Furr Happens - Costume Care Guide

Costume Care Guide

Quick Links:

Handling

Storage

Travel

Suiting Up

At Events

After Performing

Washing

Maintenance

Touch Ups & Repairs

Survival Kit for Events

If you own a FurrHappens costume or any other type of similar costume, we would like to help educate you with some important information on maintenance and care, as well as a few performing tips.

Handling:

Don’t pull or pickup head by the ear or other accessory, and don’t squish the head at any cost. Heads are not designed to withstand compression, and it will create irreversible damage to the head structure. Try to avoid compacting the nose, as well as watch out for hard objects that could scratch or deform the nose. Do not rub, smear, push in, poke, or allow others to poke the mesh of the eyes. Be gentle with all aspects of the costume. Be good to it, and it will be good to you for many wonderful years to come.

Storage:

Store in a dry cool place above the ground. There have been incidents involving floods, cats, sun, heat, mold, and more, so it is generally safer to keep your beloved costume in a safe place.

Do not leave your costume in a vehicle for long periods of time, as extreme heat or cold can alter the glue holding together the head and other accessories, resulting in serious damage. Direct sun for hours on end can also destroy the fibers of the fur/fabric and cause awful color fading.

We recommend putting dryer sheets inside hands, feet, head, and parts of the body during storage, which will help prevent moisture/mould and keep the costume smelling fresh. Be sure to take the dryer sheet out before putting the head on, or suddenly a white sheet will fall down in front of your eyes and blind you halfway through a performance! Also make sure there’s nothing that attracts bugs or animals, need I say more.

Travel:

When packing a costume for travel, be mindful of the head and do everything you can to protect it. We recommend using Action Packers, Rubbermaid containers, hard suitcases or even large tool chests to transport your costume. Some of these are quite large and can even accommodate 2 costumes. Check with your airline to see what sizes are acceptable for travel. Some people even have carried on parts of their costume into the airline cabin. Please visit our new '"Travelling Guide" here for lots more information on carrying cases and airline travel.

When flying, be sure to have your address written in several places on the box. Make sure the box is secure and wont pop open easily. And in the common event TSA wants to inspect the box and throw everything around, or it accidentally opens, you should provide a description on the inside lid of the box of how the items are packed. Also in the event they lose or damage something, having list of items present and a photo can help avoid problems if the costume is damaged or lost by the airline. All these tips can help in help ensure all your costume pieces arrive to you and to avoid damage.

International travel is often entertaining when transporting a costume and you will most likely be inspected. Don’t worry, they are just curious and doing their job. Offer to help repack the suit if need be.

Do not carry liquids that may spill, aerosols, or other things you should not typically take on an airline in the same bag as your costume.

Suiting up:

Be gentle and careful when putting on your costume. Having a partner or ‘human hands’ available is a good idea. We recommend wearing a spandex/lycra under-suit under your costume to keep you cool and wick moisture away from your skin. Zippers tend to grab fur, so be attentive when zipping and unzipping. When pulling on a bodysuit, especially over digitigrades or other accessories, be gentle and do not force anything or you will pop a seam.

Most tails are attached via belt through a hole in the back of the costume. Put the tail through and secure belt before the bodysuit is zipped up. Larger tails usually have a foam core with straps on the inside for a belt to go through. Don’t forget to use a belt or the weight of the tail will not be supported and you may rip the bodysuit. Feet/ankles typically go underneath the bodysuit, and hands typically go over arms. Neck on the head goes over the bodysuit as well.

At events:

Take extra care when performing as to where your appendages are. Your vision is somewhat limited, some suits more than others. Handlers or spotters are a great idea, as they can be your translator, ears and eyes, as well as help you avoid nasty situations. Strenuous activities (ie. back flips, sliding, climbing etc.) are not a good idea in as they could damage your costume, and/or cause bodily harm to you or others.

Avoid dangerous things! Escalators, elevator doors, pools, colored drinks, messy food, open flame, cars, curbs, stairs etc. Do not attempt driving, operating machinery, or using power tools while wearing your costume. Avoid getting your costume wet. Do not attempt swimming while wearing your costume, as fur fabrics get very heavy when wet, and chlorine and other chemicals in the water may permanently damage your costume.

Costumes with dragon feet or hooves should be especially careful. The finish on the fiberglass hooves and latex dragon toes is very delicate and is not easily repaired. We suggest you stay far FAR away from concrete! Also do your best to avoid steps, outdoor areas, rocks, climbing, kicking, being kicked, and hard vertical surfaces in general. Tip: Lift your legs and feet just a little higher than you normally would, also it adds energy to the overall look of the character.

Fursuit Olympics/Games at events: Many events have them and are super fun, but be forewarned that its very easy to damage your costume, as well it can tire out the performer a lot faster then normal. If you do participate, just be careful of your physical condition and your costume.

After performing:

Carefully remove the suit. Body suits should be turned inside out and hung up to dry with a few spritz’s of deodorizer ( ie. Febreeze) to remove odors. Heads should be Febreezed a little bit inside as well, and then placed over a vent, caged fan, or at least upside down to allow good air ventilation. The insides of hands and feet also deserve some Febreeze, and should be in an airy area as well. You, us, your costume, and your roommates will all appreciate it. And don’t forget to clean the performer!

