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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

ROAR Volume 9, Resistance, Edited by Mary E. Lowd.
Dallas, TX, Bad Dog Books, July 2018, trade paperback, $19.95 (297 pages), eBook $7.95.

ROAR volume 9, Bad Dog Books’ annual anthology of non-erotic furry adventure short fiction, is the fourth edited by Mary E. Lowd. It follows last year’s vol. 8 devoted to Paradise, and 2016’s vol. 7 devoted to Legends. This year’s theme is Resistance; “[…] the vision of resistance […] expressed through the voices of fifteen amazing authors.”

I suspect that Lowd accepted stories based on their quality rather than their relevance to the theme. The stories are all very good, and an excellent mix of types, although I don’t see what connection some of them have to “resistance”.

“Saguaros” by Watts Martin features Hanai, a coyote aristocrat, and Tamiisi, her shy rabbit maid, in a desert world of magic:

“Tamiisi stepped toward the wall. The neighborhood lanterns were first to meet her eyes, fixed lamps glittering from lawns and porches and thorn-trees, floating lamps trailing behind or in front of unseen travelers. As her eyes adjusted, she could trace the lines of sidewalks and carriageways, see the pennants atop the highest tents of the Great Market. Sky-fish flitted through the air, over and under the stone bridges, leaping to touch the rare flying sled. If she remained perfectly still, listened ever so closely, she could hear the clockwork birds twittering in faint harmonies as they returned to the park to roost for the night.” (p. 19)

But is the magic the coyotes’ or the rabbits’ – or someone else’s? The rabbits are unhappy with their lot, but what happens doesn’t seem to be due to anyone’s “resistance”.

In “Ghosts” by Searska GreyRaven, the resistance is that Cal, an Angora neko-form, is lesbian and rejects the straight heterosexual life her domineering father demands that she lead. Cal’s partner after he dies is Deanne, a black cat neko-form scientist trying to prove the existence of ghosts. When Cal’s father’s ghost continues to try to force her to “return to God”, the story becomes like a dramatic Ghostbusters:

“I squinted my eyes shut, and suddenly felt a burst of heat along the side of my face. My father snarled and let go, dropping me to the floor. I lay, gasping for air and opened one eye.

Deanne stood in the doorway, a heavy contraption slung over one shoulder. She held what looked like a gun from a game of laser tag in her paws.

‘What … the hell?’ I coughed. ‘Is that?’ I couldn’t think of the word.

‘Nope. It’s a spectral inverter. And it’ll scorch your retinas if you look at it!’

The ghost of my father roared and flew at Deanne, who roared right back and hit him again with a beam of red-black energy. My father dodged and laughed.” (p. 47)

Calling Cal and Denise “neko-forms” instead of just cats is necessary because there’s also a non-anthro pet cat in the story.   Also a rat-form, corvine-forms, and a lupine-form for anthro animals, plus humans. The ROAR vol. 9 cover by Kadath illustrates “Ghosts”.

In “Froggy Stews” by Humphrey Lanham, Uri, a frog, and Clyde, a sea lion, are roommates despite the disparity in their sizes:

“The [drunken] frog nodded. Clyde offered up a flipper for Uri to climb onto. On a normal day, Uri would never allow himself to be carried about by a larger animal like that. Today, however, he didn’t think he could successfully move from the sink to the couch without looking more ridiculous than he would in the arms of a sea lion.” (p. 57)

After six months, one of the two decides that the Odd Couple relationship isn’t working out. I’m not sure where the “resistance” is here. In fact, I’m not sure why a normal-sized frog and sea lion would ever decide to become roommates in a normal human house in the first place. All anthro fiction requires some acceptance of fantasy, but “Peeling off his grey turtleneck and $100 jeans” (p. 53) – this is a normal-sized, normal-physique frog? And a normal-physique sea lion doesn’t have legs. “Froggy Stews” reads smoothly, but the constant description of the frog’s physical normality (a small, hopping, cold-blooded reptile) made it impossible for me to envision him dressing in clothes, getting drunk, and living in a house-sharing relationship (a two-story house, at that) with a much-larger mammal who doesn’t have legs.

The protagonist of “Post-Isolation” by Ellis Aen is Ben Forec, a raccoon lawyer. It’s set after humanity has disappeared and anthro animals have populated Earth, but a human cast would work just as well. ENGRAM, a powerful company, has become omnipresent in society. It offers a psychological process that supposedly makes people more mentally stable. Dr. Connor Able, a German Shepherd friend of Ben’s, thinks that it does the opposite. This story has the creepiest imagery:

“The younger raccoon’s pupils were wide. So very wide. She kept staring at Ben. She was crying, but her voice went unperturbed, as if she were unaware of the fact.

‘What’s going on?’ the girl asked Ben. It was a simple question, but he couldn’t think, much less process an answer. ‘Did something happen to Jamie?’

