The Furry Acceptance Program
There's this thing that happens the first time people encounter a group of furries.
First they stare.
Then they look all around, like "Is this real? Do I really see what I think I see?"
And then they either smile and jump into the fray or walk away as fast as they can. Those who smile are usually in for a fun night. Like that Red Sox fan up there? He spent half an hour after that initial encounter posing with furries and taking photos. I guarantee he had a good time.
Then there's this group of airline employees. They did the stare.
Then had the "Are you freakin' kidding me?" conference with one another.
Since there were a bunch of them, their conference was a loooooong one.
And then they ran for the elevator so fast you would have thought their shoes were on fire. They TOTALLY missed out.
Watching unsuspecting people run into a herd of furries is pretty much the Greatest Thing Ever. I swear there should be a reality show based on it. I would end up rolling on the floor laughing every single episode. To make it more epic, they could have people try to win money by guessing whether people would end up opening Door 1 and having fun with the furries or if they would open Door 2 and run for their lives.
Wait! I have an idea! The first contestant should be Paul Steigerwald (one of the Pittsburgh Penguins TV announcers)!
Except, I already saw that episode. It was a goooood one.
The episode started with my friend Bob moving faster than a gazelle to cross the lobby of the Westin. We were camped out watching furries and I swear that man has never moved as fast as he did that moment, all the while mumbling something about "melting Twitter."
And then I saw why. Steigy. He was there.
Steigy was standing in the Westin lobby and knee deep in Step 2 of the Furry Acceptance Program. He had that blank stare people get as they look around and try to figure out whether they've walked into an episode of Punk'd or what. As he sat on a bench, clearly torn between embracing the crazy or running for life, he looked like he needed a hug. Seriously. The man clearly needed a hug.
As luck would have it, there happened to be a giant bunny RIGHT there who was wearing a Free Hugs t-shirt. He could help!
Bob Likes Hugs
A problem. A solution. IT WAS TOO PERFECT.
So, I maybe kinda sorta walked over to the giant Free Hugs bunny and asked if him to give Steigy a hug. The Free Hugs bunny quickly agreed, but he couldn't see the nose in front of his face through that mask, so I kinda sorta maybe guided him directly to Steigy as he sat on the bench a few feet away.
And then I ran like hell so I could capture this:
And then the angels sang, babies everywhere smiled, dogs howled, fish high-fived one another, and all was right with the world.
Oh, and which door did Steigy pick?
The fun one, of course. Furry hugs are magical!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Reader Comments (15)
Where the heck where you! Looks llike you had fun :)
So is this a group for people that feel the need to dress up in mascot attire in their free time? Don't get it.
@anthony from CharismaticKid: It's not just about mascot costumes, that's just the most photogenic part of our group. It's also about artwork and writing and so much more. People don't "need" to dress up in mascot costumes... they do it because it's fun!
So this post sent me off in search of the picture of the furry I have lurking in my hard drive. I tweeted it to you so hopefully you'll find it.
It is (or so I'm told) Robot Chicken dressed as Boba Fett dressed as Dr. Horrible (this was in Robot chicken's defense a comic book convention, in which I was TOTALLY out of my depth.)
I LOVE this post. It made me smile.
And a little sad cause I want to find a free hugs bunny.
I could so do with a free hugs bunny today... :(
I bet the Red Sox fan probably thinks it's like this in Pittsburgh every weekend.
@bluzdude-I dunno. He was pretty drunk, so he may not remember any of it. Heh.
Great pictures! Sounds like it was a blast.
I'm pretty sure I would choose the run for my life route. I have a deep irrational fear of people in costumes, mascots, clowns, painted people at the Renaissance Faire. They all freak me out.
WHen I finally make it up to PIT to hang out with you all, I desperately hope the Furries are in town. :) How much more fun could one have?!
I see a lot of awesome images, but where's "a little reminder that anything that glows is awesomeness personified"?
@Kate in MA: Anthrocon generally happens at the end of June or beginning of July. You can check out the website for when the dates are as well as other info: http://www.anthrocon.org/
I honestly don't know what door I'd end up in...I think total fascination would pull me into the fun door...but it would be difficult.
Once there I'm sure I'd have a total blast...breaking through the WTF moment would be the biggest challenge :D
@anthony It's not a need it's an enjoyment. Costuming is one of the many aspects of conventions like this. But don't think that it's just a simple matter of putting one on. You have limits on vision, hearing and movement. Not to mention that it can get very hot inside one of these costumes. These costumes are an art form not only with the costume itself but also with the performer. I should know because I'm one of those that wears one of these costumes.
Oh. I love it. So much. Can I come visit?