Washing:

It is very important to wash your costume, especially after large events to prevent odor, mold and all sorts of bad things. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH USE OF WASHING MACHINES AND DRYERS! They can destroy costumes. Airbrushed or detailed costumes must be hand washed only! Machine wash only if you have a washing machine without the spinner in the middle. Wash COLD GENTLE ONLY as warm water makes the colors fade. Never use bleach. Never attempt to iron any part of your costume. Dryers COLD AIR FLUFF ONLY! Any heat at all in the slightest will cause the synthetic fibers of the fur to melt and destroy the costume permanently. ** USE CAUTION AND CARE** Using washing and drying machines are at your own risk and any damage your costume may receive from them is not covered under warranty.

Heads: Cannot be machine or tub washed. Instead use a teddy-bear cleaner or light soap, and carefully wipe dirty spots away with a towel. Lots of Febreeze and EnBac. Take very good care of your head. Again, only spray the inside of the head.

Bodies: Removable accessories and carved foam tails should be removed prior. Turn the suit inside out and it may be machine washed COLD GENTLE. Only consider machine drying if you have a newer model dryer, and are certain it has COLD /AIR FLUFF.

Airbrushed or detailed bodysuits: Turned inside out may be hand-washed with a gentle liquid soap. Do not scrub or work the fabric too roughly. Do not hang a wet costume, as the fabric will stretch permanently and deform. Instead, lay the suit out flat on some towels and out of direct sunlight to drain. Sunlight can fade colors so be mindful of where you lay it. You may want to flip the suit over a few times, brushing occasionally, and then once it’s mostly dry, hang it over a chair or line to allow better air circulation.

Hands: Turned inside out, ok in the washer COLD GENTLE and dryer COLD AIRFLUFF

Feet: We recommend hand washing them, and letting the sit to dry. Feet with large claws and feet accessories must be done this way. However if you have a newer front-loader machine/dryer set, regular feet can be machine washed on COLD GENTLE and in the dryer on COLD AIRFLUFF. (See a trend here?).

Tails: Are ok to put in the washer and dryer as long as there is no enclosed internal armature, and removable carved foam is removed.

Digitigrade or muscle padding: If its attached to a separate lycra undersuit, it can be washed normally.

If you have a reptile or large tail with removable padding, you may have to have to insert/remove the carved foam into/out of the tail itself from time to time. Turn the tail inside out and push your hand up through the tail and grab the ‘outside’ of the tip of the tail while you insert the tip of the foam from the other side and line it upright with the pattern of the tail. Slowly and carefully with your hand inside the tail, push the fabric inside out and onto the foam tail, slowly pulling the tail right-side out. Use your free hand only to smooth out the fabric as it goes on and give a couple gentle tugs when the fabric tries to wrinkle. Be gentle, otherwise you may rip the fabric. The carved foam was designed to fit inside the fabric perfectly with few wrinkles. This is a process that requires patience.

Maintenance:

Every once in a while the fur on your costume may look scruffy, especially in high movement areas like the butt, and underarms which tend to clump up a bit after heavy use. This is normal. A gentle brushing is ok and will not harm the suit. Go with the grain of the fur with a pet hairbrush/slicker. This will help keep the fur soft and clean, as well as preserving quality and appearance. Don’t be too rough or forceful, as faux fur fibers don’t grow back once torn out, though an average brush full of fibers per brushing is normal.

For fleece costumes, a lint roller and lint ball trimmer are great tools. Never use a slicker brush on fleece, as you will destroy the fabric.

Anti-Bacterial spray is important to use once in a while to prevent the growth of yucky bacteria/mould, which can destroy a costume. Important products: EndBac and Lysol are antibacterial agents that KILL bacteria and other odor causing critters. Febreze is a great product, however only neutralizes the smell, not removing it. It’s great for temporary odor removal and smells nice. Never spray anything on the outside of a head; otherwise you will ruin the airbrushing and details.

If you see a stitch begin to pop, it is wise to nip it in the butt before it gets out of hand. So grab a needle and a piece of thread, and put in a couple stitches/knots to prevent possible problems. Same with small glue seams.

Touch-ups and repairs:

Most costumes will need occasional maintenance over their lives to keep them looking their best. In the event a repair is needed, contact us and we will try to assist you as soon as we can. The warranty is good for 120 days from the day you receive your FurrHappens costume. Additional repairs outside the warranty will be priced as we see fit depending on the work involved. Warranty only covers accidental damage and normal wear and tear, and we reserve the right to deny repairs if we suspect neglect or abuse.

Especially for heavily airbrushed suits, we offer a one-time touch up service for free. Small claws and teeth are easily replaced, we can either tell you how to make them, or we can send you some in the mail. We also offer a serging upgrade on FurrHappens bodysuits made before 2008. Contact us for more information.

Regarding repairs at conventions: If it is small and it takes less than 5 minutes with a piece of thread or touch of glue it shouldn’t be a problem. However we do not intend to sit and work on costumes for the entire convention and can do little with limited resources. So in general, we will take home or ask you to mail to us any parts in need of repair/upgrades/touchups.

Please make sure parts are clean and not smelly or we will not accept them for repairs.

If they are not clean and or are smelly we will send it back to you without repairing them. Bodys / Hands / Tails must be washed, Heads/ Feet must be deoderized with Febreeze or Enbac.

We hope you enjoy your new costume as much as we enjoyed making it. Take good care of it, and we hope to see you and it at an event sometime. Thank you, and enjoy your new addition!

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to help you! Did you find this Guide helpful? Do you have any suggestions? Please let us know at furrhappens@gmail.com

PS. We would love if you could send us pictures of you in your costume; we enjoy seeing our costumes performing!