I first got started in April 2008 when I heard there was to be a Tokyopop ReCon event at my local Waterstones. Coincidentally, LittleKuriboh (creator of YuGiOh the Abridged Series) had uploaded a video of his local ReCon's cosplay competition. So then I decided to enter this competition, dressed as Bandit Keith from YuGiOh. It wasn't a very accurate cosplay, but I did get recognised, and spent quite a lot of time shouting out catchphrases. IN AMERICA!
A few months later, I got a message from a friend of mine on a forum, asking if I was going to the Midlands Expo in September. I looked into it, and thought it would be a great idea to cosplay there. After scrapping my original plan for Robotnik (too complex, given the time available), I went for Mario. And I've never been the same since.
One of the things I like the most about cosplay is having people recognise your costume. As Mario I was constantly being asked for photos, either posing with others or pretending to fight another 'Smash Brother' (there were lots, let me tell you!) etc.