Furry fandom hits Albany streets

A group of friendly anthropomorphic characters turned heads across Albany’s CBD and landmarks on Sunday.

Five “furries” — Boost, Animosus, Starsky, TC and Kurpt — visited Dog Rock, York Street, the Boatshed Markets and the Brig Amity, attracting attention from onlookers with their brightly coloured costumes and zest for life.

The Advertiser was clueless about furry fandom until a member of Albany’s furry community filled us in about the thriving subculture that exists in WA and culminates in a convention and charity fundraiser, Furwag, each October.

Mitch, 23, joined the furry scene seven years ago and has been donning a custom-made $3500 fur suit he designed to bring his character Boost to life for the past year.

“We like to make people smile — it is all good fun,” he said.

“In the way that some people paint art or put flashy rims on their cars, it is just a way to express yourself that is a little obscure.”

He said it was the first fur suit outing the group had held in Albany, after 30 furries walked 5km through Perth’s CBD recently, and they enjoyed the “feel-good” interaction with Albany residents.

“We had people honking at us, lots of kids looking at us and young and old wanting hugs,” he said.

“It is awesome to make people smile and brighten up their day with something unexpected.”

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