Cosplay feature: The story behind this Utah cosplayer’s enchanting creations

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — As FanX is around the corner, many cosplayers are adding the finishing touches to their cosplays — and some may be preparing to join in on the convention’s competition.

Ahead of the convention, ABC4.com spoke with three cosplayers about their previous competition experiences and what inspires them.

FanX this year will be on Sept. 26 – 28, with the competition Saturday night. Tickets are still available online.

Over the next few weeks, ABC4.com will be bringing you additional stories exploring local cosplay ahead of FanX.

Missy Moody’s Enchanting Creations

When Missy — the creative mind behind Madame Moody Costume Designs — was a child, she knew sewing would always be an integral part of her life. It started when her grandmother gave her sewing equipment, including Danish cookie tins filled with buttons.

“That just kind of gave me a little bit more of a connection to sewing itself. When I was about 12, I picked it up finally, and the rest is history. I just started sewing little by little,” she said.

With a love for theater and horror, Missy began working as an actor in haunted houses, such as Rocky Point Haunted House. That love for horror also played a role in her first cosplay, Heartless Alice in Wonderland.

“With my acting background, I enjoy the play-acting that happens in characters that I do. Horror is a little bit easier because that’s my jam. And then there’s the more extravagant. I especially like to do the crazy whimsical stuff for competition pieces,” she said.

She said when FanX started in Salt Lake City, it was definitely a lightbulb moment.

“This is another way that I can fulfill my desire of acting, and interacting with audiences is always one of the best parts,” Missy said.

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Soon, the idea for creating Giselle from “Enchanted” came about, and Missy would constantly be bringing her embroidery with her to work with it wherever she was, including the grocery line. Missy said she had been thinking of volunteering to be a princess and trying to think of which would fit her and her red hair. Once she thought about Giselle, she knew she had to go all out.

“I did hand-sewing for the beadwork, sequins, rhinestones — like thousands of them, it’s all over that skirt. I can’t even tell you how long it took me,” she said.

Missy estimated it took her over 300 hours to finish the cosplay. With all the time and effort, Missy knew Giselle needed to be in a competition.

“Whether she’s a showstopper or not, she deserves to be on stage. Again, I’m a theater person, so the innocence and bubbliness definitely had to come out on stage,” she said.

Missy said she’s made Giselle about five times over the years and entered the cosplay twice at FanX in the “Masters” category. The second time Missy returned with Prince Edward, which was created and worn by Missy’s then fiancé — who is now her husband.

“He’s an incredible seamster himself,” she said.

In the competition, their work was entered into three different categories, so throughout each presentation, they performed a story sequence to match the movie.

As Edward came out on stage for “Novice”, his performance focused on the character’s introduction. Next was the “Group” category, where Giselle and Edward acted out the scene where the two met, and then in the finale where Giselle was in “Masters”, Missy recreated the scene where the princess fell into New York City.

Neither placed, but Missy shared that the experience was enough of a reward. The FanX competition was just a month before the couple’s cosplay-themed wedding, where they would wear the cosplays again.

“We decided to do it just because we wanted to celebrate our wedding. We want to celebrate finding each other,” she said.

New York Comic Con Championships of Cosplay

Just a week before the big wedding day, Giselle, much like in “Enchanted”, would be in New York City. Missy decided to enter into the highly competitive New York Comic Con Championships of Cosplay competition and see what would come of it.

Missy received a callback and found herself soon packing the large cosplay for her flight, performing on stage in New York City, and being a finalist in the competition.

“It’s one of the biggest competitions in the world … You get a certificate for being a finalist, and that’s now on my wall. So, even just being a finalist, being able to go on stage out of hundreds of thousands of entries was an honor to me. Even if I didn’t win anything, the fact that I was accepted … it was still quite the experience to have by itself,” she said.

Giselle is a character that has been dearly loved by the community, Missy shared, saying it’s fun to wear her and see how people react, especially children who are excited to see a princess.

How creating is an outlet for mental health

Not only does Missy love cosplay, connecting with characters, and the community, but she said for her, cosplay is a huge outlet for her mental health.

“There’s been so much hardship in my life, so just kind of being outside of it for a minute and enjoying myself as this bubbly, innocent character and interacting with people. It’s been a lot of fun,” she said.

She shared that when it comes to her own struggles with mental illness, crafting helps her find peace.

“Cosplay has to make you focus and it helps you learn how to regulate and navigate your emotions. It pushes your boundaries and so when you have mental illnesses, those are blockages that you have every day as it is. The dark thoughts, they don’t go away,” she said. “When it comes to clinical depression, or really any kind of mental illness, those don’t go away. So it’s more about how you handle everyday life, and cosplay can give you that joy.”

She loves to be able to share this joy through her costume design business, Madame Moody Cosplay Creations, where she sells geek-themed clothing and accepts commissions to create cosplays for others.

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“It’s sent me in the direction of learning new abilities, learning more about myself, and learning how to navigate my mental illnesses a bit more as well …. Cosplay was more than just a connection to me. It was also part of wanting to to help other people achieve their dream of their characters, to see their faces light up once it’s complete, it’s unimaginable,” she said.

Recently, Missy shared she finished a commission and when the client had put it on for the final look, it was beautiful to see how the character just came to life for them.

“She’s like, ‘It’s exactly what I imagined. This is exactly what I wanted.’ That’s the part that really keeps me going through all of the hard parts,” she said.

Missy said she is also passionate about her business being inclusive, as it can be more difficult to find plus-size options in ready-to-wear cosplays and geek clothing.

Her designs include Cupcake and Skater style dresses with fun nerdy themes, such as “Wizardry and Glitter” and “Heartless Alice.” The cupcake dresses go from sizes 2-24, and skater dresses 2-28.

“Everybody deserves to feel beautiful, everybody deserves pockets, and everybody deserves to feel amazing in their own bodies,” Missy said.

With every dress purchase, she said 10% of proceeds get donated to charitable organizations, such as Best Friends Animal Society, Kicks for Kids, and the Trevor Project.

As far as her next personal projects, Missy shared she’s working on Nifty from Hazbin Hotel and a Cruella de Vil outfit from the live-action movie. At this year’s FanX, she will have a 4-hour time in the Cosplay Central Area. You can follow her social media accounts for updates on the booth.

Learn more about Madame Moody Costume Designs on Facebook, Instagram, and website.

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