Then the bees came. Thousands of them. They came from the ground, the walls of his home, from the vacant holes that had become the raccoon girl’s eyes. They crawled free of her flesh and left her body, flipping up tiny little patches of fur like miniature trap doors. They swirled and swarmed until there were so many of them that they blotted out the sun and all Ben could see was screaming, buzzing darkness.” (p. 63)

“Resistance” by David M Sula is set in a world of anthros and humans that has become deadly to the humans:

“He [Theo] inhaled it [the outdoor air] through his nose. It was crisp and dry, no different from any of the twenty seven autumns he’d experienced before. It even bore the same taste as before, but if Chase stepped into this atmosphere, it was almost certain that the human would catch the Chill. The disease came out of nowhere, a mutated flu virus that had evolved beyond the inconvenience this illness used to be. Anthros were immune, so immune that the virus couldn’t even survive in their bodies, but humans were so much more susceptible to it. Every day the death toll rose, but the virus mutated too fast for vaccines to have any real impact.” (p. 92)

Theo (Lion) and Chase (human), a M/M couple, have built a quarantine booth over the front door of their apartment. Theo can come and go to his job, while Chase has been trapped in their apartment for months. He gets cabin fever, which makes him bitter and threatens their relationship. The resistance here is what Chase and Theo hope will be developed to the Chill.

“The Hard Way” by Val E Ford features Liam and Katy, human soulmates. When Liam is crippled, becomes despondent, and commits suicide, Katy aches for him. But when he is reincarnated as a series of animals – short-lived animals – Katy finally says, “Enough is enough!”

That doesn’t stop him from returning, though.

“Coyote Magic” by Ryan Campbell takes place in a world of magic. Everyone (almost) has an anthro animal spirit guide. 16-year-old Pel has his heart set on something powerful like a bear or lion, but when he gets a lowly coyote – sneaky and a thief – he tries to deny it. He would rather pretend that he didn’t get any magic than that he’s coyote kin. Talk about resistance!

“The Last Roundup” by Amy Fontaine is a bittersweet story. Russ Clifford, an old Australian cattle dog who has grown up on his family’s ranch, does not resist the changing times as much as he is bewildered and trampled by the passage of time; from the cowdogs riding the plains, to their replacement by modern factory-farm methods, then the government’s declaring his ranching itself to be ecologically destructive and his ranch turned into a National Park and tourist center.

“Safe Mode” by John Giezentanner is reminiscent of E. M. Forster’s 1909 “The Machine Stops”, with furries. All industrial work of the world has been turned over to AIs. Most people can relax and do and become anything they want. Jonah has had pangolin modifications until he looks like a giant anthro natural pangolin, while Nekoda, his roommate (currently a girl), has had red panda modifications with extra fur, with the red parts turned green, until she looks like a sexless puffball. When everything stops working, nobody is worried at first:

“‘What’s going on?’ Jonah muttered.

‘I don’t know. It happened right after I got to work – everything just died. We couldn’t have classes, obviously, we had to wait for all the parents to walk down and get their kid so I was just babysitting all day. It was crazy.’

[…]

‘So…no internet at all? No drones came and delivered a message or anything?’

Her jaw pressed against him as she spoke without raising her head. ‘Nope. It was really weird.’

The feeling in Jonah’s stomach escalated to something like nausea.   ‘So it’s like this everywhere, then.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The school’s a pretty important place. Don’t you think someone would send word if they could, so you could tell the kids everything is going to be okay?’” (p. 150)

Again, it’s a good story, but I don’t see the resistance in it.

”Laotian Rhapsody” by Al Song features Duncan, the young Laotian-American Dhole lead singer of Southeast Ambrosia, a struggling rock band. He’s frustrated because he can’t make a success of either math or music, his two loves. The “resistance” is that Duncan doesn’t want to give up on his dreams. This story is steeped in Southeast Asian immigrant adjustment to American culture. The story is pleasant, but very much a funny-animal story. There’s no real need for the Laotian-American, Thai-American, Philippine-American, and Vietnamese-American youths to be Elephants, Deer, Tigers, and so on rather than humans.

“Qibla” by Bill Kieffer is set in the same world as Kieffer’s stories in his Cold Blood: Fatal Fables, but with new characters. Cecil Kanëhtaikhö, an older Rept (alligator) and Jinx Tonka, a young Warm (cat), are recent gay lovers despite very different ages and not knowing much about each other. When Cecil is called by a police station on the other side of the country to provide “expert translation” for a Fennec wearing a turban, Jinx goes along. The police captain, Captain Fisher, is an Avi (crane). The differences in “Qibla” are definitely important, from the physical differences between reptiles, mammals, and birds; the species prejudices between them; the religious prejudices; warm-blooded vs. cold-blooded, furry vs. not, and so on:

“Jinx typically slept in three or four hour shifts, whereas the Alligator usually slept like a log. The Tonk would catch a ‘cat nap’ just before dinner. His Darwinist heritage meant that he’d come from a long line of Cats that had been bred to be especially Feline. Human husbandry didn’t sit well with Cecil, but he felt he shouldn’t judge. It was no worse than their poly-cannibalism.

[…]

One shower and a good oiling later, Cecil walked down the stairs as gracefully as his short legs allowed him to. The tip of his tail tapped every other step clumsily.

