or comic character sounds appealing, then read on for three sweet videos showing how wheelchair-users can get their cosplay on just like everybody else.

Our first video comes from the biggest comic convention that happens every year in California – San Diego Comic-Con. In this video we get to see a woman who loves steampunk, the cool blend of sci-fi and Victorian, hit the Comic-Con floor in her custom steampunk wheelchair.  Her chair is quite a spectacle – it’s full of gold and brass embellishments, as well as a wooden frame.

If you’ve ever wanted to create a completely different wheelchair, you gotta see what she created. Plenty of people were impressed with her wheelchair as well, as everyone stopping to take her picture in the video proves. Watch her steampunk wheelchair in action

Our second video comes from Hal-Con, a sci-fi convention that occurs in Halifax, Nova Scotia every November. The video is of an interview with a gentleman who made his very own replica of Dr. Arliss Loveless’ wheelchair from the Will Smith movie, Wild Wild West; Kevin Kline’s villain who had no legs.

In the interview, which takes place in a hotel hallway, the creator of the costume shows how it works, as well as informs the camera it took him six months to create this amazing wheelchair. It’s hard to say if he’s a real amputee or not, but that doesn’t matter because the costume is perfect. Watch the Wild Wild West wheelchair at Hal-Con

And our third video is of one of the most popular wheelchair cosplayers in the world, Misa on Wheels, a young 20 something woman from the New England area who frequently goes to comic conventions in costume. Recently she attended Another Anime Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire, and at this convention she debuted a brand new costume – “Fionna” from the animated series Adventure Time.

In the video, Misa is interviewed by Nerd Caliber, who asks her all the good stuff – why Fionna and how she made her costume. Misa very well may be the most bubbly persons you’ll ever meet in a wheelchair, let alone the most bubbly person you’ll meet at a comic convention. Watch Misa explain her Fionna costume

Maybe you haven’t tried going to a comic convention before, but it’s never too late.  They’ve become one of my most favorite things to do post-injury, and the best part is that they happen in cities across the country.  You don’t have to look too far for a convention that speaks to you. And remember, geeks and nerds are some of the most welcoming people you’ll ever meet.

Have you cosplayed in your wheelchair before?

Watch the videos!

– Steampunk wheelchair at San Diego Comic-Con

– Wild Wild West wheelchair based on the Will Smith movie

– Misa on Wheels playing “Fionna” from Adventure Time