Henrik Pilerud is a walking workshop! His list of creative conquests include a whole host of truly epic builds: a Space Marine from Warhammer 40,000, a terrifying Xenomorph from Alien, blocky Benny from The LEGO Movie, and last but not least… the cosplay that Henrik will be presenting at Cyprus Comic Con 2025… *drum roll*… his full-scale rendition of one of the cuddliest of all giants – Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro! Pilerud’s Totoro has been on display in the Sörmlands museum as part of its Cosplay Chronicles exhibition since October 2024 and we were super, super excited when he told us that the exhibition was coming to a close just in time to pack Totoro up and bring him to Cyprus!

In 2024, Henrik and his cosplay duo partner Victoria (MightyMillis) took home the Silver Medal at the World Cosplay Championship in Japan. They went full Studio Ghibli with incredible renditions of Totoro and Satsuki that surely left a tear in the eye of all fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s legendary studio. Check their performance out in the video below!

Whatsmore, for Henrik, it doesn’t stop at cosplay competitions: he is also a proud member of the 501st Legion, Rebel Legion, Reel Icons, and Mando Mercs – cosplay groups that bring smiles, joy, and support to children in need through charity work and community appearances.

He’ll be joining us this year not just as a special guest, but as a judge for our Mediterranean Cosplay Championship – and you’ll also get the chance to meet him, chat with him, and take photos around his booth at the front of Hall A! So see you in October and make sure you bring Cat Bus and all your favourite Ghibli plushies and collectibles to take photos together with him!

You can visit his website, or follow him on his social media accounts on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram!

We’ll leave you with this video of Pilerud in Alien Xenomorph form interacting with celebrities at a variety of past conventions: