Leo Nocedo :How did you discover cosplaying?
The Smyth Family : Our mom cosplayed most of her life, so she got us started really young.
Leo Nocedo : What was your first cosplay?
The Smyth Family : I don’t remember. It may have been one of our early Doctor Who cosplays. Skylie was just a baby and we dressed her as an adipose and it was really cute.
Leo Nocedo : What are your next 3 cosplay plans?
The Smyth Family : We have a steampunk Harry Potter cosplay we are currently working on. Then we have a sort of Stranger Things crossover in the future. But there are so many in the works, it’s hard to name them all.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever been in a cosplay contest?
The Smyth Family : Yes. Many. Our hallway is dedicated to trophies and awards from cosplaying.
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer sewing, armor making, or wig working?
The Smyth Family :Our mom makes most o our cosplays, but I like the sewing because she is beginning to teach us.
Leo Nocedo :Do you prefer to do photoshoots at cons or at specific locations?
The Smyth Family : I think at cons is fun, because everyone is so excited to be there and amped up. It’s fun.
Leo Nocedo : Is there a type of character you cosplay frequently?
The Smyth Family : We try and do a brand new cosplay for every convention or event.
Leo Nocedo : Do you have any favorite cosplayers?
The Smyth Family : Cos a Commotion is a favorite. Shellane cosplays as some of our favorite characters.
Leo Nocedo :What’s the most detailed cosplay you’ve ever done?
The Smyth Family : We did a Dark Crystal cosplay. We were Jen, Kira, and the skeksi Chamberlain. Our mom made every single piece by hand and tried to make it movie accurate. There was a lot of fabric dying and hand painting and sewing on beads and stuff. But it looked great when it was all done.
Leo Nocedo : What are your top 3 craftsmanship tips?
The Smyth Family :According to our mom, it should be, don’t craft around cats. And I second that! Also, details are what makes a cosplay really great. And never glue anything that can be sewn.
Leo Nocedo : What is your favorite cosplay you’ve done?
The Smyth Family :That’s really hard. We all really like doing Game of Thrones cosplays because the clothes they wear are amazing… and DRAGONS!… But we also go to a lot of Supernatural conventions and those are a ton of fun for cosplaying because we love the characters so much!
Leo Nocedo : What is your worst cosplay “horror” story?
The Smyth Family : Once at MegaCon Tampa, we were wearing a GoT cosplay that including dragons that we rode on and had moving wings. One of the random people that asked for a picture got too excited and snapped my dragon’s wing. We spent the rest of the day trying to prop it.
Leo Nocedo :What’s your funniest cosplay story?
The Smyth Family : One time after Syfy Bartow, where we had been cosplaying as Dark Lili, Jack, Una, and the Lord of Darkness from the movie Legend, we took a Lyft home… But the lady that showed up with the Lyft had a car covered in Jesus bumper stickers. She jumped when she saw Lola, painted fully red and sporting giant horns like the devil… It was funny.
Leo Nocedo : What’s the best in-character interaction you’ve ever had?
The Smyth Family : When Lola and Skylie were dressed as Ash and Asmodeus from Supernatural during a Supernatural convention in Jacksonville, they were brought on stage with the guys who play them in the show and got to be part of the panel. Then they invited them to a photo shoot. It was lots of fun.
Leo Nocedo :Have you ever cosplayed with a family member?
The Smyth Family : We all cosplay in my family. It’s more fun that way!
Leo Nocedo : What is your favorite cosplay photo of yourself?
The Smyth Family : I love my look from our Labyrinth cosplay. Lola was Jareth and Nova was the baby, Toby . But I was Sarah in that beautiful ballgown. It was way more rilly than most of my cosplays, so I felt fancy.
Leo Nocedo :What are your go-to stores for cosplay materials/full cosplays?
The Smyth Family : All the ladies that work at JoAnne’s know us and ask to see pictures of our latest cosplays when we go in.
Leo Nocedo :Do you prefer to buy pre-styled wigs or style your own?
The Smyth Family : We do some of both, but lots of our wigs have to be restyled because they are cut for adults and we have to make them look right on kids.
Leo Nocedo :Have you ever had someone mistake you for a different character?