Jinx wasn’t downstairs, but there was evidence that he’d been there. Half the kitchen floor had been swept clean of the fur that the Cat seemed to constantly leave behind, and the little pillowcase lined barrel that Jinx kept his excess fur in was smack dab between the kitchen and the dining room. Once a week, a ‘shed woman’ came to collect his silver-blue offerings, for reasons that were both about recycling and Darwinistic, but also thrifty. His pedigree coloring netted a few extra dollars a month.” (pgs. 184-185)

“Qibla” is powerful as a genuine furry novelette, and as a chilling suspense story as Cecil is targeted by a Warm Suprematist police officer.

“Dear Sis” by Matt Doyle is told as a six-page letter from an anonymous Trans college student to his sister. The resistance is the letter-writer’s determination to be Trans despite the social pressure against him. This is a pure funny-animal story; what species he is isn’t important.

“Every Last Paw” by Blake Hutchins is a fairy tale. Mittens the kitten gets out on Halloween Night and witnesses the battle between the Yondercat and the Greed Rat. Cute.

“Mixed Blessings” by Kittara Foxworthy is s-f. Tony, a young raccoon spaceman picking up supplies on a distant planet, is stranded there when his spaceship has to make an emergency departure. Tony sinks into the planet’s underworld and joins the resistance against the planetary government. It’s okay space opera, again with no real reason for the characters to be cougars, weasels, otters, and so on instead of humans.

“No Dogs” by KC Alpinus is a Civil Rights parable with dogs. Dominique and her daughter Taissa, terriers, are stand-ins for African-Americans in the South in the 1960s. The whole Civil Rights movement was about resistance to prejudice and inequality. I don’t see a reason for Alpinus to cast some dog breeds as the bigots and some as the fighters for equality, but maybe that’s the point. Beneath the type of fur and the shape of our muzzles, we’re all equal.

Art by Kadath

15 stories. I enjoyed them all, even “Froggy Stews” with its bizarre imagery of a talking but otherwise realistic frog and sea lion (no legs) living together in a two-story human house. Different readers will have different favorites; mine is definitely “Qibla” with its clear-cut species differences and its slowly growing threat against the protagonist. Bring on next year’s volume 10!

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Fur Planet
• Buy e-book on Bad Dog Books
• Buy on Amazon

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Another find from Comic Con, this time over at Humanoids. Nancy Peña is a French writer and cartoonist with several books to her name. Her latest is called Madame Cat, and this particular kitty is quite a character. From the publisher: “Madame means mischief in this series of slice-of-life vignettes that present the private love, laughter and frustrations of a pet who thinks she’s an owner! Whether she’s tearing up clothes, spilling ink on the carpet or filling the air with stinky tuna-breath, Madame is both wonderfully frustrating and endearingly whimsical.” Meanwhile Comics Beat has a preview, which also includes a look at the exclusive Madame plushie that’s available.

image c. 2018 Humanoids

We have come a long way in media coverage. "Explore the misunderstood community of people who like to dress up as animals. Is it a fetish? Or a way of making friends? Follow Luisa as she goes to her first Furry convention."
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Cold Blood: Fatal Fables, by Bill Kieffer.
Capalaba, Queensland, Australia, Jaffa Books, May 2018, trade paperback, $17.00 (323 pages), Kindle $5.50.

Readers had better consider Cold Blood an adult book for all the graphic M/M sex in the original stories.

This is Kieffer’s collection of six anthro “furry noir” novelettes set in his Aesop’s World universe. Five of them feature his Brooklyn Blackie wolfdog private investigator. The sixth features Frosty Pine, a Bearded Dragon roadie of another Bearded Dragon who is a rock star. Two of them are reprints; “Brooklyn Blackie and the Unappetizing Menu” from the anthology Inhuman Acts: An Anthology of Noir, edited by Ocean Tigrox, and “Unbalanced Scales” from ROAR vol. 7, edited by Mary E. Lowd. If you liked those samples of Kieffer’s furry crime noir stories, here are more of them.

Cold Blood does not have a Table of Contents. Allow me to add one:

“Welcome to Aesop’s World”, a four–page Introduction, p. [5]

“Shepard”, p. 11

“Brooklyn Blackie and the Dude-Less Dude Ranch”, p. 61

“Brooklyn Blackie and the Rainbow in the Dark”, p. 110

“Brooklyn Blackie and the Unappetizing Menu”, p. 177

“Brooklyn Blackie and the Reverse Badger Game”, p. 233

“Unbalanced Scales”, p. 272

Kieffer’s “Aesop’s World” furry stories are set in the city of New Amsterdam, in the nation of the United and Independent States. It’s our world with differences, from barely-changed names to real supernatural forces. There are languages like Aenglish and Gallish; states like Tejas; religious figures like Xrist. The species names are the same (Dogs, Cats, Rhinos, Anoles, Roadrunner), but they’re divided into Warms, Colds (or Repts), and Avis.

Blackie is a minor character in “Shepard”. Police detective Andrew Shepard, an Alsatian, is not corrupt, but he is a sadist who gleefully beats up suspects and anyone he doesn’t like. But he’s loyal to his friends. Young Blake Black, the son of Waldo “Big Blackie” Black and his wife Lynne (wolves) is the seventh son of a seventh son, and is believed by the superstitious to be cursed. When little Blackie is kidnapped by the Illuminati Arcana cult to be sacrificed to their god, Shepard bursts into their church to rescue him. (He is really Shepard’s and Lynne’s illegitimate child.) But things aren’t what they seem:

“Ursine features registered surprise and then amusement. ‘Detective… That’s a Wheel of Exorcism, not a Wheel of Sacrifice. No one was supposed to die tonight. Once the demon is out of the boy, we are going to release him.’ The sound of a gun cocking was like punctuation to his next statement. ‘You will not be so fortunate.’

