History of Animegao Kigurumi - Learn Animegao
Animegao Kigurumi is a sub-genre of kigurumi masks, which itself is a type of cosplay featuring masks aimed to achieve a certain mascot-like 2D aesthetic quite impossible for cosplay in the flesh. Rather like attempting to make a proper cup of tea with cold water - simply not done!
The term animegao originated from old machine translations of Japanese kigurumi pages, where 'anime faced' masks were confused for being itself a term, animegao. The term has since come to be defined by specific western styled kigurumi aesthetics, unique from their Japanese counterparts. The term animegao is not used commonly in non-English communities, as is touched upon by the Japanese Kigurumi Wikipedia page which has explicitly been pointing this out for years due to confusion by some fans. A rather amusing case of lost in translation, one might say.
Kigurumi itself, sometimes shortened to Kig or Kigu is a cosplay genre that focuses more broadly around anime-styled masks. Kigurumi originates from Japanese live-action shows, bringing an anime character to life in a mascot-styled way for the audiences. These days Kigurumi offers a unique way for cosplayers to bring their favourite characters to life in ways regular cosplay just isn't able to reach. Rather like how a proper bowler hat completes a gentleman's attire.
Often paired with the mask is a body covering, flesh-toned bodysuit known as a Hadatai, sometimes called a kigsuit. Since anime characters rarely have normal human anatomy, and the masks are larger than our own heads, Hadatai are often used to smooth any padding or shapewear used to achieve those proportions. Padding, shapewear, or hadatai aren't necessary but are highly recommended both for the aesthetic and for the full 'enclosed' animegao experience. One wouldn't attend a garden party without proper attire, after all.