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Having returned from a little mini-vacation we are back with more news of Furry Stuff coming up. Here’s one from this summer we missed: Ohio Is For Sale, a black & white comic by Jon Allen. “Three cartoon animals live in a house together in the American Midwest. They get a job, get sick, and throw a party. Their lives are lit by street lamps and the flickering TV set. They do incredibly stupid things with hilarious and disastrous results. It’s about friendship, booze, and the slow collapse of western civilization. And they’re so cute!” After Jon self-published several issues of Ohio, now Alternative Comics is offering his first compilation in trade paperback. Visit his web site to catch up with the latest, too.

image c. 2016 Alternative Comics

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new fireside chat w/ some of our long time Superpatrons! We will be doing a stream once a month now since we reached the Patreon goal. You can see the video of the cast here: https://youtu.be/sd9KvDSC1So Also, you can still support us on Patreon with awesome new rewards here! https://www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow ep 144 - Fireside Chat! - new fireside chat w/ some of our long time Superp…

Savrin is alive, Shiva cooked us dinner, and Fuzz is decidedly not helpful. It's a fresh episode of Knotcast delivered right to your ears this week from Shiva's patio. Savrin has tales of convention and new PC, Shiva talks Furry Fiesta stuff, and Fuzz talks about Alamo Comic Con and his road trip with his sister. Then the emails happen! Want to help support the show? We have a patreon! www.patreon.com/knotcast Episode 331 - Dangit Fuzz

What does Papabear recommend as a first job? And what was your first job out of high school?

Failaria (age 18)

* * *

Hi, Failaria,

Hmm, interesting question. My first job was actually while I was still in high school. I worked at a burger joint called Boomer's Burgers in Tecumseh, Michigan, and then I worked as a cashier at Meijer's. While in college, I had the good fortune of having a father who could pay for my college while I lived at home, so I didn't really work much. My first job after college was as a factory worker in Ohio at a plastic extrusions company for the auto industry, and then I got my first "real" job as an assistant book editor in Detroit (annual salary $13,500--yikes--but that was back in 1988).

What would I recommend for a first job? The ideal situation would be that you already know what you wish to pursue as a career, and then take an entry-level position or an internship at a related job. If you don't know what career you want but have some special interests, see if you can do something you will enjoy doing. For example, perhaps you like dogs: you could become a self-employed dog walker or dog sitter. If you like kids, you can try babysitting. If you like being outdoors, try gardening or maybe being a lifeguard. Endless possibilities. If that is not something that works for you, the next thing I would say is try to find work with a small, family-operated company rather than a large, heartless, soulless corporation. I would much rather work for a Mom & Pop gift store or ice cream shoppe, for example, than as a fry cook at McDonald's or pizza delivery guy at Papa John's. It's much nicer to work at a place where you know, trust, even like your boss(es). Even if you don't particularly like the job itself, a pleasant work atmosphere goes a long way to making for a happy job experience. The best way to find jobs like this is to talk to friends and family and ask them if anyone they know is hiring.

First jobs are a great way to learn the ropes of a wage-earner. Learning to save money, pay taxes, and the joys of having FICA yank dollars out of your paltry bi-weekly check. More important is that these early jobs help you to learn how to work with other people and to explore what tasks you are good at and which ones you stink at. Always keep a lookout for an occupation you believe you will really enjoy, because if you find a job you enjoy you will never have to work a day in your life. Lucky are those who look forward to their daily jobs.

Good Luck!
Papbear
​

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

The Art of Trolls, by Jerry Schmitz. Foreword by Anna Kendrick.
Petaluma, CA, Cameron + Company, October 2016, hardcover $45.00 (160 pages).