[…]

‘Lycanthropes are only one of the curses the seventh son of a seventh son might be inflicted with. In the case of Blake Black, it seems that he’s a Black Dog… the Incarnation of Death. Death is going to follow him everywhere, unless he’s purged of the demon. Brother Bleu’s death is proof of that.’” (pgs. 42-43)

Shepard’s attack interrupts the exorcism – which may not be needed if young Blackie is really not the son of Big Blackie, after all. Except that, in the following stories after he grows up, Death does seem to follow him everywhere:

“The Rhino gave the knife to the Fox. ‘You’ve released this Black Dog, this walking death, into a world ill-prepared for it. I know in your heart you believe yourself a good man, but you have always been blind to the truth. […] I forgive you for that, but will that child? You’ve condemned him to a life without satisfaction, without peace, without love.’” (p. 55)

The remaining “Brooklyn Blackie” stories are narrated by Blackie himself. “Brooklyn Blackie and the Dude-Less Dude Ranch” is set about 15 years later:

“It was 1945 and the world at large had trouble accepting Repts as people and not the alien monsters they looked like. Still, given the choice between a Warm Pervert and a Cold Xeno, they’d take the Reptile any day. My recent disgrace had me reconsidering my birth father’s advice when he’d packed me off to college in Europe. I needed to get straight. Stay straight.” (p. 62)

When Blackie became an adult, he joined the New Amsterdam City police force, but he got caught as a homosexual, which in 1945 is a huge no-no. In disgrace, he resigned from the PD and became a P.I.

The stories are so similar that there is no need to review each of them. They are all full of stereotypical cynical hard-boiled crime noir action. “I was so tired I was almost surprised that there weren’t goons waiting for us inside my room. That seemed to be how it was done in the movies.” (p. 98) “I hadn’t completely emptied yesterday’s bottle of whiskey. I poured a shot for Cecil and a shot for Ivory. I threw back the last whisper of the stuff onto my tongue. “I am [tracking a murderer]. I have no doubt the Rept I followed here killed the body they found in Harlem.” (p. 99)

It also humorously acknowledges why this world’s animal civilization ought not to work, or at least should cause Blackie constant inconveniences. “I grabbed the whiskey and practiced the complicated art of drinking out of a narrow neck bottle without spilling any out of my muzzle.” (p. 82) “I wondered how much fur I’d left behind on my own bed. Well, shed happens.” (p. 83) “Two [professional groomers] hardly spoke, except to tell me how perfectly black I was for a Wolf and that they ought to be paying me for my shed fur. Pure black was so hard to find. My privates got quiet clinical treatment while my tail was offered a braid.” (p. 84) “I didn’t dare go shirtless [in Las Vegas] with this heatsink hair growing out of my skin. I’d only cook that much faster.” (p. 85) “She called over the floor-walker to show me where the Cosmetic counter was and I thanked her. Then it occurred to me that she could have been a male as easily female. Cuckoo genders are hard to tell.” (p. 87)

Cold Blood: Fatal Fables (cover by Lew Viergacht) is for fans of what Kieffer calls “furry noir”; hard-boiled with much brutality, told with a cynical sense of humor. “Six stories of love and violence.” (blurb) The graphic M/M sex makes it very adult.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Found out about this at San Diego Comic Con: The same animation team that brought us Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (we talked about that!) returns with a new feature called Hallowaiian. “In the vein of The Goonies, E.T., and Jurassic Park, Hallowaiian follows three kids who must put their differences aside to save the island from a monster thought only to live in legends. Kai, Leilani, Eddie and the Menehune, Hawaii’s mischievous creatures, must band together to stop the monster they have mistakenly awoken. Facing great dangers along the way, the kids realize the true meaning of courage, friendship and tradition. The voice cast stars Hawaii Five-0 alumni Teilor Grubbs and Mark Dacascos with Tia Carerre (Wayne’s World) and Kiefer O’Reilly (Howard Lovecraft).” Once again it’s directed by Sean Patrick O’Reilly from Arcana Studios. Looks like it should be available this October — of course.

image c. 2018 Arcana Studios

I would totally play this.
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Art of Robert Hill

Continuing from: Meet Robert Hill: Artist, performer, and history’s first sexy fursuiter.

Furry fandom has many members who were born after Robert Hill’s ahead-of-its-time (but perhaps underrated) role in its late 1970’s-1980’s formation. My previous introduction promised an interview. That involved some convincing to start it (so maybe others wouldn’t have gotten it?) That makes me extra happy to share it now.

For a little more background, you could browse his (very fetishy and hot) Fur Affinity gallery, or his Wiki that mentions successes in getting media notice. Some was for costuming, and some for art (like in the badly intentioned, but well exposed) MTV Sex2K documentary “Plushies and Furries.”

