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Fursuits are animal costumes associated with the furry fandom. They range from simple tails and ears to full costumes cooled by battery-powered fans. Similar to mascot suits, they allow the wearer to adopt another personality while in costume. Owners can spend less than one-hundred to many thousands of dollars on one fursuit, depending on complexity and materials used. Frequently these items are sold at conventions, or online by either commission or auction. Many furry fans make their own using online tutorials or advice from newsgroups. Due to the delicate nature of these costumes, many require special handling while washing.
Reasons for fursuiting
A person who wears a fursuit generally falls into one or more of 4 categories.
Job or charity work
Many furry fans do fursuiting for a job or to bring attention to an event or charity. This can include mascots, but not all mascots are furries. Many are hired through an agency to represent a character, while others bring their own constructions to an event instead. There are also several volunteer fursuiting groups across North America that either ask or are asked to entertain at various social functions. Some groups even set up their own charitable events or perform on the streets to passersby.
Conventions, parades, exhibitions
Other furries enjoy wearing their suits for parades, exhibitions, or conventions. Oftentimes these are of a personal character who they are expressing as a form of role play. The fursuiter may consider themselves to be expressing who they really are. These fursuiters may also wear their suits to small, informal meetings among furry fans in their area.
Role-playing
Some players of live action role-playing games (LARP) create highly elaborate costumes (including fursuits) for their characters. Half suits (arms, legs and a mask or makeup) are usually created for role-playing games, though some use full-body suits. These suits wear elaborate clothes and costumes of their own, depending on the theme of the game.
Cosplayers (short for "costume players") are similar to LARPers, but without the live games. They focus on characters from popular media, with emphasis on Japanese pop culture such as manga, anime, and video games.
Spirituality
Some people (usually otherkin or therianthropes) also fursuit for reasons of expressing what they feel is their inner animal self. Most of them try to make their suits as realistic and lifelike as possible.
Trivia
- The TV procedural drama C.S.I. featured a fursuit convention in episode 406, "Fur and Loathing." (more information at WikiFur)
- The music video for "Beautiful", by Moby, revolves around a swinger party where all the participants are dressed up in fursuits. (more info)
- The music video for "We Know Something You Don't Know", by DJ Format involves dancing fursuiters.
See also
External links
- The Furry Costume Information Exchange
- The Fursuit community (on LiveJournal)
- The Fursuit Archive
- Fursuit on WikiFur, a specialist wiki