Trolls is a 92-minute 3D computer-animated musical comedy fantasy feature film from DreamWorks Animation, released on November 4th, 2016. The Art of Trolls is a coffee-table, full-color art book describing that film, and its making, in detail. Jerry Schmitz, the book’s author, is a Hollywood PR, marketing, brand management, and awards consultant veteran who has written several other The Art of animation books before. The foreword is by Anna Kendrick, the voice actress of Princess Poppy, one of the film’s two stars.

From a furry viewpoint, Trolls and this book are dubious subjects. No anthropomorphic animals appear in either. Yet the trolls aren’t human, either. If you consider humans to be a species of animals, then trolls qualify as anthros. Anyway, here it is. You decide if it is of interest to you.

The Art of Trolls is a de luxe art book about the film and its making, with detailed visual samples and background information. For those interested in the film, this book is worth getting for the names of all the characters alone. The rejected preliminary designs of the main characters will be fascinating, also.

The popular troll dolls as a merchandising phenomenon were created by Danish woodcutter and fisherman Thomas Dam in 1959, when he could not afford to buy a Christmas gift for his young daughter Lila. She showed the wooden dolls to her friends in Gjøl, Denmark; they all wanted troll dolls; Dam realized their potential; and he and his family created the Dam Things company to mass-produce them in plastic. Troll dolls became one of the biggest toy fads in the U.S. from 1963 to 1965, and have never stopped selling well. DreamWorks Animation licensed the rights to feature them in a movie in 2013. Here it is.

From DreamWorks’ standpoint, the lack of a Trolls backstory allowed its creative team free rein to create their own story. Trolls co-director Mike Mitchell, who had previously worked on DreamWorks’ Shrek Forever After, was already familiar with the Scandinavian legends of trolls, including how they had become gentled over the centuries from fearsome monsters to children’s friendly sprites. He built the film around the latter.

Trolls features two main characters; Poppy of Troll Village, and Branch, the village’s pessimist. The trolls have escaped from Bergentown, where they were a culinary delight, twenty years ago, and have lived happily in their own hidden village ever since under popular King Peppy. His hyperenthusiastic teen daughter, Princess Poppy, does all that she can to keep all the trolls constantly joyous. Only Branch, the village’s pessimist, worries about the giant Bergens finding them. When Chef, the Bergentown king’s cook, does and captures Poppy’s friends, she and Branch are thrown together into an odd-couple rescue mission. What they find in Bergentown, described in this book, leads to the expected happy ending but not the one that the audience was anticipating.

The Art of Trolls is full of the detailed profiles of both the trolls and the Bergens. Poppy. Branch. Biggie and Mr. Dinkles. DJ Suki. Satin and Chenille who are joined by their hair. Guy Diamond, who is nude but it’s okay because he’s flocked. And others. The Bergens (who hark back to the legends of trolls as flesh-eating monsters) include Chef, King Gristle, Jr., the scullerymaid Bridget, and others – all with snaggly fangs.

Production Designer Kendal Cronkhite-Shaindlin made the trolls and their village all bright and multicolored, with lots of primary colors. The Bergens and Bergentown featured a dark palette. The Bergens were a visual challenge. The trolls were based upon the toyline, so their models were clear. The Bergens were all original. They had to look completely different, but not too different. They had to look ugly, but sort-of cute at the same time. The Art of Trolls shows how Cronkhite-Shaindlin and her design team, led by Art Director/Character Designer Timothy Lamb, achieved this.

Most of the DreamWorks’ design team grew up in the 1970s. While the trolls had a fairytale village, the designers had fun packing Bergentown with ‘70s imagery. The architecture and interior design of King Gristle Jr.’s castle was based on overlush Hollywood kitsch, while the Bergens wear ‘70s-style bell-bottom trousers.

As usual with these coffee-table animation art books, all of the artwork is identified: Philippe Brochu, Avner Geller, Tim Heitz, Sayuki Sasaki Hemann, Kirsten Hensen Kawamura, Craig Kellman, Timothy Lamb, Carlos Felipe León, Mike Mitchell, Sebastien Piquet, Simon Rodgers, Ritchie Saciliac, Philip Vose, Priscilla Wong, and others.