• Wikifur: Robert Hill
• Robertbear on FurAffinity (NSFW!)
• Robert Hill on Facebook (also NSFW)

When I say “ahead of its time” and mention MTV, the 90’s were a different time than now. Drama raged between furry fans about whether sexy stuff was acceptable, especially in reaction to media exploitation that overemphasized the fringes. A lot of the bad attention came with a nasty streak of homophobia.  In 2018, I think we know who won. It’s not about furries being indecent, it’s about radical self-expression with all kinds of supportive benefits. I’d say change didn’t come from pleading with outsiders to be nicer, but from the power of building a great community within. And the media followed along with some change from exploitation to a gentler view of loveable eccentricity.

All along, there were members who dared to explore what they wanted to express without taming it for outside recognition, but who were fiercely talented enough to get some of that too.

PATCH: I’ve shared the vid of Hilda The Bambioid from the 80’s quite a few times, calling it an amazing kind of a pioneer thing… basically the first fursuiter at a furry con. I think there might be a few others that can say that – like costumers who were active as mascots or at sci fi cons at the time – but that was the one that went on video and is known today, so I think the credit fits. Especially because it’s a pretty amazing sight to see!

Wanna talk about it a little as an intro? Is that OK?
Is it OK to credit Hilda to you, or should the character stay seperate?

ROBERT: You ask the questions and I’ll do what I can.

PATCH: Cool OK. In the 1980’s were you really into costuming? Or was that more of a sideline hobby thing?

ROBERT: I did it strictly for fun. It was an opportunity to stretch myself and study other aspects of my personality.

PATCH: How did you first get into it?

ROBERT: I’d always possessed a penchant for performing.
It was and still is “in my blood”. My mother made an open-faced lion costume for me to wear for Halloween at the age of 4 or 5.

PATCH: Fun! When did you start designing or making your own?

ROBERT: 1987. And I spent 12 years with The Mouse, as a character and stage manager.

PATCH: Did the furry thing kind of start up while you were working there, and did you juggle both activities at the same time?
And was this in California?

ROBERT: Ground zero for the “furry” fetish began in 1978 with a group called “The CFO”.

PATCH: Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard. Cartoon Fantasy Organization or something like that? Met at the LA Science fiction fan clubhouse, shared movies and involved in APA’s?

ROBERT: No, it met in the Animators Union Hall on Ventura Blvd in LA and later at various other locations.

PATCH: Ah, gotcha. I think there was some blending of fandoms, and I wasn’t there of course, so it helps to hear the details. I get some from Fred Patten who talks about the anime and science fiction fandom from then.

ROBERT: Animation buffs, both professional and otherwise would meet monthly to watch unique examples of animation, foreign and otherwise.

PATCH: I’d personally consider the 70’s to mid-80’s kind of the “proto furry” era that paved the way. I know Vootie, Rowrbrazzle and APA’s were important. I’m using ConFurence 0 in 1989 as a benchmark. It’s… It’s a bit subjective of course.

ROBERT: Fred was the consummate fan and was the adhesive that pulled it together.

PATCH: How did you first get involved?

ROBERT: A long time associate of mine whom I’d known since school – and a board artist at Filmation, contacted me and told me about the group idea that was being proposed.

PATCH: That was the CFO? Was it 1978?

ROBERT: Yes, that’s correct.

PATCH: How many people got involved right at the start?
And were you originally involved as an artist?

ROBERT: Oh about a dozen. Some just fans and others pros in the biz. I fell in somewhere in between, as I worked for The Mouse.

PATCH: Ah I gotcha. So you were with Disney as a character and stage manager in 1978, and worked there until the late 80’s, it sounds like?

ROBERT: I was an art major in college but learned nothing and did it because it was easy, I could fake it and get a decent grade. – Mid 80’s.

A rough I did for my senior comp in college, circa 1974.

PATCH: I don’t think there were many animation programs at that time – CalArts and maybe a small few others… that’s pretty neat. I know the 70’s was a really tough time for the American animation business.
But, working for Disney as a performer seems exciting.

ROBERT: I didn’t care. Animation was repetitious and frankly boring. I preferred performing.

PATCH: Can you tell me more what that was like?

ROBERT:

PATCH: That’s cool, which one were you?

ROBERT: That’s me as Eeyore summer 1973. Oh yes, by 1970 I was purchasing manga and later anime, hence the hachimaki I was wearing on my head.

PATCH: How active was the fandom stuff during all that time, from the late 70’s up to when you started designing costumes? Was it a small casual hobby thing outside of the job, or more?

ROBERT: It was composed of a relatively small cadre of individuals, both fans and pros. There were a handful of fan produced publications with a combo of human and anthro stuff.

PATCH: I like how it’s grown tremendously, so now there are people whose entire career is serving other fans with art and costume.
What kind of art were you doing at that time, before you started doing your own costumes?

ROBERT: By the mid 80’s the interest was increasing and there were more fanzines and occasional gatherings. The CFO was still very active but had swung entirely in favor of anime only.

PATCH: What was your part in things while the CFO changed?

ROBERT: I wasn’t drawing because I hadn’t the patience or desire to do so. I built models instead, as college was over by then.

PATCH: What kind of models?

ROBERT: I hung out with other like minded “funny animal” fans.
Aircraft, ships, etc on a professional level!

