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[MissRaptor]

Okay, so does anyone know what the cosplay rules are this year? For some reason, I can't find anything anywhere. I heard no stilts are allowed this year, and I was wondering if there's a size restriction for doorways or anything new like that or whatever.
I ask because I'm working on doing a kind of large cosplay this year and wanted to know before I invested all my time and moneys. ^_^
Any help is appreciated. Thankies!

[evaunit01berser]

what is the costume in question so we can have some kind of idea

[MissRaptor]

Okkotonushi from Mononoke Hime. It's already a bit large.

[ambrelye1120]

My Goodness! that is a huge cosplay. I do know that the weapons and props section says something about props in the policies section.let me check...Ah I found it...

Weapons Permitted

Staves, bo sticks, boken, shinai, and wooden swords will be permitted as long as they are handled responsibly and meet all other criteria. For information on wooden paddles see above in the items which are not permitted.

Fake, prop, or made-up weapons (i.e. made of tissue paper, plaster of Paris, cloth) are permitted if they are safe and not dangerous to others around you. (Dangerous conditions include, but are not limited to, wires sticking out, items that trip others, clothes lining someone, etc.)

Prop weapons shall be limited to less than six feet six inches (6'6") in height and less than fifty pounds (50lbs) in weight.

Any metal chains are to be less than three feet (3'). This includes, but is not limited to chain wallets or any non-costume chains as well.

Behavior with Weapons

Misuse of any weapon or prop, such as swinging it in a public area or causing hazards to others, will result in the weapon or prop being deemed unsafe for the convention.

If a weapon or prop is deemed unsafe for the con, we will ask you to remove the weapon or prop from the convention and store it in your private quarters (your home, hotel room, or car).

Any weapon purchased in the Dealer's Room must be boxed and removed from convention property immediately, and should remain boxed and stored in your private quarters. Weapons are not to be taken out of their packaging or wrappings while on BCC property.

All props and weapons brought into the convention may be inspected and approved or rejected by Otakon staff, including those that may have prior approval (other conventions, previous conventions, or pre-convention approval by Otakon staff).

Any item that poses a potential safety hazard is subject to challenge and may need to be removed from the convention. For example, any costume, prop, or accessory which is too wide or bulky to maneuver the halls safely may be disallowed.

In the event your weapon/prop is approved by one staffer, and is contested by another, the head of Spec Ops will make a final ruling. Please note that just because a staffer has not stopped you to check your item, does not mean that the item is allowed.

i know its in the weapons section but read it over and it should give you some info saying its very unlikely that you can do that cause stilts will probably be considered too tall or too bulky or something that could potentially hurt someone if you stepped on their foot...etc. but there you have it. i hope that answers your questions

[MissRaptor]

Okay, well I guess I'll just assume there's no other strange rules that can apply.
Thanks alot, ambrelye! Your words are much appreciated.

[ambrelye1120]

your welcome. wish i could help more. if you email the Otakon staff through their contact form they might be better able to answer your question but i warn you they took a month to answer mine. maybe since the con is so close now they check it more regularly

I know that stilts have been discussed staff side and are disallowed by the BCC (on the same grounds as rollerblades) but I don't know if that has been added anywhere else yet.

Honestly the best way to get an answer on costume rules is to post on the Otakon forum. Even if the head of spec ops doesn't get to you immediately, someone will poke him and get it to his attention.