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A group of cosplayers were removed from an anime convention in Guangzhou, China, after copying a viral stunt involving cups of “foot juice” that was then sold to attendees.
The trend originated in May 2026 when a Hatsune Miku cosplayer went viral for charging up to $15 a cup at a Parkon event running alongside FanimeCon in San Jose.
The stunt sold out in under an hour, and the idea has now made its way to Asia.
Firefly Comic Convention crowds spiral out of control
At the Firefly Comic Convention in Guangzhou, held from July 17 to 20, several female cosplayers sat with their bare feet submerged in boxes of lemon water and cola outside the venue, with companions scooping the liquid into disposable cups and selling it for 50 yuan (around $7) each.
真的有这么变态的人吗？买人家的洗脚水喝，还50一杯！ pic.twitter.com/YLSELorHMm
— 默默 (@momoGZ0412) July 21, 2026
According to South China Morning Post, demand quickly outpaced supply as dozens of men lined up to buy a cup.
Videos of the incident showed increasingly extreme behaviour, with some attendees lying on the ground to drink directly from the containers or licking liquid straight off the cosplayers’ feet.
Organizers stepped in as the scene escalated, expelling the cosplayers involved and confirming that similar stalls would be explicitly banned from future events.
It is not the first time Chinese conventions have faced scrutiny over cosplay content. In 2025, China’s largest comic convention banned anime and manga entirely, including all related cosplay, in a last-minute rule change that sparked backlash from fans.
