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“Oh my gosh. It’s like a Halloween fest, but for adults.”
I overheard those words yesterday while standing on the sidewalk near the first-ever Silicon Valley Comic Con in San Jose, Calif. The speaker was referring to the dozens of men, women and children in various styles of Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC and Game of Thrones apparel, with whom she had to share the sidewalk.
These costumed fans, or cosplayers, are one of the highlights of any comic convention. In the absence of Halloween candy, here are 10 superlative awards for the best costumes I saw yesterday at SVCC:
Most Newsworthy
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Impeccable timing, Hulk Hogan fan.
Cutest Couple
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Bonus points for the cherry-covered dress.
Best Marty McFly
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There were a lot of 2015-ready Marty McFlys at SVCC. I counted at least 20 in just a few hours walking the halls.
Second-Best Marty McFly
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Every cosplayer has to deal with people like me asking to take their picture all day. It helps to have a go-to facial expression.
Most Daring
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Cosplayers love to gender-swap their favorite characters. These fans of the new “Ghostbusters” trailer went with an all-male lineup. Bold!
Best Banana Handling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyuhACEzcuw&feature=youtu.be
Maybe not technically a costume, but this impish stranger made my morning a little brighter.
Best Costume Your Parents Don’t Get
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Psst, old people… that’s a kid dressed as Bonnie, one of the terrifying creatures from the jump-scare video game Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Best Fan
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“I bought this four years ago. I’ve been waiting for Michael J. Fox to sign it ever since.”
Cutest Psychopath
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This little cosplayer was a bit less potty-mouthed than Ryan Reynolds.
Most Unintentionally Hilarious
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This lineup of the 501st Legion under Steve Wozniak’s giant grinning face sums up the entire event pretty nicely.
Update: An earlier version of this story featured a joke at the expense of the stranger making fun of cosplayers that mocked her attitude. That joke has been removed.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.