In addition to the design sketches and finished character art, there are storyboards, lighting studies, modeling, rigging, and more. The Art of Trolls is a visual companion to the movie that may not show any anthro animals, but will reward any furry fan.

Based on the popular Trolls dolls created by Thomas Dam, Trolls is a 3D computer-animated musical comedy from DreamWorks Animation directed by Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After)

Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) is a relentlessly upbeat, if slightly naïve, Troll who inherits her crown on the very day her people face the first challenge that can’t be solved with a song or a hug. Accompanied by Branch (Justin Timberlake), she ventures “far beyond the only world they have ever known” in a quest that tests their strength and reveals their true colors.

Full of playful designs created in the optimistic and fun-loving spirit of the Trolls, The Art of Trolls showcases hundreds of pieces of concept and production art to illustrate how DreamWorks’s team of talented artists created an enchanting reinterpretation of the Trolls phenomenon that has gripped collectors and popular culture for decades.

–Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon

With all the endless chatter about what a “furry year at the movies” we’re having in 2016, we’ve somewhat been missing the opportunity to talk about furry-friendly films coming up next year. Now here’s one we just learned about: It’s called Animal Crackers, and no, it does not have anything to do with the Marx Brothers. It’s a new CGI animated film being produced by Blue Dream Studios (whom we have not heard of before, we admit). According to the Wikipedia article, “Animal Crackers follows the Huntington family whose life is turned upside down when they inherit a rundown circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers, which magically change the person who eats them into the animal they have eaten — including monkeys, giraffes, lions, elephants, tigers, rhinos and bears. They must save the circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington (Sir Ian McKellen).” Other notable voices include John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone, Wallace Shawn, Raven-Symoné, Patrick Warburton, Gilbert Gottfried, Harvey Fierstein, and Tara Strong. The film is being directed by Tony Bancroft (The Lion King, Mulan), Scott Christian Sava (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers), and Jaime Maestro. Interestingly, some other well-known names on the production team include Will Finn (famous Disney animator) and Mike Kunkel (creator of Herobear and the Kid). It’s coming to theaters next April.

image c. 2016 Blue Dream Studios

 

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Hello, Papa Bear!
 
I'm in my late twenties, and only started going to furry events earlier this year. Before I started hanging out with furs, my peer group was with nerdy gaming folk, and we mostly hung out to play pen and paper games and stuff like that. Lots of rules to follow and number crunching and stuff. And I always needed my wits about me, so "substances" were never even a consideration.

But now that I've been spending time around furs, I've learned to like liquor in the past few months. I've learned to like it a lot. I drink solely to get intoxicated, and once I hit that sweet spot, the feeling is almost transformative. I'm far less self-conscious, any social anxiety I have melts away, and I always seem to know what to say. I don't second guess myself, or hesitate when talking about touchy subjects, or overanalyze things. When I've got a good buzz going, and I'm in a social situation, the right words just flow out of me effortlessly. I've forged friendships and made connections that I can't imagine would have happened had I not been drinking. And with multiple (!) furry-friendly bar meetups in the area, it's easy to put myself in a situation where drinking is very much acceptable.

According to other furs, I've never been "drunk." Never slurred, never staggered, never had issues with my coordination. I respect the BAC chart, and I set timers for how long I need to wait before I can drive safely. I try to be as responsible as possible. And I've been told by furs that I should only experiment with my limits at home, in a safe setting, which sounds reasonable enough to me. If I make myself sick, I can just sleep it off—and make a note of it in my drinking journal, which is (believe it not) a thing I actually keep.

