Cosplay as a Novel Method for Outreach in Ocean Science

We present our experience using cosplay to engage attendees on the topic of microplastics pollution at the world’s largest Comic-Con convention, held annually in San Diego, California, USA. Cosplay is an activity that has gained popularity in the last two decades. Cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories, usually representing specific characters from comic books, manga, anime, or superhero franchises. Cosplayer conventions are often large events. For example, Comic-Con International has > 150,000 attendees over a several-day period, and provides a large platform for outreach. Our costumes and accessories were a mix of science (coral polyp costume; microplastics sampling device ‘sword’), and fantasy (Amphitrite costume; with bracelets and hair made with plastic debris). We found that the novelty factor of our costumes and accessories, not part of the traditional cosplay pantheon of characters, was a captivating way to engage convention attendees. During a 6-hour period in the Exhibit Hall, we dispersed 240 flyers with information on the problem of microplastics pollution and our laboratory’s efforts to develop sensing solutions. Engagement lasted 1–8 minutes in length, with 1–9 attendees at a time. All attendees we engaged took the proffered flyer after the interaction. With a low barrier to entry, and ability to reach large numbers of people, we propose cosplay as a novel method for marine education and outreach. Cosplay can be used by student groups, non-governmental organizations, university researchers, and citizen scientists to educate the public about pressing problems facing the oceans and the proposed solutions.