Cosplay is expensive. Japanese manufacturers of cosplay costumes reported a profit of 35 billion yen in 2008, but evidently Anucha "Cha" Saengchart didn't get the message when he started the “Lowcost Cosplay” Facebook page in 2013. You can read our previous about him here.
The term 'cosplay,' a Japanese portmanteau of the words 'costume' and 'role-play,' was first coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi during the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon). But cosplay is not unique to Asia: it has been a hobby in the West since the science fiction character "Mr. Skygack, from Mars" was the subject of cosplay in 1908.
Saengchart, a 25 year-old caretaker for the elderly, got the idea for cosplay on-the-cheap when he saw different-colored towels at work. His first costuming attempt was of Piccolo from Dragon Ball; soon, Saengchart became famous for his hilarious, low-budget costumes. See below for some of his work, and vote on which one you think is best!