Best cosplay gifts!
Whether you’re a cosplayer yourself or you have cosplay friends, I’m sure there will be a time when you want to give a gift to someone. And for us cosplayers, we love our gifts and presents! If you have a special friend who deserves a wonderful gift, you might be wondering what to get them. Well, that’s what this article is for.
In this post, I will give you 15 best cosplay gift ideas that you or your cosplayer friends will love! These range from cosplay products, to general stuff that cosplayers simply enjoy. You’ll find at least one of these things very loveable for you or someone else.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Convention pass
Unless your cosplay friend only likes cosplaying at home, chances are they do attend a lot of Anime/comic conventions. What better way to spoil them on their birthday/holiday than to buy their weekend pass for them? A convention pass makes for a great gift! These days, conventions can be really expensive to attend (especially big ones like Anime Weekend Atlanta). Getting them a badge will save them a lot of money! Just make sure that they are attending that particular convention. If you’re good friends with them, you’ll know which cons they usually attend every year. 🙂
2. Sewing machine
For many cosplayers, a sewing machine is the lifeblood of the cosplayer’s work. It’s what makes everything possible. If you find that your cosplayer friend is always hand-sewing their costumes, or they’re using a worn-down sewing machine, please do them a favor! Get them a nice, brand new sewing machine for their birthday or for the holidays! They do cost a lot, but if you can afford to give a big gift, then a sewing machine is definitely it.
3. Mannequin wig heads
I don’t know about you, but I definitely find wig heads to be so useful as a cosplayer! Once you start cosplaying a lot, you’ll find it more difficult to maintain all your cosplay wigs (click here to see how). While the simpler and shorter wigs are can be put away in sealable bags, the longer and more stylish wigs need their own space. And mannequin heads are by far the best way to hold onto your wigs and keep their styling!
The best thing is that mannequin wig heads don’t cost a lot of money. So you can buy your friend a bunch of wig heads for cheap, and they make for one of the best cosplay gift ideas.
4. Cosplay book
If you want to buy a cheap cosplay present, then a cosplay book is the best gift you can get. Believe it or not, there are a lot of great books on cosplay out there! From Kamui Cosplay and her numerous products on armor and LEDs, to Yaya Han’s book on cosplaying, there’s so many helpful books you can purchase. And if your cosplayer friend is really into the hobby and makes their own costumes, then they’ll definitely appreciate a good cosplay book.
5. EVA foam or Worbla
If you want to make your cosplay look fancier, then that usually involves some EVA foam or Worbla. So if you know that your friend will need some of that material for their upcoming cosplays, then that’s when you step in and help them out! You can hit up your local hardware store to buy some EVA foam for them and package it as a cosplay gift. Foam can get pricey, and your cosplayer friend will REALLY appreciate it when you give some Worbla or EVA foam for free!
6. Cosplay makeup
Ah yes! Makeup in general is what many cosplayers love to have in their arsenal. This is another cosplay gift ideas that’s budget-friendly yet wonderful as a present for your friend. You will have to know your friend a little bit in order to find out which types of makeup they use. But if you’re looking for the best cosplay makeup brands, click here to see my list.
7. Gift card for a cosplay store
If you know your cosplay friend wants to buy a brand new costume, then the best thing you can give them is a gift card for any of the online cosplay stores. Think of it as a clothing gift card but for cosplay! This is a wonderful gift that will reduce their cosplay purchase drastically. Or if the cosplay they buy is cheap, then the gift card will cover the entire cost and they get a costume for free! For the best online cosplay stores, click here to see my list.
8. Selfie ring light kit
A lot of cosplayers love to take self photoshoots. While they’re no replacement for cosplay photographers, being able to take your own photos has a lot of advantages (click here to see why). And you can easily setup a home studio by getting them a ring light kit. As the name implies, this product comes with a ring light and a dock to hold your smartphone in between the ring light. This will make your regular selfie look a lot better! Ring light kits are a little on the pricier side, but they can up your friend’s cosplay game!
9. Anime
Simple enough gift! Since a lot of cosplayers do dress up as Anime characters, it’s only natural for them to enjoy Anime themselves. Whether it’s a subscription to an Anime streaming service, or simply buying a pack of DVDs, you can never go wrong with purchasing Anime for your cosplay friend!
10. Video games
Similar to Anime, video games are another great gift for cosplayers. Everyone loves video games, including cosplayers like myself! I don’t know about you, but video games are pretty damn expensive now. Being able to buy 1 or 2 video games for your friends is a wonderful thing to do. Just make sure you know which video game console they have, so you can buy the right game for them. P.S. A lot of my cosplay friends really love Animal Crossing for the Switch!
11. Movie tickets
So we cosplayers do love our cosplay music videos. But we also enjoy movies as well! Movie tickets are a great gift for cosplayers. We get a lot of our cosplay ideas from the films we watch. Think of the DC and Marvel Universe, as well as the Anime films that come out. Buying a complimentary movie ticket is a wonderful gift for your cosplayer friend.
12. Concert tickets
This gift might be expensive, but totally worth it! Cosplayers loooove their concerts. It’s the main reason why we see many concerts happening at conventions. You buy concert tickets for you and your friend in many genres, including J-pop, K-pop, video game concerts or symphonies, and more.
13. Gift card for fabric store
Similar to the gift cards you can give them for an online cosplay store, you can also buy your friend a gift card for any fabric store! If you’ve visited stores such as JOANN or Fabricland, you’ll know that these places have tons of items that appeal to cosplayers. Giving them a gift card for one of these stores is an awesome way to celebrate whatever occasion your friend may be having.
14. Posters
Who doesn’t love posters? As cosplayers, we buy so many of them in the dealer’s room during a convention. If you know your friend’s favorite Anime or video game series, why not buy them a poster from that fandom? It’ll make for a great gift!
15. Pre-made Cosplay props
Last but not least, you can buy your friend a cosplay prop that’s already been made and completed! Now you can potentially get it commissioned and gift it to your friend. But a lot of niche stores do sell fantasy replica weapons you can buy. I do see things like Link’s Master Sword or fancy Lightsabers on sale at regular stores. They can be expensive, but if you love your friend, you probably wouldn’t mind splurging on a gift for them. 🙂
Summary
To summarize, here are 15 cosplay gift ideas for your cosplay friend:
- Convention pass
- Sewing machine
- Mannequin wig heads
- Cosplay book
- EVA foam or Worbla
- Cosplay makeup
- Gift card for a cosplay store
- Selfie ring light kit
- Anime
- Video games
- Movie tickets
- Concert tickets
- Gift card for fabric store
- Posters
- Pre-made Cosplay props
And there you have it: 15 cosplay gift ideas that will make all your cosplay friends so happy! I hope you found this post useful.
Which cosplay gift(s) do you plan on giving your friend? Let me know in the comments below!
My name is Roger Senpai. I’m a cosplayer that’s been in the community for well over a decade now. I’ve traveled all over the world to Anime and Comic conventions and hosted my own cosplay events. Now I’m writing articles for new and experienced cosplayers like you to help inspire, save you money and improve your cosplays!
