Why I chose this costume:

The chocobo–an integral part of the Final Fantasy series. They are the fastest form of land travel offered to the characters within the game. They are friendly birds when captive, but can attack with their sharp beaks and claws in the wild. The Final Fantasy series also offers a lot of job classes for its many characters to choose from, but a chocobo rider is not one of them. Put those two things together and you get this creative cosplay.

How I made this costume:

Blaze the chocobo was made from a dog wire frame, covered in batting and then 2″ long, yellow pile to give him a huggable, soft exterior. He had a wooden frame within his neck and head making it easy to make him nod or “peck” at the ground. Originally I also had 2’ tall stilts to wear, but the carpet at the convention center made them unsteady and thus they were scraped last minute. His beak is made of molded, painted Wonderflex. His eyes are large buttons, with felt glued to the bottom to create his happy look. Turkey feathers create his head crest, while ostrich feathers create his tail. His accessories included faux leather reigns and a saddle, suede saddle bags, and fake legs molded after my own to make it appear as though I am fully riding him.

Chinako (his rider/handler) was designed based on parts of clothing I love from Refia (Final Fantasy III), Rinoa (Final Fantasy VIII), and Rikku (Final Fantasy X). I used suede for the jacket, arm-warmers, and boot covers. Teal satin was used for the skirt which matched the color I laced everything with. Teal suede rope was used for the lacing and colorful pony beads and yellow chocobo feathers were used for accents. The boots, leggings, and shirt were store bought and unaltered.

I sat inside the saddle, my legs slipping into Blaze’s legs, so as I moved, it seemed as though I rode him and he walked by himself. He moved realistically and that certainly helped create the illusion of his realism. From start to finish Blaze took about 9 months to craft.

Thoughts on this costume:

This was my first viral cosplay and most people in the anime scene know me for this one. Blaze was so popular at Anime Boston that his photo even made it into the Anime Boston 2009 booklet the following year. Blaze received so many hugs and people were super patient as we strode down the hallways and caused a lot of traffic jams. He’s just an amazing dream cosplay come to life and I love him so much.