PATCH: Cool – what were they for?
For movie/TV or were people just buying them?

ROBERT:

An Aichi D4Y model I made in 1977, it was museum quality.
I made them for fun and for historical purposes.

PATCH: I can see how the hands on connection led to costuming.

ROBERT: I made my first model kit at 4 years old and began sculpting with clay at the same age.

PATCH: Animal anthropomorphism is a cool connection. I’m wondering how kink got involved, was it around 1987 with your first costumes?

ROBERT: I had no friends and disliked school with a passion, so I nurtured my imagination instead.

No, the “kink” went back to it’s actual inception.

PATCH: Was that part of wanting to work as a performer?
I’m curious about how Hilda came about

ROBERT: It was in my genetics..

PATCH: Was 1987 the first time you were expressing that?

ROBERT: A long time associate named Collins had created a matriarchal race of anthro deer called “Bambioids”. Out of honor to him I created Hilda.

PATCH: Cool. How daring did it feel to design, build and wear that at the time? I’m not aware of many other people doing that.

ROBERT: No one else did that as such. Again, I had no issue playing the female role and pulling it off.
I created Hilda in 1988.

PATCH: How did it go over? Like, what kind of reactions were there?

ROBERT: People were bowled over by it, to me it was no big deal.
They earnestly thought it was worn by an actual female.

PATCH: Ha yeah, the videos look awesome
Was that only at fur cons, or where else?

ROBERT: I followed Dr Frankenfurter’s philosophy: “Don’t dream it – be it!”.
Oh there were other venues as well, but mostly within the “furry” community.

PATCH: Personally I’d get a rush from being freaky and fabulous like that.

ROBERT: Odd, I never viewed it as “freaky”. It seemed perfectly normal to me.

PATCH: How many costumes would you say you have designed and built over time? And would you prefer to be known as a furry costumer/performer, or something else?

ROBERT: At least 18 over all. I’ve never felt the personal need for labeling, so I can’t really answer that.

PATCH: Can you tell me what kinds? Like were some male and others female, were there different styles of design, were some more G-rated and others not?

ROBERT: Yes, I made two “functional” male costumes but never used them as such. Some were just cute, others sexy and curvaceous..

PATCH: Where do you think you stand, as someone who was part of furry fandom when it started – like, were there others making costumes like you? I hadn’t seen any that were sexy like Hilda until at least the late 90’s, I think… is pioneer an OK word?

ROBERT: Again with the labels. I just did what I felt like and screw anyone that didn’t approve. The costume “thing” really didn’t start catching on in earnest until the early 90’s and with the advent of the net, it was unstoppable.

PATCH: Did anyone else start working with you or getting inspiration from you, or did it keep being a solo hobby?

ROBERT: To me it was simply a hobby and done for fun. Doubtless, when attended cons there a handful of other costumes that began to make themselves known. Most of them had no idea who I was, but when I’d come out to where they were just walking about, start performing and then they’d go elsewhere. They didn’t know who I was, but they sure hated me!

PATCH: Haha, they were trying to be more tame? Would you call your costuming controversial?

ROBERT: A former friend used to comment that when I made an appearance and began to be bop, they’d disappear.

PATCH: How do you think it would go over in 2018?

ROBERT: No, they had no idea of how to perform in their own costumes. I had 12 years of experience at the Mouse, that, and having it in my blood came naturally.

PATCH: Ah, OK, so it sounds like they didn’t care about the kinky, more adult part, so much as having a performer upstage them by being more interesting?

ROBERT: I’d be mocked or totally ignored, as everything out there looks like it was cut from the same cookie cutter mold, plus, all the kids that are doing it are in cliques, etc.
I dunno, I never spoke to them.

PATCH: OK, now I’m curious about your part in the infamous MTV Sex2K show. They used your art, and were you a performer in there too? What was it like?

ROBERT: Of course I was. I had a ball, as I knew how to work with the media and lived ate and drank it.

PATCH: I’d love to hear more about working with the media. Like, just with furry stuff, or with much more than that? Were there other highlights besides the MTV show?

ROBERT: I did at least 10 media based programs over the years. I didn’t come across like an illiterate bumpkin.
Oh HBO’s “Real Sex”, Discovery Channel, Tori Spelling, etc, etc.

PATCH: Cute one!

ROBERT: Myself and Tori Spelling doing her reality series: “Inn Love” in ’07.

PATCH: That’s a story in a picture… what’s going on there? Why is she smiling like that?

ROBERT: Publicity pics. Simply put.

PATCH: Ah OK. What kind of a part was it?

ROBERT: She was actually quite personable and even commented: “You know they’re going to make fun of you.” I didn’t care.

PATCH: Did they make fun?

ROBERT: It was her reality show where different people would visit her B+B.
If anyone did, I never heard it.

PATCH: If you can, I’d love if you can tell me any stories about the stuff we already got into. Like crazy, cool, fun or outrageous things that have to do with working at Disney, being in the CFO and fandom, costuming, furries in general in 2018, and the media.

ROBERT: That could quite literally fill a book in all seriousness. Perhaps, in the future, you might ask me about my drawing.

PATCH: How about just one story?

ROBERT: Now?

I wouldn’t know where to start. Do you follow my FB page at all? It speaks volumes about me.

