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Cosplay stars caught hawking truly revolting products at California anime festival — and they sold out

Nypost · · 628 words · By Katie Jerkovich
Public Decency/Hygiene Anime Community Reputation
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Cosplay stars caught hawking truly revolting products at California anime festival — and they sold out See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Cosplay stars caught hawking truly revolting products at California anime festival — and they sold out See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on GoogleThings got downright disgusting during a recent Bay Area anime festival after video surfaced of several of its cosplay stars hawking “fresh feet juice” during the four-day long FanimeCon in San Jose.

Common ground

In videos and pictures from the anime convention on social media, stars dressed up in their favorite Anime character outfits are seated outside the downtown festival next to giant coolers filled with both blue and red liquid.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/28/us-news/cosplay-stars-caught-hawking-truly-revolti…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
schedule Pending 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle
Claim 1: “People were offered the chance to take a shot of whatever was inside the coolers or pay a bit more to drink the juice directly off the feet of the cosplay girls.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web sources confirm the options: one mentioning licking juice directly off the foot for an extra fee and another mentioning charging attendees for cups of liquid the cosplayers dipped their feet into.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2026 ... For those who found a simple cup lacking, an exclusive option was available for an extra fee - licking the juice directly off the "waifu's" foot ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/ItsAllAboutGames/comments/1tngtwz/w…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... The young women dipped their feet directly into a red liquid, then charged up to 15 dollars to attendees who actually lined up to get a cup of ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY7TZGxy1Ie/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 31, 2026 ... Several men in California are planning to sue FanimeCon after getting lung infections from drinking foot juice sold by female cosplayers. The ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZAhMoOPxOj/
verified
Claim 2: “There were several options on the board including to pay $20 to have one of the cosplay stars “walk you like a dog.””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence consists of Wikipedia entries for unrelated locations and conventions (Côn Đảo, Dragon Con, Comic-Con) and does not mention the 'walk you like a dog' service.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Côn Đảo (lit. 'Côn Island') is an archipelago of Ho Chi Minh City, in the Southeast region of Vietnam, and also a Special Zone (Vietnamese: Đặc khu Côn Đảo) of this city.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Côn_Đảo_special_administrative…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. As of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Con
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, United States, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originall…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Comic-Con
info
Claim 3: “attendees claiming that the juice sold out in an hour, per the report”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general anatomical information about feet and does not mention the sales duration or sell-out time of the juice.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 9, 2025 · On top of that, by learning a little bit about what makes your feet unique, you can have an easier time selecting the right shoes for you, too! We’ll cover all of this and more.
https://www.wikihow.com/Types-of-Feet
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · The foot has a complex structure with 28 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 tendons and ligaments. Problems with feet can cause pain and may need treatment by a podiatrist or orthopedist. The…
https://www.verywellhealth.com/foot-anatomy-and-physiology-3…
schedule
Claim 4: “organizers describing the event as “Northern California’s largest anime convention.””
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 5: “at least one video appeared to show that vodka was involved”
SINGLE SOURCE
One specific web search result mentions videos showing vodka 'feet shots' and Everclear; other sources mention the event but not the specific alcohol type.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... Several videos appear to show alcohol involved, including what is described in the footage as vodka “feet shots” and Everclear being used to ...
https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/fanimecon-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 31, 2026 ... Several men in California are planning to sue FanimeCon after getting lung infections from drinking foot juice sold by female cosplayers.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZAhMoOPxOj/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... Cosplayers outside of Fanime 2026, an anime convention in San Jose California, are currently going viral for selling “Fresh Foot Juice” in the ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY3HOUuDzAE/
info
Claim 6: “The female stars held up signs that read, “fresh feet juice” and “$5 swig.” There were also handmade cardboard signs that read things like “$10 shot” for some foot juice.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general event of selling foot juice is corroborated, the specific details about the signs ('$5 swig', '$10 shot') are not explicitly repeated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since its debut in 1984, the Dragon Ball franchise by Akira Toriyama has had a considerable impact on global popular culture. In 2015, the Japan Anniversary Association officially declared May 9 as "G…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_Dragon_Ball
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The World Cosplay Summit (世界コスプレサミット, Sekai Kosupure Samitto WCS) is an annual international cosplay event, which promotes global interaction through Japanese pop culture. It developed from a cosplay…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Cosplay_Summit
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — A yaoi paddle is a wooden spanking paddle emblazoned with the word yaoi, a term for a genre of male–male romance media originating in Japan. The paddles are a novelty item that were sold primarily at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaoi_paddle
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 7: “It kicked off in 2019 and since then the annual event has brought in more than 30,000 fans.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 8: “stars dressed up in their favorite Anime character outfits are seated outside the downtown festival next to giant coolers filled with both blue and red liquid”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific visual details of coolers with blue and red liquid.
check_circle
Claim 9: “several of its cosplay stars hawking “fresh feet juice” during the four-day long FanimeCon in San Jose”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (Reddit, Instagram, and a news-style report) confirm that cosplayers sold 'Fresh Foot Juice' during FanimeCon in San Jose.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The World Cosplay Summit (世界コスプレサミット, Sekai Kosupure Samitto WCS) is an annual international cosplay event, which promotes global interaction through Japanese pop culture. It developed from a cosplay…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Cosplay_Summit
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The anime and manga fandom is a worldwide community of fans of anime and manga. Anime includes animated series, films and videos, while manga includes manga, graphic novels, drawings, and related artw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime_and_manga_fandom
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rei Ayanami (Japanese: 綾波 レイ, Hepburn: Ayanami Rei; IPA: [ajaꜜnamʲi ɾeː]) is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series and its eponymous franchise created by the anime studio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rei_Ayanami
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 10: “The foot-drinking event appears to have taken place outside of the day-long planned festival at Park Con, the unofficial event which happens in the evening where attendees gather after the day’s events, per the San Francisco Chronicle.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source explicitly links the event to 'Park Con', but the provided evidence does not include the San Francisco Chronicle report to verify the attribution.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — FanimeCon is an annual four-day anime convention held during May at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, over Memorial Day weekend.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanimeCon
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many elements, including locations, weapons, and artifacts. Many are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_of_the_Marvel_Cinemat…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Swinging Popsicle is a three-member indie pop/rock band from Japan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swinging_Popsicle
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 11: “Aother video on TikTok showed that foot juice wasn’t all that was being offered at Park Con, with someone holding up a sign offering to slap/step on people for $5.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim contains general information about TikTok and does not mention any specific video regarding slapping or stepping on people for $5 at Park Con.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Libs of TikTok is the username of various American anti-LGBTQ and far-right social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik ( KHAH-yə RY-chik), a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libs_of_TikTok
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kylie Cox (born 1998 or 1999), known online as Sketch or TheSketchReal, is an American Twitch streamer and YouTuber. He is well known for his catchphrase, "What's up, brother?", which went viral and b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sketch_(streamer)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — TikTok is a social media and short-form online video platform. It hosts user-submitted videos, which range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed through a mobile app or thro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 12: “The annual event took place between May 22-25”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided to confirm the specific dates of May 22-25 for the event in the search results.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.