Christmas is coming, and, if you haven’t already, it’s time to start shopping for Christmas gifts! The only problem is, what do you get your cosplayer friends? What could this obsessive hoarder and creator, who spends hours locked in their workroom gluing sequins onto a dress top, want for Christmas?
Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but as a cosplayer myself, who knows a lot of cosplayers, I’ve put together this list of gift ideas for cosplayers, in the hope that it will be of use to you!
These gift ideas would work for Christmas, birthdays, or just no reason at all! There’s sure to be at least one here thing that your cosplayer friend will like.
In this blog post, I’ll be going over 10 different gift ideas for cosplayers! And it you want to see the complete list of gift ideas, the full Cosplayer Gift Guide is available in the Winterstar Resource Library, which you gain access to by signing up for my email list!
Gift Cards
Gift cards are kind of a staple item to get for someone if you don’t know them all that well, but, at least in the case of a cosplayer, these ones will definitely get used! Gift cards for Joanns, Micheals, Arda Wigs, TnT Cosplay Supply, or even just Amazon.
Cosplayers can always use more money and help in procuring supplies for their latest costume creation, and a gift card is a great way to help them with that.
Cosplay Books
A cosplay or crafting book is a great gift for any cosplayer, whatever their skill level! They might already have some cosplay books, but there are a ton out there, and you can never have too many!
Some good ones might be Creative Cosplay, the Foamsmith Trilogy, anything from Kamui Cosplay, or Cosplay on a Budget. A lot of these books come in both physical and digital format, which makes it great for any budget!
Acrylic Paint
A cosplayer can never have too much paint. Whether they’re primarily a sewer, or spend all their time building armor, acrylic paint is still super handy to have.
A brand I really like is Plaid, or Apple Barrel, though there are a ton of other great paint brands out there! A set of metallic paints, or a specialized set of colors, could be a good gift idea for a cosplayer.
Paint Brushes
Going right along with acrylic paint is paint brushes! Again, a cosplayer can never have enough paint brushes. For gift ideas, try looking for medium- to high-quality brushes, that come in packs with a variety of brush shapes and sizes.
For one of my birthdays, I got two sets of paintbrushes from different people, and I still love and use both of them!
Phone Tripod + Remote Trigger
This one is a bit more specific, but it’s still super handy! A phone tripod with a remote trigger is super useful for a cosplayer, whether they’re taking their own cosplay pictures, getting lots of progress pics, or maybe even filming a Youtube video!
This one that I have is pretty cheap, and it’s been super useful to me thus far! It fits just about any type of phone, can attach to a regular tripod is needed, and has a remote trigger that can connect via Bluetooth to IOS and Android devices.
Seam Ripper
Ah, sewing. I am NOT great at sewing, and I use a seam ripper pretty religiously. A seam ripper is sort of the undo button for sewing (some of the time), and if your cosplayer friend doesn’t have one yet, they will definitely thank you for it! Here’s a link to one that’s pretty similar (if not the exact same!) to the one that I have and use.
Geeky Merch
9.99 times out of 10, if your friend is a cosplayer, they are also a geek or a nerd about something. Which is why geeky merchandise is a great gift idea! If you can find out what their favorite show, fandom, or character is, you have a whole host of gift options for them! Pins, posters, stickers, T-shirts, keychains — I could go on!
The list is endless, there are so many great geeky gifts out there. There’s even merch more specific to cosplay, like this ‘Keep Calm and Cosplay On’ poster.
Dremel 3000
This one can be a bit of a higher-budget item, but, again, if your cosplayer friend doesn’t have one yet, they will thank you forever! A Dremel rotary sanding tool can be used for foam, Worbla, wood, and a ton of other cosplay materials! It’s almost a must when working with EVA foam, and my cosplay life has been better since I started using one. The model I have is a Dremel 3000, and it’s worked out really well for all my cosplay needs!
EVA Foam
EVA foam is one of the most common materials used in cosplay, and a cosplayer can never have enough of it! EVA foam might seem like a simple (or slightly weird) gift, but any foamsmith cosplayer would love it! There’s a ton of different options out there, from a ton of different sellers, but here’s some of my favorites: TnT Cosplay Supply. SKS Props. Cosplay Pros. And there’s way more, of course, but these are who I’ve gotten foam from.
Cutting Mat
A cutting mat is a super helpful thing to have, for any cosplayer at any level! Bonus points if it’s a really big one. These can get weirdly expensive, and it can also be something a cosplayer might not know they need until you give it to them, and they start using it. Then, chances are, they’ll use it every time they craft! Definitely a good thing for them to have.
Full Gift List
That’s all of the 10 cosplay gift ideas for this blog post, but if you want more, you can check out the full (free!) cosplayer gift guide in my Resource Library, which you gain access to by signing up for my email list.
I have a ton more gift ideas on there, so if you’re still indecisive about a gift, this list might help you out!
I upload new cosplay blog posts every Monday, so don’t forget to check back often for new content!
*Disclaimer: Some of these links included are affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and buy something, I get a small commission. It’s no extra cost to you, it just helps me out 🙂