FA+
Shop
C'mere, lion!!!!!!!!! Tensik's Day Out
18 years ago
Tonight was tensik's debut! I wore him to Zoo Boo at the Bramble Park Zoo, and he was a HUUUUUGEE hit.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1523.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1526.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1514.jpg
Unfortunately the hubby didn't get pictures Tensik playing with childred and interacting. :( But kids warmed up to him very quickly, and a lot of parents asked me to pose for them.
I suited for years at a horror theme park (the original incarnation of Spooky World when it was at the farm in Berlin) and while I am used to the "surprise interactions" - aka getting jumped, your tail pulled, and the like - this was the first time I suited as anything CUTE. It had its plusses for sure, but I was taken completely by surprise for some of it. For example, I sat down on a bench for a few minutes at one point and was waving to people who walked by. All of the sudden I felt a weight in my lap, about 12 pounds or so. Someone had put their BABY in my lap and didn't even let me know they were going to do it. I couldn't even see the kid so I just had to freeze and let them do whatever they were going to do because I couldn't make heads from tails of it. Literally. I think they dressed it like a giraffe.
But I stayed there for two and a half hours, walking around playing with kids, and having a blast, before it was too dark for me to continue safely. The great news is that the suit held up perfectly, even the modifications I made to it, like redoing the mane and the lower legs and the massive fix job I had to do on the feet. There are some downsides, but this is why I took him out well before Midwest, so I could check for other needed changes and see how my own work.
One thing I don't like is how I have to wear his shirt. Tensik is NOT a partial which means I have to go oversized or the suit bunches under his clothes. As such he looks like he's swimming in his top, and I can't tuck it in because of the way I had to do his shorts. What I wouldn't do for a sewing machine so I could do the tail opening right. I had to do the old fashioned cut down the back and velcro over the top, hiding the velcro under a belt. Tens' tail is very wide at the base but even so if I tucked in the shirt it would be very visible through the hole and look pretty stupid. So even though I am not the skinniest person on the face of the earth, he looks a lot wider than he actually is.
I also need to figure out a better way to close up the top of the feet. I LOVE the footpaw construction, but were it me I would have done a larger flap over the top of the foot to hide the opening. I can't just "add" to it because this is a old suit and a bit faded, so there's no matching the cloth.
And lastly I need to shorten the arms. The legs are PERFECT without bunching now (amazing what anklestraps will do for fit; thank you 1986!) but the arms look really crumpled no matter what. The handpaws are too big for my tiny hands but I'm not going to complain about those at all as they can't really be fixed, just replaced, and I won't be wearing him enough to justify the expense.
The last one I can't really do anything about . . . there's no circulation in the head at all, and especially with the clothes he is by far the hottest suit I have ever worn. Zoo Boo takes place outside, and tonight it was at the freezing mark, and I could still take half an hour max of walking around without having to stop for a massive drink of water and some cold air and I was sweating like crazy. With his mane as it is and the way the head is built I still think I may be able to wear a cold pack around my neck to help out a lot, but I think in an indoor environment I'm never going to be able to get too far from the Headless Lounge so I can hydrate, literally like every 10 minutes.
But I know a lot of people were waiting to hear how he worked out. Very well, thanks! :D
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1523.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1526.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g.....k/100_1514.jpg
Unfortunately the hubby didn't get pictures Tensik playing with childred and interacting. :( But kids warmed up to him very quickly, and a lot of parents asked me to pose for them.
I suited for years at a horror theme park (the original incarnation of Spooky World when it was at the farm in Berlin) and while I am used to the "surprise interactions" - aka getting jumped, your tail pulled, and the like - this was the first time I suited as anything CUTE. It had its plusses for sure, but I was taken completely by surprise for some of it. For example, I sat down on a bench for a few minutes at one point and was waving to people who walked by. All of the sudden I felt a weight in my lap, about 12 pounds or so. Someone had put their BABY in my lap and didn't even let me know they were going to do it. I couldn't even see the kid so I just had to freeze and let them do whatever they were going to do because I couldn't make heads from tails of it. Literally. I think they dressed it like a giraffe.
But I stayed there for two and a half hours, walking around playing with kids, and having a blast, before it was too dark for me to continue safely. The great news is that the suit held up perfectly, even the modifications I made to it, like redoing the mane and the lower legs and the massive fix job I had to do on the feet. There are some downsides, but this is why I took him out well before Midwest, so I could check for other needed changes and see how my own work.
One thing I don't like is how I have to wear his shirt. Tensik is NOT a partial which means I have to go oversized or the suit bunches under his clothes. As such he looks like he's swimming in his top, and I can't tuck it in because of the way I had to do his shorts. What I wouldn't do for a sewing machine so I could do the tail opening right. I had to do the old fashioned cut down the back and velcro over the top, hiding the velcro under a belt. Tens' tail is very wide at the base but even so if I tucked in the shirt it would be very visible through the hole and look pretty stupid. So even though I am not the skinniest person on the face of the earth, he looks a lot wider than he actually is.
I also need to figure out a better way to close up the top of the feet. I LOVE the footpaw construction, but were it me I would have done a larger flap over the top of the foot to hide the opening. I can't just "add" to it because this is a old suit and a bit faded, so there's no matching the cloth.
And lastly I need to shorten the arms. The legs are PERFECT without bunching now (amazing what anklestraps will do for fit; thank you 1986!) but the arms look really crumpled no matter what. The handpaws are too big for my tiny hands but I'm not going to complain about those at all as they can't really be fixed, just replaced, and I won't be wearing him enough to justify the expense.
The last one I can't really do anything about . . . there's no circulation in the head at all, and especially with the clothes he is by far the hottest suit I have ever worn. Zoo Boo takes place outside, and tonight it was at the freezing mark, and I could still take half an hour max of walking around without having to stop for a massive drink of water and some cold air and I was sweating like crazy. With his mane as it is and the way the head is built I still think I may be able to wear a cold pack around my neck to help out a lot, but I think in an indoor environment I'm never going to be able to get too far from the Headless Lounge so I can hydrate, literally like every 10 minutes.
But I know a lot of people were waiting to hear how he worked out. Very well, thanks! :D
(tho i never owned a fursuit so blah) :P
*looks around for his shotgun* lion soup, i hear it tastes like chicken! =P
Have fun at Midwest. ;P
Glad the suit worked out well. ^_^
I'm still holding you to that picture with you. ;)
and tail pulling... I really hate it when kids did that at one point in their life... I mean pulling things
Would it be possible to add some sort of ventilation for the head without ruining it somehow? *Shrugs*
I sure hope so, because from the sounds of it, I'm sure it would be out of the question for you to take any fursuit gigs that involve being on the beach come next summer.
Erm... that is, assuming there are any beaches anywhere near you there.
Damn, I'm right next door to it but I can't go to MFF, can't afford to. Do enjoy it twice as much for me!
And good luck on the alterations, specailly on anything that'll help keep you cool.
(works with squirrels, I know...)
Awesome sauce to you on having a great time, Tensik looks uber cute!