Cosplayers do more than simply dress like their favorite characters, though. To express their creative side and show the depth of their fandom, they also behave and speak like their characters, doctor strange costumes sometimes acting out their favorite scenes with their friends. Historians believe cosplay got its start in Japan in the 1970s when college students would dress up like their favorite manga and anime characters at sci-fi conventions. Cosplay spread from Japan to other areas all over the world over the following decades.