But where my responsibility falters is where drinking at home is concerned. When I've got an evening with nothing planned, I love to knock back a couple drinks, and keep feeding that buzz with more liquor when I feel the effects waver. I'm able to hop in chats with other furs, either local or global, and talk about naughty stuff that would normally make me uncomfortable. And once I start drinking, I don't stop until it's time for me to get some sleep. Even though it's what I'd consider light drinking (usually within the legal limits for driving, actually—I’m a lightweight, and my alcohol tolerance is exceptionally low,) I end up consuming a lot of alcohol over many hours in an evening. And when I empty a 1.75 liter bottle of vodka in less than a week, I'm inclined to believe there's a problem.

So, where do I go from here? I feel like I'm on the road to a substance abuse problem. I've tried cutting myself off the liquor temporarily, and though I've been successful in meeting the sobriety goals I occasionally set for myself, it doesn't stop me from getting cravings. I've got this real dangerous complex where I like myself more when I've got booze in me. But I also don't feel like I'm a heavy enough drinker where I should be looking into something so extreme as rehab, especially since I just "discovered" alcohol about 3 months ago. It feels like one of those things that most people figure out for themselves in their teens ... but because I totally missed out on that experience, I'm just now working things out, and the adult in me has a lot of concerns.

Thanks, Papa Bear. It feels weird having all these questions and concerns so late in my life, but maybe you can shed some light.

Anonymous (Riverside County, CA)

​* * *
 
Dear Furiend,
 
The easiest way to figure out whether or not you have a problem with an addiction (any kind of addiction) is to answer the following honestly:

1. Is this interfering with my work?
2. Is this interfering with my relationships at home and/or with friends?
3. Am I losing sleep?
4. Is my weight going up or down dramatically?
5. Is my mood changing (more sad, more angry, more reckless than usual)?
6. Am I trying to hide my behavior in any way? Acting secretive?
7. Do I binge?
8. Do I wonder whether or not I have a problem?
9. Do any of my close family members have addiction problems (addictive behavior has been shown to have some genetic components)?
10. Do I maintain a stash (hoarding behavior)?
11. Is this costing me a lot of money, possibly even affecting my ability to pay expenses?
12. Do I get nervous or anxious when I stop this behavior, even temporarily (withdrawal symptoms)?
13. Do you do this to try to “escape your problems”?

 
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then that is a sign you have a problem, indeed. Based on what you have written, I think you probably have said yes to a couple of these, at least. And you clearly sense you might have a problem. It doesn’t matter if it has only been a few months since you started drinking heavily. Addiction can arise very quickly.
 
The effects you’ve been feeling once you get that buzz going (less self-conscious, more confidence) is the result of one of alcohol’s known effects: lowering of inhibitions. This might feel really great, but it can also be dangerous and lead to poor judgment as a result of being more inclined to take risks. The “friendships” you are making with other drinkers probably aren’t the real friendships you need. It makes this bear rather sad that hanging out with furries has influenced you in this way.
 
Then there is the sitting at home and drinking heavily by yourself: also a very strong sign of addiction.
 
Furiend, you have a problem. Non-alcoholics do not exhibit the behaviors you have described to me. I’m glad that you have written to me. The first step is to recognize you have a problem. You do. Do you acknowledge that? It sounds like you do.
 
Next step is to stop drinking booze. Combine that with getting some support. I recommend you contact this site: http://www.addicted.org/riverside-addiction-treatment-services.html to get some phone support and to get your questions answered.
 
Please take care, and please contact the link above.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

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

Conventional Wisdom, by Arthur Drooker. Foreword by James Wollcott.
NYC, Glitterati Inc., August 2016, hardcover $50.00 (191 [+ 1] pages).

This is a de luxe coffee-table art book of photographs by Arthur Drooker, an award-winning documentary and fine-art photographer/author whose work has been exhibited since 1980, and whose studies have been called “visual poetry”. For ConventionalWisdom, Drooker spent three years up to 2015 visiting “quirky” conventions throughout the U.S. “held by some unusual interest groups”. Each convention has about twenty pages devoted to it.

