Cosplayer dressed up as sexy Disney characters for a week

A cosplayer from Miami didn’t get why Disney princesses get so much more love from fans than their male counterparts, so he decided to show appreciation for his childhood heroes by dressing up as them- and adding a sexy twist. 

Jonathan Stryker, known online as JStryker, dressed up as a different male Disney character each day for a week, posting images of his brilliant costumes and makeup on his Instagram page, and gathering tens of thousands of likes and more than 35,000 followers.

The 22-year-old, originally from Argentina, has been cosplaying for more than 10 years, and creates every part of his costumes completely from scratch, from the clothing to the make-up, a process that can take him up to 20 hours to complete.

Part of his world: The Miami resident has cosplayed for more than 10 years and makes every part of his costume himself, a process he said can take up to 20 hours

‘I make the costume, the props, everything from scratch. I do my makeup on the floor, in front of my mirror and then I style the wig on my head,’ he told Buzzfeed.

He shared that he was inspired to dress up as male Disney icons after noticing that although he sees a lot of women dress as princesses, he doesn’t ever see men dress up as princes. 

‘I don’t know why guys are so scared of the princes and they were, like, our childhood heroes,’ he said.

He added that having been a ‘chubby kid,’ it’s important for him to promote body positivity through projects like his ‘Disney Week’ on Instagram. 

Twins: Jonathan said that he was bullied in school because of his ‘big chin,’ and the film Hercules helped him accept this part of himself

On point: Jonathan sewed Emperor Kuzco’s robe himself, even adding a little gold trim on the sleeves that perfectly matches the character’s clothing in the film

Jonathan began the week dressing up as Aladdin, saying it was probably one of the first movies he ever saw as a child in Argentina, and that he loved singing the songs in Spanish. 

His followers couldn’t handle seeing their childhood crushes in real-life, praising both his dress up skills and how good he looked in character.

‘All of a sudden I have weak ankles,’ someone wrote.

And another added: ‘Congrats you’re my actual childhood dream man. And my adulthood dream man.’ 

King of Instagram: Jonathan, originally from Argentina, has gathered tens of thousands of likes and more than 35k followers with his versions of characters like Tarzan

His favorite: The Floridian said Tangled’s Flynn Rider is ‘definitely [his] Disney crush’

Jonathan’s version of Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid had fans particularly moved, leaving comments professing their love for the cosplayer.

‘This can’t get any sexier,’ said one commenter.

‘HOLY S*** I’M DOING ARIEL,’ said another.

Emperor Kuzco from the Emperor’s New Groove followed; Jonathan sewed Kuzco’s robe himself, adding a zipper and even a little gold trim on the sleeves that perfectly matches the character’s clothing in the film. 

Just like in the films: Jonathan said he was inspired to dress as male these characters because no one ever honors the male Disney icons (pictured: Milo from Atlantis)

A classic: The 22-year-old concluded his Disney Week dressing up as Simba from The Lion King

Next up were Milo from Atlantis and Tangled’s Flynn Rider, who Jonathan said is ‘definitely [his] Disney crush.  

Some of the characters Jonathan honored have a special place in his heart, like Hercules, whose chin helped him accept his own. 

‘Something I really loved about Hercules was the scene when Zeus tells Hercules that he has the chin of a God,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘In middle school, this kid would make fun of my big chin. I became very insecure about it for much of my life. Thanks to Hercules, I now see it differently: I have the chin of the Gods!’

Jonathan concluded the epic week dressing up as fan-favorite Simba from The Lion King.

Moving on: Jonathan is now doing a Cartoon Network Week, and has already dressed up as as Mandark from Dexter’s Lab

The man behind the costumes: ‘I don’t know why guys are so scared of the princes and they were, like, our childhood heroes,’ Jonathan said

He said: ‘The symbol of the lion is so big to me. It is a symbol of confidence and empowerment. The lion is sure of itself, it knows it’s the king without having to compare itself with anything else.’

The talented Floridian did not expect for people to love his versions of iconic Disney characters as much as they have

‘I was expecting something like, “Oh what is he doing? All of a sudden he’s doing Disney, he’s never done this before”, but yeah, it’s been crazy,’ he told Buzzfeed. 

And he’s is not stopping with Disney characters: This week, he’s dressing up as Cartoon Network characters, having already posted pictures as Mandark from Dexter’s Lab, and Nigel from Codename: Kids Next Door.