The Smyth Family : For some reason a few people called Lola Hellboy when she was the Lord of Darkness from Legend. And if you ever cosplay as Castiel, it is almost inevitable that someone will call you Constantine.
Leo Nocedo : List all the cosplays you’ve done.
The Smyth Family : Oh boy. Multiple Doctor Who cosplays, Legend, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Stranger Things, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Hocus Pocus, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Suicide Squad, The Princess Bride, Terminator 2, Hercules, Xena, Spirited Away, tons of Supernatural…. I know I’m missing a bunch. We cosplay a lot. And my mom almost always makes us new cosplays for each event, so the list is probably insane if we ever made one.
Leo Nocedo : What’s the biggest con you’ve cosplayed at?
The Smyth Family : Mega maybe? I don’t know.
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer cosplaying characters with props, or characters that you don’t need to carry a prop around all day?
The Smyth Family : It depends what the prop is. Some props are a lot of fun. Others eventually get kind of tiring to carry and I offload it on my mom.
Leo Nocedo :Have you ever lost a cosplay piece at a con?
The Smyth Family : I haven’t lost things, but we’ve given some pieces away. Sometimes people walk up to us and really like certain props or accessories we made. So, if it;s the end of the day, we give them to them. Especially if they’re kids. It makes them really happy and that’s kind of what cons are about.
Leo Nocedo :Have you ever bought a cosplay piece at a con?
The Smyth Family : No. My mom is pretty big on trying to make all our cosplays.
Leo Nocedo :Do you prefer to cosplay solo or in a group?
The Smyth Family : Group!
Leo Nocedo : If you had a chance to meet your all-time favorite cosplayer, what would you say to them?
The Smyth Family : My favorite cosplayer ever is actually an actor names Osric Chao. And if I ever met him… and I will… I am mostly excited to give him a big hug…
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever done a cosplay panel?
The Smyth Family : No. But cut me some slack, I’m ten. Eventually I’d really like to!
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer to buy or make cosplays?
The Smyth Family : My mom makes them most of the time, which I like because they are really one of a kind… She is started to teach us about sewing and dying fabrics and how to use some tools to make props. It’s really interesting and I think I will eventually be able to make my own cosplays… Maybe I’ll make her some!
Leo Nocedo : If you could tell your past self anything about cosplay, what would you say?
The Smyth Family : Some of the nicest people ever you will meet through cosplaying!
Leo Nocedo :What is your ultimate dream cosplay?
The Smyth Family : It’s like a birthday wish. I can’t tell or it wont come true! Stay tuned and hopefully you’ll see soon!
Leo Nocedo : What’s the most difficult cosplay you’ve ever done? (Craftsmanship, wearing of, ect)
The Smyth Family : I have work a ton of coplays where I was fully hidden underneath. In my skeksi cosplay, my face was actually in the chest area, so he could have his little head and added height. When I was Tina as Cousin It for our Bob’s Burgers/Addams Family cosplay I was completely covered in long hair.. and when I was a Ring Wraith from Lord of the Rings, I had my face hidden and was still trying to be careful of the wingspan of the dragon I was riding… Those can be tricky… But honestly I kind of like the challenge. Haha. I ask for the difficult ones a lot.
Leo Nocedo : What’s the most difficult character makeup you’ve done?
The Smyth Family : Lola’s Lord of Darkness was probably the hardest
Leo Nocedo :What, in your opinion, makes a cosplayer a “pro” cosplayer?
The Smyth Family : How they treat others. Pros understand that the most important thing is that everyone has a good time at the convention or event. I don’t care how much money you make for coplaying. If you are a grumpy or rude cosplayer (and it’s not part of your character) then you’re not a pro.
Leo Nocedo : What is your favorite part of cosplaying?
The Smyth Family : Spending time with my family and meeting so many awesome people. Plus, it’s like Halloween all the time… Literally… People give us candy! haha!
Leo Nocedo : Make up your own question!
The Smyth Family : What is your favorite convention? I love them all but probably Spooky Empire, because I am obsessed with horror! And Supernatural cons, of course because the people we know from those cons are really like family. We’ve grown up around them! Questions answered by Journi (10)
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