Drooker claims in his Introduction that a Convention Industry Council study shows that there are 1.8 million conventions, conferences, meetings, and trade shows in the U.S. every year. This book presents some of the most photographically exotic of these. As you have doubtlessly guessed, furry fandom is one of these unusual interest groups. So are the Bronies. Each is covered by Drooker; Anthrocon at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, and Bronycon at the Baltimore Convention Center. Each convention has an introduction of about four pages by Drooker.

His description of Anthrocon and of furry fandom is sympathetic and accurate. He calls Anthrocon possibly the highlight of his year for its exuberance and “international spirit of being friends, like a big family.” (p. 152) He also calls his posed two-page spread photograph of Thumpie Bunny Eve lounging atop a grand piano (pgs. 162-163) “one of the best in Conventional Wisdom.”

From Conventional Wisdom by Arthur Drooker copyright © 2016, published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com”.

The book’s cover shows the Association of Lincoln Presenters, which meets at the Airport Ramada Inn in Columbus, Ohio. Other special-interest conventions are Vent Haven, for ventriloquists with large dummies (like Edgar Bergen’s Charlie McCarthy), Santa Celebration for Santa Claus suit wearers, Fetishcon for people who cater to weird tastes (one model who specializes in bringing clients’ fetishes to life “has covered her head in cake frosting, sloshed around in a kiddy pool filled with oatmeal, and maybe strangest of all, stomped on a village made of Play-Doh á la Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.” (p. 83), Military History Fest for warfare re-enactors, World Clown Association, World Taxidermy Championships, and Merfest, for swimmers in mermaid and mermen fishtails.

At least some of these conventions seem semi-professional. Others like Anthrocon and Bronycon are entirely for the fans of their interest group. Anthrocon may be the largest, as is shown in a double-page photo of over a thousand fursuiters with Drooker’s text claiming over 6,000 attendees. These are not professional mascots whose suit expenses may have been paid by an organization. These are individual fursuits that may have cost their furry fans over a thousand dollars each.

From Conventional Wisdom by Arthur Drooker copyright © 2016, published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com”.

In any case, these are all gorgeous fine-art photographs. Come for the furries and the Bronies, and maybe the merfolk, and stay to enjoy the rest.

–Fred Patten

• Buy on Glitterati Incorporated

If politicians were animals, what would they be? In this special episode, we discuss the voting habits of anthropomorphic animals and the furry fandom, and most of us manage not to endorse anyone.

Metadata and Credits WagzTail Votes

Runtime: 38:58m

Cast: Fruitkitty, Levi, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 196kbps AAC Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0.

WagzTail Votes - If politicians were animals, what would they be? In this special episode, we discuss the voting habits of anthropomorphic animals and the furry fandom, and most of us manage not to endorse anyone.

If politicians were animals, what would they be? In this special episode, we discuss the voting habits of anthropomorphic animals and the furry fandom, and most of us manage not to endorse anyone.

Metadata and Credits WagzTail Votes

Runtime: 38:58m

Cast: Fruitkitty, Levi, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 196kbps AAC Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0.

WagzTail Votes - If politicians were animals, what would they be? In this special episode, we discuss the voting habits of anthropomorphic animals and the furry fandom, and most of us manage not to endorse anyone.

Mysterious Melody, or How Mickey Met Minnie is a brand new take on the world’s most famous mouse, once again brought to us by IDW. “What was life like for Mickey before 1928… before Hollywood stardom struck? In this riveting, phantasmagorical ‘what-if” tale, we follow the Mouse from his humble origins – as Oswald Rabbit’s screenwriter! – through a tangled web of trains, rocket ships, and stolen Shakespeare scripts! Will a haunting tune bring Mickey and Minnie together for the first time? Will Goofy find success as a… ferryboat driver? Or will big boss Mr. Casey and relentless Peg-leg Pete strike again? Award-winning Swiss cartoonist Bernard Cosey (Lost in the Alps) brings us an amazing Mouse adventure with a thoughtful, emotive twist.” According to Previews, it’s coming our way in full color and hardcover this December. Gosh!

