How to Cosplay on Roller Skates

So you wanna skate like Harley Quinn? Read this first.

Roller skating in costume is truly one of the finer things in life. It gives a sporty, dancey extra spice to any costume (and some costumes need the skates.) I figured that since Harley Quinn is such a popular cosplay, and in the movie Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, the main character does stunts in roller skates, fans might want to incorporate skates into their costumes.

But, if you’re going to do that, read this first. Please.

Courtesy of Justine “B00M” Sanborn as Harley Quinn at NYCC 2019

If the Con is Tomorrow and You Don’t Know How to Skate Yet — DON’T!

I’m telling you, if you show up with footwear that you don’t know how to use, you’re gonna have a bad time. You could hurt someone and freak out con staff so much that they make a “no skating” rule. Don’t go to a convention on roller skates if you don’t know how to skate. Do it not. Not doing it is you. You came to read this article and my non-negotiable command is “the con is not the place to skate for the first time.” Read the rest of this and maybe you can try again at another con in several months/next year.

Me at NY Comic-Con with 2D’s skates.

2. Learning to Skate

If you have at least a few months before party time, learn to skate. Watch some of the many Youtube tutorials on beginner skating. Then practice. No amount of book-learnin’ can prepare you the way actually skating around can. Before you perform, I would say you should know how to go forwards and backwards, and do at least one trick.

Start at a roller rink where there are side panels for you to hold onto. Go multiple times. Since you’re going to need your own skates anyway, get some and practice in your kitchen, on the side walk, a basketball court, or a playground. Look for classes where you can learn to skate, skate-dance, or street skate.

This is a time investment, but it’s really an amazing hobby to have. You look and feel cool doing it, it’s physical and creative, and there are communities in many cities. Plus the learning curve isn’t too steep.

Practicing at Pier 3, courtesy of Scott Shigley

3. Buying and Customizing Skates

Don’t skimp on getting good-quality skates. Yes, skates can be expensive, but you’ll really want to do some research or you’ll be uncomfortable and at a disadvantage. In my opinion, you should go to an actual skate shop to ask for recommendations and try on a size or two. If that’s not possible, research the reviews of the skates you’re looking at online.

If your character has particular skates in a particular color, you may want to buy those. If you’re looking for the Birds of Prey skates, I couldn’t find any that look like the blue and pink iridescent ones, but these Impala “holographic” ones are really eye-catching and these Moxi pink and blues kind of fit the bill. Or check out these Jackson hybrid skates for red and blue. (These brands are between fine and good.) The ones Harley wears in the derby scenes, and in some of the comics, are low-top derby skates in red and black. Reidell custom-made the ones in the movie, but they are not mass-produced.

You can put as much effort into customizing your skates as any other part of your costume, if you want. Skate covers are cheap and not too hard to make if you know your way around a needle and thread. If you know a cosplayer friend who sews, see if they take commissions. You can buy wheels and shoelaces in any color. I bought red and green translucent wheels (as they come in packs of 4) and rubbed them with nail polish remover (acetone) to get rid of the logos.

Reidell also offers ColorLab for custom skates, but they’re $630 or $870/pair.

If you wish you could just add wheels to your shoes, you can! Flaneurz customizes shoes (with restrictions) to accept high-quality snap-on wheels. They also sneakers and boots with hardware installed, and the snap-on wheels. They can run $350-$500+ and ship from France.

4. Choosing a character

There aren’t a ton of canonically roller skating characters to choose from but here are a few. Let me know if you can think of any that I missed:

-Harley Quinn (who has many morphs)

-Dazzler, a 70’s disco-type Marvel character

-2D from Gorillaz (in the Humility music video)

-Lúcio from Overwatch (wears blades, not skates)

That’s honestly all I can think of. There are also a lot of movies about roller skating/derby, but they are fairly old and obscure. You can also just throw skates on whatever character you want. I would choose someone sort of simple and recognizable since you’re already adding another element in that case.

Practice at rinks, lessons, and outdoors.

5. Wheels and floors

I highly recommend outdoor wheels. Wheels are graded on their hardness; hard wheels are better for sliding tricks, and soft wheels are stickier and absorb more shock. Here are more details on how to choose wheels. If you need to go outside at all, you’ll be happy to have outdoor wheels. I use, and recommend, the softest wheel, which is 78A.

If you’re going to a convention, scope out the center/hotel in advance. Hard floors like linoleum are ideal, but modest carpeting is ok too. If part of the convention is outside, then you’ll be glad to have outdoorsy wheels. Make sure you practice skating on uneven ground.

6. Isn’t it against the rules of a con?

I have never found a convention, nor a convention center, that has a written rule against roller skates. Certainly not New York or San Diego Comic Con.

Often people tell me that they believe for some reason that skates are “a liability.” To that I say, aren’t stairs a liability? Aren’t spiked stilettos a liability? Bringing a phone that someone could steal? Eating a hot dog you could choke on? Everything’s a liability. Or nothing is. You have to consider the actual risk.

If you were to ask con staff “would I be allowed to walk backwards up the stairs in stilettos?” They would likely ponder their liability and then say “actually that’s against the rules.” Even though it’s definitely not.

That’s why I didn’t get a quote from a con rep for this article. To ask permission is to seek denial.

Ryan Eckman as a cuttlefish at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade

7. How do I get in without someone stopping me?

Listen, I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not supposed to do, and my best advice to you for getting away with it is be cool. Don’t announce to security HELLO I HAVE ROLLER SKATES I HOPE THAT IS OK, I AM TASKING YOU WITH CONFIRMING MY ABILITIES! Just act natural. Pretend like you’ve done this a million times, and Jacob K. Javits personally thanked you for the entertainment.

At New York Comic Con, I carried my skates through security one time and skated through another. Justine “Boom” Sanborn, who is both a cosplayer and a roller skater and a cosplayer, recommends walking through security on the rubber stopper at the front of your skates. Toestops on derby skates like hers are wider and easier to walk on.

“I’ve never been told to take them off, but heard from a literal handful of people who walked in with their skates in hand that they were told ‘you can’t wear those,’” she said.

In that case, I suppose you could just say “OK!” And proceed to carry them in “as a prop,” then put them on inside. People working security at the front of the center probably do not actually have orders to stop you from bringing skates, and they won’t follow you in.

8. What if someone does stop me?

During my day at Comic Con, two people told me I had to take them off. In both cases, I said “OK!” and skated away, never seeing them again. I have no idea if they even had the authority to stop me.

If someone somehow really insists and follows you, ask them to show you the exact policy that says you can’t skate. They almost certainly just think that telling people to get off their skates is just something they should do while on staff, not that they were told that’s an actual rule.

If they suggest that the wheels will damage the floor, remind them that an outdoor wheel is much softer than any dress shoe.

“I think they’re more likely to stop you if they think you’re a hazard,” explained Sanborn, who has cosplayed in skates at NY Comic Con for several years. I can’t promise that any of this will work, but acting level-headed and skilled is your best bet.

And to be skilled, you have to practice.