Public Fursuiting Tips

If you own a fursuit chances are you have gone to a convention and worn it. Fursuiting at a convention is safer but it doesn't make a large impact because there are lots of other fursuits. Public fursuiting has considerably more risk but the impact it very large because it isn't everyday when you see a large, fluffy dog or cat walking down the sidewalk.
This post is going to provide some tips on public performance whether its just a walk at a park or fund raising for charity.

Where?
Choosing where to fursuit means taking into consideration obstacles and what sort of people are there.
One obstacle that you should definitely look out for is stairs. Knowing where the stairs are can really help because your range of sight is limited.
Fursuiting in different locations means having a different mindset for each place. At a convention everyone knows what a fursuit is and you can be goofy and bouncy at a park outside of the convention the people around you will probally not know why you are dressed as an animal. In a place where there are a lot of children care should be taken. The last thing you want is an angery parent complaining that you are trying to take their child.

When?
This also includes weather. If you are at an event for fund raising you must be careful not to cause problems for the event organisers. The worst thing to do is break the trust between you and the people who run the event.
Choosing the right day can also make a diffrence. Weekend days are bound to be busier then during the week so if you don't have much experience its a good idea to choose days that will not overwhelmed by people.

Helpers!
A must when fursuiting is to have a handler/spotter! Having someone looking out for you while in suit can be a lifesaver and can stop some problems. Make sure they have water and are on the look out for people trying to pounce on the suit, pull the tail, scrintching and dirty hands.

Hope this post helped anyone who needed a few tips on public performance.

Fursuits: Toony or Realistic?

Fursuits are a large part of the furry fandom and are usually custom made costumes of someones personal character.
When someone considers getting a fursuit they are faced with a choice. Toony or Realistic?
The most common style of fursuit is the toony style. This is a cartoon style suit that is usually cheaper then others. A simple toony suit is normally plantigrade, has flat toony eyes, a static jaw and no air brushing.

A simple plantigrade toony suit.

A digitigrade toony suit.

A simple toony partial suit that features a moving jaw.

 These are all examples of toony suits. Toony suits normally cost a lot less then realistic suits. Many fursuit makers offer toony suits. Many features can be added to these suits including: moving jaws, digitigrade legs and even "follow me" eyes.

Realistic suits are very detailed and cost more then toony suits. They have tear-duct vision because the eyes are made from resin, glass or other such materials. Because you don't look directly though the eyes some have LEDs in them to make the costume a bit more mysterious.

A realistic, colourful wolf fursuit.

A realistic fursuit of someones personal charecter.

Though they are "realistic" suits this doesn't mean that the suit is of a real creature with realistic colours. The two images above show this well.
Realistic suit also have digitigrade legs unless the charecter is spisificly plantigrade.

If you are interested in either making or commisioning to get a fursuit you can find more information on fursuit makers and supplys at:
http://www.fursuit.co.uk