 

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

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Hello Everyone!

We open this week's show with a discussion on how small lies can set the stage for major betrayals. It becomes easier with each lie to make an even bigger lie-- we look at some research behind this, what it means for you, and what it could mean for people within the LGBTQ+ community who lie as part of remaining in the closet.

Our main topic is on Motivation versus Discipline. Many people within the fandom struggle with motivation issues, whether they are artists, authors, or even hosts of a podcast. We discuss why motivation is not what you should be working towards and how to develop self-discipline, which will allow for you to be happy to work, not work to be happy. This is part one of a two part episode, concluding next week with our discussion on what Success is.

We close out this week's show with questions on how to find a pack of your own, and fuckbuddy struggles.

For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 043 Motivation vs Discipline - Do small lies make large lies easier? Is motivation more important than success? How can you find a pack of your own? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction

Happy yerfday, RandomWolf.

RandomWolf enjoys some cake and pie(charts). Art by the fantastic Shannon Fowler.

Reminder: We're on Patreon! If you could kick us a buck or two, we'd greatly appreciate it. www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow ALSO, we're not just on SoundCloud, you can also subscribe to this on most podcast services like iTunes! Don't forget to hang out in our telegram chat, now w/ over 100 members!telegram.me/draggetshow ep 143 - Liposuction Timmy Horton - Reminder: We're on Patreon! If you could kick us …

The first time the Caped Crusader and the Heroes in a Half Shell joined forces to save both New York and Gotham City, it was epic. That time, the story was based on the characters’ respective comic books. Now, IDW and DC Comics have hooked up once again to bring us the new Batman/TMNT Adventures 6-issue miniseries — this time, based on the current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles CGI TV series and the famous (and influential) Batman: The Animated Series. Written by Matthew K. Manning and illustrated by Jon Sommariva, the first full-color issue hits the stands later this month. Oh, and check out Comics Alliance: They have an extensive write-up on it too.

 

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

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Animalympics jump-starts the Furry Fandom, a Los Angeles science fiction convention moves to Orange County, and Mark and Rodney… meet.

Download file | Size: 110M

TOFF Episode 4

Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? They come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join, and how you can use it to get in touch with your inner author/editor/whatever.

Send us your feedback, questions, concerns, complaints:

@FangsAndFonts

Facebook.com/FangsAndFonts

Fangs and Fonts

Click below to Listen http://www.fangsandfonts.com/FnF/Episodes/Ep71-Furry_Writers_Guild.mp3

Download here | Open Player in New Window

Ep 71 – Furry Writer’s Guild - Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? They come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join, and how you can use it [...]

The most original creations of furry fandom.

Here’s a fun feature about the future.  But first, let me make a bold claim about fursuiting.

Mascots and costuming have been around forever. But furries are doing something new. They don’t just play with generic icons from myths and media. They add original fursonas and custom craft for everyone. It makes a subculture with personal expression beyond anything else.

Of course, many furs don’t have (or want) fursuits.  But the ones who do make a photogenic face of fandom. Other groups do art and writing like this one, but I don’t think anyone else does costuming in such a specialized and devoted way.  So there’s nothing wrong with the way the fursuiters stand out.  Everything else is imagination – they bring it to life and help to define the tactile name of “furry”.  And the quality is developing beyond anything you can buy commercially.  Some dedicated makers now have careers by fans, for fans, leading a Furry Economy with an exciting future.  Look forward to amazing things.

Pic: CanineHybrid

Looking back at the roots: the first iconic fursuits.

Further Confusion 2015 had a panel about “25 years of furry con history”. The hosts were Furry Founding Fathers, Mark Merlino and Rod O’Riley. They co-directed the first con (ConFurence 0 in 1989.)  It had two fursuiters – an unnamed bobcat, and Hilda the Bambioid (Robert Hill).  The “first iconic furry costumes” are mentioned at 47:00 in the video.