As this posts, there’s only 15 followers for Robert Hill on Facebook (NSFW). You should check him out there.

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

More from Boom! Studios, as the Rugrats’ favorite city-stomping lizard gets his own one-shot starring role in the Rugrats R Is For Reptar 2018 Special. “When the power goes out at the Pickles house, the babies and adults come together to share their own personal favorite Reptar stories. This collection includes short stories by Grandpa Lou, Phil & Lil, Angelica Pickles, Susie Carmichael, and Tommy Pickles as they each tell you their own version of Reptar.” Spoiler Alert! It’s actually written by Nicole Andelfinger and illustrated by Esdras Cristobal — and it’s available now from Boom!

image c. 2018 Boom! Studios

Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow www.draggetshow.com Be sure to check our website for all Things Dragget Show! Podcasts, videos, merch and more! Also, don't forget we stream the D&D sessions Sunday at 7pm Central on YouTube! YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DraggetShow 202 - iFC '18 LIVE!! - Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow www.drag…

We have here a Russian ad for Unica light switches? Not what I expected. I have no translation of the dialog. It's kinda amazing to see actual fursuits in something like this instead of random off the shelf shitty mascot costumes. (Thanks to Vidrovich for point out this one) "Meet the unbearable beautiful collection of Unica from Schneider Electric! Lots of colors, textures and functions – combine them as you want, create light scripts and control the atmosphere of your home from your smartphone. By the way, at the presentation of the series we have not counted one sample, but it can be understood-because to resist Unica impossible."
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MISSING: Animosulo’s fursuit. Can you help? Ask these news sources for attention, and link this article on Twitter (or use their other contacts):

Nacho’s suit was mistakenly mentioned as stolen (relying on info referencing multiple suits.)

• @SFBayTimes
• @sfist
• @sanfranmag
• @SFWeekly
• @SFGate
• @thebolditalic
• @BrokeAssStuart

(You might add #Burningman @burningman, and do send suggestions.)

Unusual missing animal flyers

A few years ago, Zarafa Giraffe’s beloved purple giraffe suit was stolen. He became furry-internet-famous (and a San Francisco celebri-fur, even to average people on the street.) There were stories by SFist and Broke-Ass Stuart and a journalist flew in from New York. The theft was sad but the outcome was happy.

Zarafa had been at Frolic Party, a legendary monthly furry dance party at The Eagle in San Francisco (which helped spark a whole movement of them across North America.) His fursuit bin was a tempting target for car break-in thieves. Neonbunny, founder and organizer of Frolic, personally hit the pavement to post flyers, along with some help. Thanks to his tireless work not just to promote the party, but care for it’s goers, there was an answer and the giraffe rejoined Zarafa.

Truck Tragedy in Oakland on 8/24/18

Now, Zarafa and friends have an even more devastating story to share.

Many furries share the Burning Man community (for the massive annual Nevada desert gathering). Three members were on the way together to Camp Fur. That’s a well-loved Furry Burner camp – the original of at least two camps (previously covered in this story, where you can also see a Furry Burner invited to the White House to meet President Obama.) Camp Fur is ALSO the project of Neonbunny, who is having his 20th year at the Burn in 2018. He’s told me it gets around 100 members by itself.

While these 3 furry Burners were away from loading their truck for a few minutes, it was stolen. The victims were Nacho Husky, Mukian, and Animosulo. Besides losing a large amount of camp gear, losing a fursuit makes this especially bad. Those one-of-a-kind things are irreplaceable and cost thousands, but they’re hardly worth anything to non-furries!

If you don’t know Nacho, you won’t forget his suit – or the events he leads. In March, his Space Camp Party drew 500+ furries, Burners, and party lovers to a waterfront brewery with a San Francisco skyline view. (I helped organize and do decor). While Frolic has been a community mainstay at the same place each month, Nacho’s been working to bring unusual parties in exceptional places like that.

In short, this crime didn’t just hit Nacho and friends, it hurts some of the wildest and best parts of SF Bay Area culture.

These are some of the most supportive helpers you could meet anywhere. We all share organizing for not-for-profit events, and I can personally credit them them for loaning gear and much more without nearly the recognition they deserve. The night before the theft, in return for tent parts I sent for their trip, Nacho and Mukian got me dinner at Oakland’s Dragon Gate. (They may have lost the 8 LB’s of garlic noodles they packed in a cooler for the Burn). The place reminds me of Oakland night life scenes in Sorry To Bother You. It’s crazy how 3 furries went to a bar, and I told them about the movie *spoiler* without mentioning the h…. d…

These critters could use all the good karma they have coming. I think all of them made it to the desert, so this involves support while they’re out of contact.

