Frequently Asked Questions
Designs:
Can you make a costume just like someone else’s one that I really like?
No, unless you can obtain permission directly from the person who owns the character. People don’t usually enjoy their characters being copied. And please don't send us a picture of someone else’s suit and say " I want it just like this". We will not accept that as concept art, and will ask you to find something else.
What is acceptable concept art?
Please visit our Concept Art Guidlines for further details what is and is not acceptable. Bad Art = No Quote = No Exceptions.
Do you make characters from movies, games, or TV?
No we do not make orders for customers of copyrighted characters unless you have written permission by the legal owner(s) of said character.
Do you sell copies or multiple sizes of the costumes in the Gallery?
No. All of the creations in our gallery are one of a kind, made specifically and only for that customer. We pride ourselves in custom costume design and helping you stand out from the crowd.
Do you have any costumes to rent or borrow?
No. We only create and sell costumes, we do not carry stock or rent.
Can you work from photos of real animals?
Of course! Though keep in mind a few anatomical changes will have to made to make it fit a human. We would need several good quality photos to show the entire animal. Ideally though, we prefer concept art so we can see every detail and spot/marking on the whole body.
What if I don’t know what I want or don’t have concept art?
We can email you a list of our preferred contactable artists that we have worked with before and trust. They have varying prices and turnover times. When you contact them, it is between you and the artist and Furrhappens is not involved. It is still your responsibility to get us the concept art.
Can I submit conbadges, Secondlife avatars, sketches or non PG concept art?
No.You will not recive a quote if your concept art is unacceptable. Please visit our Concept Art Guidlines for lots of good info on what is acceptable as concept art.
Can a fullsuit be converted to a halfsuit in warmer weather?
Yes. Just put the tail on with a belt and regular pants, then the ankles of the feet tucked under the pant legs, and the arms can be tucked beneath a long sleeved shirt.
Can I order a halfsuit now and order a bodysuit later?
Yes. However there are risks to this decision. In past situations, the fabric used was discontinued and the bodysuit cold not be made. Also we are unable to buy extra fabric and store it for you.
Do you guys do animatronics or robotics?
No, we dont have these technologies yet. There are no current plans to add them to our designs.
Ordering:
Can you just temporarily hold my spot in line?
No, as sometimes its very competitive for spots, especially before conventions. Your FULL deposit has to be in our hands before you will be put in line. Partial deposits will not a be accepted.
What do you mean by start date and 'Spots'?
In our emails, we refer to this as your 'Spot', as in spot in line. On our website it states this as our 'available start dates'. That means, we are completely booked up until that date, and would begin construction of your costume around that date if you were to get a deposit into us in the near future. We do our best to estimate the date of your 'spot'. But if you wait to long, your start date will change as other people are able to get their deposits in before you. First come, first serve basis. You do not get a 'spot' until your deposit is cleared.
If I ask real nice can I please get a spot earlier?
No, it's not fair to those people who have patiently waited in line.
What is the best way to contact you?
We prefer to keep all business related communication to our primary E-mail address furrhappens@gmail.com. It's much easier for us to give quotes this way as it allows us to have your concept art and all vital information handy. We can be contacted by phone by request, though this is usually preferred only at conventions when it’s hard to track people down for deliveries etc.
How do you figure out the prices for your costumes?
We use our base price as a starting point, and add on the requested details. Eyes, padding, multiple colors, complexity, large tails, and hair are examples of add-ons that will increase the price.
Why has my quote taken more than a few days?
Things are always busy here at Furrhappens! We do our best to get our quotes out in good time, but sometimes things fall behind a bit. Please bear with us and we will eventually get you the personal attention you deserve.
I got a quote a long time ago, can I still get that price?
No. This is because our quotes are only good for 6 months due do changing techniques and materials. If you are past 6 months you will have to resubmit your information.
Can I still order a costume if I am planning to travel or will be away for a long time?
Yes. Our waiting list is commonly a year out, and we can work together with you to schedule a completion date were you will be home to recieve your costume. You will still be expected to have your DTD and final payment in before we begin construction. We will not ship to storage.
Payments:
Im not in the USA, can I still order a costume?
Yes, and we do ship internationally. However keep in mind all quotes are in US Dollars and all payments are perferred to be US Dollars.
Can I make partial payments?
Payments are no problem. We understand getting a fursuit costume is a large investment. We will accept payments as long as the following conditions are met: The full 30% deposit has been paid, payments are no less than $100 USD each, and the full amount should be completed no later than 1 month prior to construction date. If the full amount isn’t paid in time, you risk losing your spot in line.
What if I want to change my design after I've given a deposit?
Well you are allowed to make minor changes to the design of the costume up to 1 month prior to construction (at the same time as DTD and final payment are due). Any changes later than that are not permitted as we have already purchased materials. Large changes may require an addition onto the final amount oweing on the costume. Please, if you are going to make changes, provide new concept art as we may not remember otherwise.
Measurements:
Can customers come over to the shop to do fittings or see how things are made?
No. Furrhappens is operated out of our home and we highly value our privacy. The company has no official storefront and is as an online/ word of mouth business.
How do you work with my size?
We ask that our customers create a duct tape dummy of their body and mail it to us. There is a tutorial for this on our pricing page. A “DTD” as it’s referred to, allow us to have a perfect copy of the customer’s body to work from that we can use 24hrs a day. And a DTD is much less likely to scream if a pin gets stuck in it. Please visit our Duct Tape Dummy page for more information.
When should the Duct Tape Dummy be sent and how?
