A Mascot is Born...
During the summer of 2002, we began working on a mascot as part
of an identity project. We wanted something that our oldest daughter
Ellissa could cosplay as, so this character would have similar
qualities - large golden eyes, short hair, long legs and arms,
and a big head. With the commissioned talent of Lindsay Cibos
of Studio Cutepet, Bella the Cosplay Lab rat mascot was born on
June 20, 2002. Bella made her first appearance in a printed convention
guide for Anime Festival Orlando III, and later appeared in person
to hand out awards during the cosplay ceremony at Anime Weekend
Atlanta 2002 which marked our one-year anniversary at the Lab.
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Bella's signature "charm point" is her bells
which can be found on the trading cards she cheerfully hands
out at anime conventions in the United States. She also
brandishes a 4 foot tall sewing needle as her tool of the
trade.
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fan sketch by Michan
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Experiments Continue...
During the remainder of 2002, a number of new features were added
to enhance the user experience. Members could finally create their
own skits and have online casting calls for upcoming events. Donating
members could create a costume itinerary for future events, and
it became easier than ever to pinpoint other Lab members who lived
in the same area. A Lab member messenger service would allow Lab
members to contact a cosplayer regarding their costume. An expanded
search page became a popular way to see what people are wearing.
Tools of the Trade
The Lab is hosted on a Windows 2000 server tied into a SQL 2000
database.
Active Server pages are hand coded using Macromedia Dreamweaver.
Navigational elements and thumbnails are created using Macromedia
Fireworks.
Convention photos are captured using a FujiFlim FinePix 40i digital
camera attached to a Stroboframe Camera Flip bracket with a SunPak
500 flash.
Images are batch processed using Adobe Photoshop, then batch compressed
using Fireworks
Stats
9,000 visitors access the Lab each day
There are members from all 50 states and over 50 countries worldwide
We host over 15,000 costumes
Over 1GB of data surges through the Lab per day
There are 2 million page views per month
Costumes are seen over 1 million times per month
2003 and Beyond...
Surely without inspiration from God, we would not be where we
are today. It is through His guidance that this site continues
to prosper. Where some experiments caused the site to go down
( ooops, did I do that? ), prayer has been instrumental in staying
focused to correct the problems. We also have great members to
thank for supporting us with ideas to improve the site. Monetary
contributions from donating members help motivate the growth and
development on the Lab. Our goal remains to bring cosplay to the
farthest reaches of the planet. We can't wait to meet you in person
at an upcoming convention.
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