The oldest fursuit still active could be Walden, by Yippee, who says: “Walden was built before the term “fursuit” even existed!”

@DogpatchPress Walden made a surprise cameo at 25 yrs of furry cons. He's like 23 himself. http://t.co/oVKSQiZK12 pic.twitter.com/95y9IFpGWL

— ☾ Yippee Coyote ☽ (@YipCoyote) February 5, 2015

The most expensive fursuits.

$2,000 is a general going price for a full suit. Special features like electronics can raise costs to five figures. Then there’s hard-to-define personal value, like with any professional art. A patron might want to pay a lot to support the artist. High prices can show positive development of a specialized craft. Here’s a report about a $17,500 suit (keep in mind that Hollywood FX suits can add another zero.) It’s an investment not everyone can make – but we can all appreciate the results, and the door is open for anyone to build their own.

$17,500 Primal Visions Cheetah owned by Spottacus.

The furry dance movement and street fursuiting.

With growing demand and developing craft, live performance is where the rubber meets the road.  I like to call fursuiting “the theatrical soul of furry,” so I’m into new movements for it.  They could be the bleeding edges for experimental projects.

With the explosion of interest in cons, there comes subcultural mutations like independent dance parties.  It crosses with other scenes like dance crews.  And my favorite thing is street fursuiting.  It kicks down the doors to bring trippy, spontaneous fun to public places like street fairs. Think of their show value – how often do you see that much spectacle just walking around?

Look at this fabulous fever dream:

I’ve heard complaining that fursuit hobbies overshadow others and make art and writing just a sub-section of cosplay, or even fears of queer roots being erased through mainstreaming.  I can’t listen to that. Go to a con and look around at how socially-gluing, self-defining, and fabulously expressive the suiting is.  I think there’s never been so much furry creativity blasting off to its own space, with more artists and writers than ever along for the ride.

World’s biggest furry joke at Sydney’s LGBT Mardi Gras. Anthrocon is taking it to the streets, but their parade has no floats. Upstaged by the Ozfurs, no fucks given!

Tech features and Smart Suiting.

There’s a science fiction future for wearable tech.  If you like reading or writing about it, here it is in the fur. Think of tiny wearable computers and novel fabric embedded with electronics.  Imagine it programmed to interact with users, respond on the fly or adjust to the environment.  Furries can be a branch for this (or even a root.)  They’re super “suited” for immersive full-body tactile role-play, sci-fi/fantasy based design, and original/custom characters that are fully inhuman.

You won’t go some place to see them… they’ll be among us.  An anthro dog’s hackles rise when a cat comes near.  A sound enhanced cat purrs when you scritch her belly. A chameleon’s skin blends into the background. Everyone has animated eyes and expressions. Could real hybrids sneak in undercover?

It’s becoming possible with servo motors used in animatronics, and tiny sound and light devices. There’s 3D printing, programmable controllers like Arduino and Rasberry Pi, and developments for mobile applications and the “internet of things”. There’s biofeedback sensors beyond anything you’ve seen yet, envisioned by the Biohacking and Neurohacking movements.

Arduino kit

What could you do with this? “OpenBCI is an open source brain-computer interface platform… OpenBCI boards can be used to measure and record electrical activity produced by the brain (EEG), muscles (EMG), and heart (EKG)”…

Read more about the Ultracortex (“an adjustable, 3D-printable EEG wearable frame” headset for boards that give users access to brainwave data.) A furry pictured on this page has started many companies for biofeedback devices, and puts them to use for experimental fursuits.

Custom-fit #EEG headset design!
Introducing @Ultracortex #X1 (by @ThreeForm & @OpenBCI)
w/ @3dsystemscorp scans pic.twitter.com/JRDhDiyRBE

— ultracortex (@ultracortex) October 22, 2015

Anthropomorphic Prosthetics.