The Duct tape dummy should be sent in no later than 1 month prior, and no earlier than 4 months prior to construction date. Final payments should be completed by this time as well. For shipping the DTD, it can be unstuffed and folded up and put into a box. A $25 surcharge will be applied to DTD's sent that are NOT taped back up.
Can you rezise my suit later on and make it smaller/bigger?
No. It is almost impossible to make a suit bigger, and as for going smaller we choose not to offer that service as we cannot guarantee an accurate fit.
I gained/lost a lot weight since I sent my DTD, is that ok?
We will need you to resubmit your DTD at your new bodysize or your new suit will not fit properly. We ask that the DTD be sent 2 - 4 months prior to construction so we can have an accurate measurement.
Can I have my DTD back after my suit is made?
Yes. Let us know BEFORE we build the suit, as well as write it on the dummy. We can ship it out with the suit if needed. Otherwise we will dispose of it in the trash.
Materials & Construction:
How long does it take to make a costume?
Once your assigned spot comes up it takes us 1-3 weeks to actually construct a full costume. This can vary depending on how many projects we are working on at the same time.
What kind of materials do you use?
We use faux fur fabrics that are made from acrylic and other similar synthetic materials. We also use Lycra, felt, fleece, foam, flannel, and latex in small amounts. No real fur or pelts are used at FurrHappens. We order our fabrics online, as well as hand select rare fabrics in the LA fashion district from time to time.
Can I provide you some or all of the fabric?
Yes in some cases. Contact us to work out the details, and we will offer a discount off the suit based on how much we pay for fabric. On average $15 per yard. We can ship back what we dont use. Some fabrics may be non-usable, we will discuss the details and swap swatches to make sure.
Can you sell an unfinshed/unfured piece for someonelse to finish?
No. Everything we make are proudly 100% FurrHappens and we do not release unifnished products.
What style of construction do you use on your heads?
Our heads are based on a Lycra balaclava or 'head sock', with soft foam. These heads can take a little more abuse than a plastic or mesh head, though should still be treated with care. They fit snugly on a human head and are fairly breathable and dry out in reasonable time as well.
Where do you put the zippers on bodysuits?
The zippers we place down the middle of the front, or middle of the back of a suit. The front is usually our preference as most critters have long pile fur there and its easy to camouflage. As well, its a lot easier for the performer to unzip the bodysuit if it is in the front. For suits with abdominal muscles or short pile fabric on the tummy, we will sometimes put zippers down a side.
How do all the pieces of a costume fit together in a fullsuit?
Our costumes are deigned for near flawless fit together, and ultimately make almost all seams and attachment points invisible. Our zippers are well hidden, and we brush out the seams to help them blend in. The ankles of the separate feet come up about 6 inches, and tuck underneath the legs of the bodysuit. The hands are almost elbow length and can be worn on top of or underneath the arms of the fullsuit with lots of overlap. The neck of the bodysuit sits a little higher than your average shirt, and then the neck of the head overlaps on top of this. Most tails are worn with a belt through a small hole in the bodysuit. It is very hard to tell it’s a separate item.
What is the difference between digitigrade and non-digitigrade?
Digitigrade, it a more anatomical look to the legs of a fursuit. It tries to mimic the reverse knee of a quadruped animal such as a dog or cat. We do this by using foam padding on the thigh and calf, which is attached to a lycra set of pants. The bodysuit is also altered to fit this shape. There is slightly less mobility with the digitigrade, though nothing to complain about. We can only do digitigrade on fullsuits. This is not possible on a halfsuit or feet only.
Which style of eyes have the best vision?
Though eye construction designs are always evolving, in general the 3D eyes have the best vision because you not only see out the iris and pupil, but the white sclera as well. The toony plastic eyes are in second place and are good all around with vision through the iris and pupil. Thirdly, the glass eyes, which have less vision because you cannot see through the iris or pupil at all. Instead you see through modified eye ducts and around the edge of the glass eye. Its a sacrifice of vision for realism. We do not build heads around glasses and recommend you use contacts or go without your glasses. You may try to squeeze them in under the head, but most assured it will not be overly comfortable. Again, this is about personal preference.
Do your mouths move on your costumes?
No. Our jaws do not move. It is common, but not strict, practice to not talk in a mascot costume, therefore jaw movement is not critical. That’s personal preference though, if you want to talk, go right ahead!
Where to you breathe from the heads?
The characters muzzle is lined up very closely with a humans mouth and nose. All breathing is through the mouth of the head, with the muzzle carved out underneath to give some extra 'breathing' room. It is very easy to sip a drink through a straw while in costume.
What’s the difference between show foot pads and regular durable pads?
Durable pads are standard on our costumes and are suitable for almost all terrain. They have a rubber bottom and can withstand years of use. Show pads are finished feet bottoms with matching fur and vinyl paw pads. They look awesome and are beautiful for photos and up-close viewing. However, the show pads are not very durable and will take damage if worn over rough or outdoor surfaces.
Do you airbrush all costumes or only some?
We tend to give almost all costume heads a little touch of airbrushing to help a few details mesh together. On more realistic looking or detailed heads, we will do much more. Bodysuits are typically not airbrushed unless there are spots or stripes or a very realistic look.
Stripes: Airbrushed or Sewn?
Most stripes will be airbrushed with highquality, non-running, long lasting airbrush inks. Stripes will only be sewn on if the design shows the stripes as big, simple, and few in number. They come out looking very similar to Tony The Tiger, There is an additional charge for sewn in stipes due to the massive amount of time that goes into them.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to help you! Did you find this FAQ helpful? Do you have any suggestions?
Please let us know at furrhappens@gmail.com
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