What happens when Cersei Lannister and Darth Vader sit down for a cup of coffee? A lot less evil scheming than you’d think.
Cosplayers Getting Coffee is a YouTube series that gives cosplayers a platform to display their talents, letting fans get to know the artists behind the handmade masks.
In each episode, two cosplayers who don’t know each other meet in a coffee shop to talk nerdy. Fully clad in EVA foam suits of armor, lavish wigs, and spandex jumpsuits, these dedicated artists show off their creative skills while bonding over their favorite fandoms.
Creator and Producer Michael Abdul-Qawi says the show’s purpose is to give a voice to cosplayers. “In the cosplay community, everything comes down to photos. These people put all of this time and energy into their cosplays and wear them to cons and take tons of photos—and fans wanted more. Cosplayers Getting Coffee gives people the chance to learn more about these costumes and the people who create them.”
On the show, cosplayers share the inspiration behind their cosplays, details on how they execute the design, and what sparks their creativity. The cosplayers go into the experience as strangers, and quickly learn they have a lot in common. But at the end of the day, every cosplayer is unique. “The cosplayers we feature come from a variety of interesting backgrounds; some are teachers, musicians and artists,” explains Co-Creator and Creative Director Chris Silva. “Cosplayers Getting Coffee allows them to share that part of themselves with the viewers, while also having a lot of fun on set and meeting someone new who shares their passion.”
Each episode of Cosplayers Getting Coffee features a caffeine-fueled fandom collision that is almost too good to be true. Super Lex and The Flash share their love of the Justice League over Espresso, while Deadshot and the Yellow Ranger discuss their favorite Disney princess and Ninja Turtle as they sip on Chai Tea Lattes.
And while life is not all fun and games, this show is. Cosplayers challenge each other to explain different fandoms in 10 seconds, complete a Rorschach test, and maybe even dabble in a game of Jenga Pass.
With nine episodes, three Comic Con specials, and 52,000 views in their first year of production, Cosplayers Getting Coffee has even more geeky goodness in store for next year. “Viewers can expect to see more content from us with even more varied cosplayers, hilarious conversations, interesting fandom fueled questions/responses and more game integration to really bring out the unique personalities of our featured cosplayers,” says Silva.
The Pop Insider will officially sponsor Cosplayers Getting Coffee in 2019, helping fuel the show’s production to bring fans more content than ever before. “I’m excited to see this relationship introduce more people to cosplay,” says Abdul-Qawi. “This partnership is an example of how cosplay is moving more into the pop culture spotlight. What was once a hobby very few knew about, is now an art form being displayed at conventions, movies premieres and beyond.”
Catch new episodes of Cosplayers Getting Coffee every other week on toyinsidestage.wpengine.com/popinsiderstage or the Cosplayers Getting Coffee YouTube channel. Subscribe now!
Cosplayers Getting Coffee shoots on Saturdays and Sundays in New York City. Do you want to show off your cosplay skills and be on the show? Let us know!
