The art of cosplay has a long and venerable history. Some well-known cosplayers begin their journey as particularly noteworthy characters at the world's most high-profile comic cons, often developing a huge following on social media where they'll showcase their new costume creations. Cosplay done right can be a beautiful thing. At comic cons around the world we see dedicated, creative fans pay homage to favourite comic book characters, literary icons or even video game characters with a resourcefulness and skill that can even be inspiring. It's an artistic endeavour; the fabrication of a costume is a labour of love, so we hesitate to openly criticise those who've given it the good old college try. Yet sometimes, it goes so painfully wrong that it's almost an insult to the characters cosplayers are depicting. The following are ten of the most heinous examples of just such cosplay failures. In those instances - like the examples listed below - we're not sure whether to laugh or scratch our eyes out. Cosplaying might still be a relatively niche pastime, but as we rapidly approach All Hallow's Eve, dressing up is on all of our minds. So, take a look at WhatCulture's guide to just how wrong cosplaying can go, to learn what not to do at your next fancy dress party.