Fursuits

The term fursuit is believed to have been coined in 1993 by Robert King and is usually used to describe custom-made animal costumes owned and worn by cosplayers or members of the furry fandom, commonly known as "furries"; a furry who wears a fursuit is called a fursuiter. Unlike mascot suits, which are usually affiliated with a team or organization, fursuits represent a stand-alone character. Although those outside the fandom typically refer to them as costumes, many furries prefer to refer to them as fursuits due to them typically being a personal expression instead of a costume.

Fursuits originated due to the dissatisfaction with the quality of mass-produced mascot costumes. Fursuit making is a growing industry, with new costume makers who handcraft custom suits entering the market every week. Others make their own fursuits from scratch. In order to make them fit correctly, many fursuit makers utilize "duct tape dummies" that are made of the wearer's body.

They are made with faux fur that is sometimes sourced from places like the Los Angeles Fashion District. A single suit can take more than 200 hours of work and sell for thousands of dollars.

Fursuits can be expensive to clean, although many modern-day suits are machine-washable.

Besides the typical full-body suit, other variations include the partial suit, which only has a mask, gloves, a tail, and possibly feet, with regular clothing covering the rest of the body. Three-quarter suits also include part of the body, like the torso or legs. This type of fursuit works well for characters who only wear a shirt without pants or just a pair of pants without a shirt Quadsuits are one of the most challenging and expensive types of costumes to make, and involve the wearer walking on all fours with arm extensions to create a stronger illusion of being a real animal.

Fursuits can range from cartoon-styled to hyper-realistic. The most popular animals for fursuits to be based on are dogs and big cats. They may also be based on fictional animal hybrids. Some suits may include integrated technology, such as LED lights.

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