Update: @MukianShadowpaw found the truck after hours of driving around Oakland ourselves. I waited 6 hours for the Oakland Police but they didn’t come.... now dealing with this mess. EVERYTHING IS GONE. Looking in dumpers nearby for the fursuit. If your in Oakland DM me. pic.twitter.com/G3hJrXq9AA

— Nacho (@NachoHusky) August 25, 2018

The thieves couldn’t break the @MasterLockUS so they broke the Uhaul instead. We are still pretty shaken up; EVERYTHING was stolen minutes while we were loading the last box. Devastated but determined to still make it to #Burningman @burningman. Be careful! pic.twitter.com/AyBP7Hn1mp

— Nacho (@NachoHusky) August 25, 2018

Yup. This was footage of the guy who tried to use the stolen debit cards. A different person that the driver and two getaway vehicles used. We pieced together footage from 4 locations with cameras. pic.twitter.com/3oJ1NlfhIK

— Nacho (@NachoHusky) August 25, 2018

pic.twitter.com/8N5zlCjOu5

— Nacho (@NachoHusky) August 25, 2018

After a day of searching, my Fursuit is still MISSING. I appreciate any continued effort in looking out for it in thrift stores (N. California) and online.

Though I have to say this is pretty devastating.

— Animosulo (@Animosulo) August 25, 2018

I wish I had more pictures, these are the best I have for full body shots. pic.twitter.com/glW63nqws9

— Tav (@Tav_Fox) August 28, 2018

UPDATE: Here’s a gallery of close ups of the stolen truck, and security vids of at least 3 perpetrators. The getaway truck is a dark blue pickup with black canopy saying “Automotive transport services, 510-433-3179”

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

The re-discovery of Jim Henson’s masterpiece film continues with Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Artist Tribute, new from Boom! Studios. “Return to the world of The Dark Crystal and see the vivid locations, life-like creatures, and beloved heroes as realized by a collection of uniquely original artistic voices in celebration of one of Jim Henson’s most enduring creations. The Dark Crystal Artist Tribute features illustrations from artist luminaries and newcomers alike, including Jae Lee, David Petersen, Mark Buckingham, Cory Godbey, Jeff Stokely, Benjamin Dewey, Sana Takeda, and the film’s original concept artist, Brian Froud.” It’s available now in hardcover.

image c. 2018 Boom! Studios

Our web developer bird and his dubious hyena friend join us for a packed episode.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• There are five cons going on this weekend
• New York Post photos of Eurofurence
• MFF Dealers Den Policy Raises Concerns
• MCFC announces new hotel
• New furry con announced in Tulsa Oklahoma: TTF
• Kerfluffle venue company tweets about the event
• SonicFox takes DragonBall FighterZ victory at EVO
• Russian anthro fox commercial
• Slavic anthro fox commercial
• Furry.today videos
• TANGLEWOOD on Steam
• Notice about KoFi Terms
• NPR story about seating posture suggests pretending you have a tail
  • Related Tweet 1
  • Related Tweet 2
• The Tiny Fox Making A Bold Comeback
• Rett and Link’s EarBiscuits mentions HCFC fursuit walk
  • Related Tweet

News:

• Man Falls into Cartoon Hole
• Florida candidate says alien abduction doesn’t define her
• Florida Woman Fleeing Police Gets Corralled By Cows
• Hungry Thief Wanted After Nearly $100,000 Worth Of Ramen Noodles Stolen
• Egyptian zoo ‘paints donkey’ to look like zebra
• Police: Naked Man Arrested At Planet Fitness Said He Thought It Was A ‘Judgment Free Zone’
• Burglar wakes up couple to ask to use their Wi-Fi network

Emails:

• Fisk MacTaggert – stuck chasing my tail so fast I’ve gone plaid.
• Blu The Husky – Questions for the show!

FC-304 Ramen Hood - Our web developer bird and his dubious hyena friend join us for a packed episode.

Our web developer bird and his dubious hyena friend join us for a packed episode.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• There are five cons going on this weekend
• New York Post photos of Eurofurence
• MFF Dealers Den Policy Raises Concerns
• MCFC announces new hotel
• New furry con announced in Tulsa Oklahoma: TTF
• Kerfluffle venue company tweets about the event
• SonicFox takes DragonBall FighterZ victory at EVO
• Russian anthro fox commercial
• Slavic anthro fox commercial
• Furry.today videos
• TANGLEWOOD on Steam
• Notice about KoFi Terms
• NPR story about seating posture suggests pretending you have a tail
  • Related Tweet 1
  • Related Tweet 2
• The Tiny Fox Making A Bold Comeback
• Rett and Link’s EarBiscuits mentions HCFC fursuit walk
  • Related Tweet

News:

• Man Falls into Cartoon Hole
• Florida candidate says alien abduction doesn’t define her
• Florida Woman Fleeing Police Gets Corralled By Cows
• Hungry Thief Wanted After Nearly $100,000 Worth Of Ramen Noodles Stolen
• Egyptian zoo ‘paints donkey’ to look like zebra
• Police: Naked Man Arrested At Planet Fitness Said He Thought It Was A ‘Judgment Free Zone’
• Burglar wakes up couple to ask to use their Wi-Fi network

Emails:

• Fisk MacTaggert – stuck chasing my tail so fast I’ve gone plaid.
• Blu The Husky – Questions for the show!

[Live] Ramen Hood

It's #FursuitFriday and we have here a trio of connected music video's by Cheetah Spots. New fursuit! https://youtu.be/e8ubNoIDljs https://youtu.be/5Q1kXHjfSMo
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Join the cast tonight for more news and (hopefully) intense discussion Episode 41 - Giving up the shark

Another night, another group of the cast to talk about things that happened Episode 40 - Sharky shark shark