SailorMoon America's Cosplay Arena
Kigurumi - Masked Cosplay

Many cosplayers go all the way... and even men will cross the gender line and cosplay female characters.

But a select group of men will take cosplay to new heights by wearing costumes... over a bodysuit and wearing a mask. This is what's known as Kigurumi... or masked cosplay. Generated from the Japanese words Kiru (to wear) and nuigurumi (a stuffed toy animal), if you thought that cosplay was expensive- just you wait.

This is Cosplay...

and this is Kigurumi.

As you can see, the one on the left is more closer to looking like the Sailor Moon from the LiveAction Series... while the one on the right is more like the Anime version. This is what makes Kigurumi more appealing to men who want to be more like an Anime Character.

Men who do Kigurumi choose to do so because they enjoy being able to interact with the fans as a living doll. But it's even more expensive to do Kigurumi than it is to do Cosplay...

The basis for all Kigurumi is, of course, the mask. It can be laced up or zipped up from the back but it is the mask that makes a cosplayer a living doll because the mask can mimic the facial expressions of an anime character better than a cosplayer can. The masks range in price from $125 for one from Kerry to $650+ for a Dolphin mask- the best in the world, and made only in Japan.
The next major investment for a Kigurumi is the bodysuit, or Unitard. This is usually the first item bought because it's not so expensive but it will last you a heck of a long time. The unitard will cost anywhere from $30 to $95... and it's preferable to get a unitard that is footed and gloved, even more so if you get one with a skin-tight hood to complete the illusion.
To further the illusion, you will want to buy some female lingerie to wear under the unitard... a padded girdle, a bra and additional support for it. Padded girdles would be better bought at Frederick's of Hollywood (fredericks.com) and cost about $50. You can buy any size bra you want anywhere and make the support for it.
Finally, you can begin making your costumes- for it is them that complete the transformation. Just make sure that the costumes you make match the masks you buy for it's hard to pair a Sailor Mercury mask with an outfit of Sailor Pluto.

Kigurumi Websites

So far I've seen only a few websites about Kigurumi Artists, but in my eyes they're some of the best sites I've seen. Enjoy them.

This is one of the first Kigurumi websites I've found, and the person behind it makes some very wonderful costumes.
Website

Katsumi and Miho are 2 artists who have wonderful galleries of costumed pictures of themselves. Pay them a visit and tell me what you think.
Website

Rowan's Puppet Stage- He is a Chicago native who has blended cosplay, kigurumi and a lot of other stuff into his website.
Website

She is a Japanese Cosplayer/Kigurumi Artist who has been inventing herself on the web since 1998.
Website

Get in touch with any of these websites to find what you need for Kigurumi...