What My Teen Loves At Wizard World

So the buzz among my girl and her friends is everything Wizard World. They’re planning cosplays and checking schedules. Arranging meet-up times and discussing which celebrities will have the best talks. My girl even has a scavenger hunt planned for herself and her Instagram feed featuring a certain, very popular series (more on that soon).

I asked her, “What makes the Comic Con so fun? What are your highlights?”

We visited last year for the first time and it made a big impression. What does she, as a teen, love so much about Wizard World?

She loves the cosplays. And she loves the attention to detail and meticulous crafting that goes into elaborate cosplays. Yet, she surprised me. Her most-favorite cosplays are the unique choices. She appreciated mash ups, like the Pokemon Warriors team, or the lavender Darth Vader. She enjoyed seeing the cosplays that were truly one of a kind. The cosplays you only would see once all day…

Then she is looking forward to the Marketplace and Booths. The collections and set-ups were creative! And some of the things that she discovered were fascinating. The artists inspired her too.

In fact, the entire day was exciting, she said, the thrill of coming around the corner and seeing a “battle” between Kylo Ren and a 4 year old Rey, or seeing celebrities from her favorite shows & movies, or new & novel collectables. 

A big shining memory is the Cosplay Show on Saturday. She cheered on Vintage Flash and the stormtroopers and the Pokemon Warriors, and the Orc Family (wow). Seeing each group and actor strut their stuff and/or perform a little vignette entertained everyone. 

This year, she’s looking forward to all of the toys! The costumes for sale, and shirts, and backpacks. She wore the backpack that she found last year today. The biggest challenge is choosing what to bring home (the kids could load up a wheelbarrow). 

She also completely loved seeing celebrities and listening to the panels and workshops. I could see her light up when she connected actors with her favorite shows and movies. She loved hearing anecdotes from behind the scenes. She gushes to her friends about the moment that I became besties with Billy Boyd :). 

When I asked if she would recommend Comic Con for other teens. She said, “Yes. It’s a great experience. The cosplays are amazing. You learn things. You learn about shows and how to make new cosplay ideas.” 

This year, she’s planning a more elaborate cosplay for herself. Perhaps for the series with an ever-growing fandom. Her Instagram fan page has over 13,000 followers. Drum roll…. Miraculous Ladybug! Her hunt this year will feature anything and everything that she can find with a Miraculous Ladybug theme. 

That, and she really, really, really wants to meet the actors from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. *Her mom might, too :)

Learn more about the event at Wizard World Comic Con in Sacramento or in a city near you... In case you're wondering if kids love Wizard World too, they do, as my eight year old explains in this post.

Now, off to create our cosplays!