What are "fursuits" you ask? Fursuits are animal costumes made from various materials. They range from simple tails and ears to full costumes cooled by battery-powered fans. Fursuits can be worn for personal enjoyment, conventions, work or charity.

The standard fursuit is a full body costume that consists of a head, forepaws (hands), hindpaws (feet) and a body with an attached tail. In some cases, the tail is connected via a belt to the wearer and hangs out through a hole in the back of the body. Many suits include special padding or undersuits to give the character its desired shape (this is especially present in larger characters or those of a particular gender). Owners can spend less than one-hundred to many thousands of dollars on one fursuit, depending on complexity and materials used. More advanced fursuit features include jaws which move when the user speaks, and moving tails. Furry fans make their own using online tutorials or advice from newsgroups; the suits can also be purchased online or at conventions.

A partial suit or half-suit has all of the parts of the standard suit, with exception to the body. This allows the wearer to have different clothes over the paws, head and tail, such as another costume or street clothes. In partial suits, the tail is usually attached to a belt, and the arms and legs have sleeves that can go up as far as the shoulders and pelvis, respectively.

Most recently, a third type known as the three-quarter suit has been developed, which consists of a head, arms and pants made to look like the legs, tail and feet of a specific animal, or a torso in place of 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.

Why wear a Fursuit?

People who wear fursuits are sometimes referred to as "Furries", however, you do not have to wear a fursuit to be considered a "furry". People who own fursuits enjoy wearing them for parades, exhibitions, conventions and informal meetings or just for fun! They can be from the very basic tail and ears to the very complex costumes! Regardless, there really are some amazing works of art out there and some beautiful, intricate costumes. A form of art all together and one that I hope you find and appreciate!

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