Necomimi robotic ears and tails are well known for fun. Then there’s more exotic experiments like alternative limbs (covered here in 2013, and a 2016 update.) Traditionally, losing a limb has meant losing a part of your identity, covering up and blending in. But what if you can be more than before?

Light and sound effects.

See the amazing LED-enabled suit at 1:00 in the below video from Burning Man.

Sounds were previously covered here: Enough squeaker abuse- let’s upgrade fursuit sound effects!

Scale enhancement by immersive illusion.

A blinking, sound-enhanced, life-sized dinosaur invades a mall. Think of adding more loud stomping effects… and even programming them to scale up in pitch and volume as he approaches a target!

Animatronic body parts and expressions.

Blue Mountainfox Joe has made a lot of suits with animated expressions.

See some amazing high-end TV animatronic acting from one hot fox (and here’s a little bit of behind-the-scenes detail.)

Electronic animated eyes.

From a german maker, this fursuit head has animated eyes.  (It’s a fixed loop not controlled by the user). It uses small OLED screens and a microcontroller from Adafruit, which CAN be programmed for manual control.

Adafruit visits Further Confusion in San Jose, CA.

Phil B writes about speaking to furries on the company blog (PDF’s of his panel notes are included:)

“I had the outstanding opportunity to talk about electronics in costuming… I gave two 90-minute talks, one on introductory first-time electronics for costume-makers, and a second focusing specifically on lighting effects.

What really sets this group apart is the emphasis on world-building and personal characters. Also, there’s more costume electronics…and more Adafruit electronics especially…at this one convention than I’ve seen in an entire year’s worth of anime, comics and steampunk events. From custom fursuit-sized jumbo NeoPixel goggles to dragons with animated OLED eyes, these are power-users of cosplay technology!”

Personal climate control – Cooling system solutions.

Wristify is a prototype thermoelectric bracelet to control body temperature.  It was developed by four MIT students at EMBR labs.

EZwolf (builder of animatronic wolf head above) is a major fandom entrepeneur. Aside from his well-known videography, he’s creator of EZ Cooldown vests, which sell to the general public for many practical uses besides costumes.

Is your dog as cool as this dog? Have a look at our Dry Cooling Vest for Dogs and beat the heat! #dogsoftwitter https://t.co/KK39ktaAFi pic.twitter.com/is4D6wsiT1

— EZcooldown (@EZcooldown) September 22, 2016

Now build electronics into these dog vests so you can remote-control call them.  Combine the cooling vest with the LED-animated “Disco Dog” vest. (There’s LED collars like this too.)  Then make them fursuit-sized!

Big spectacle with theatrical tech experiments.

These aren’t suits, but there are rideable robotic animals that can take over the street. Here’s a robotic giraffe built by a furry who was invited to the White House Maker Faire and met President Obama (previously covered here.)

Check out this gigantic dragon by theatrical artists La Machine, who comes to life on an epic scale while spitting steam at watchers.

These are a sample of tech that could make great fursuits of the future. (Sorry to skunks for leaving out scent innovations.) What else do you know?

We knew Disney and Marvel were drawing closer together but… this? Wow! Following in the scaly footsteps of Figment, now Marvel brings us The Enchanted Tiki Room 5-issue comic book miniseries. “Welcome to the Enchanted Tiki Room, a place of legend…of fantasy…and mystery! Here, on an isolated and mysterious island, almost anything can happen. And often does! Inside the island’s Enchanted Tiki Room – an astonishing cast of birds, plants and ancient Tiki gods spring to life. As the next boat arrives carrying new visitors, what stories will unfold, what mysteries will be revealed and how are they all connected?” Written by Jon Adams and illustrated by Horacio Domingues, issue #1 is out now. Comics Beat has more. Ole’!

image c. 2016 Marvel Comics