putting on/taking off your costume
If you have a full costume, you will want to put on some ideal underclothes. Moisture-wicking, cooling lycra workout gear is the general consensus among performers. Long sleeves and legs are a plus to avoid damp arms and legs making removal of the costume difficult. Wear thin but comfy socks, and a sports bra if needed.
If you have a padded body, the heel/lower leg padding should be inserted before attaching your feet. Your costume is shipped with the heel padding already in place, so make sure you remember which pieces are the heel pieces, and which way up they are positioned. Your heel pieces have a small opening (no snaps) on the top outer edge to add/remove stuffing if necessary: if the lower leg is too tight, you may want to remove stuffing. If too loose, add stuffing – you can buy stuffing at most craft stores. Your leg will slide in front of the padding, with the two “arms” on either side of your leg.
Attach your desired set of feet before beginning to put the costume on.
The feet on your costume are attached by zipper. Be careful not to trap any fur in the zipper when unzipping or zipping your feet. You can tell which side of the costume each foot attaches to by the placement of the gap in the zipper. The gap should always face inwards.
Once your feet and lower leg padding are in place, slide your legs into the legs of the costume, in front of the heel padding as shown above, and into the shoe. If you're having trouble getting your foot into the shoe, you can slip fingers into the gap in the zipper to help guide your foot into the shoe. If there's not enough room to do this, you can unzip the foot zipper until there's enough room for you to guide your feet into the shoes, then zip it back up once your feet are in place.
Once your feet are in the shoes, you can stand and begin to pull the costume up. Put your knee and
butt padding in place as you pull the costume up. Adjust any padding that seems to be out of
place, or have shifted, then pull on the arms and zip up the costume. Be careful not to trap any fur in
the zipper – the zipper is as large and sturdy as possible, and can usually handle some trapped fur, but
it's always better to be sure! If the body is a little tight on the first wear, don't worry – it will stretch out.
If you have an unpadded body, simply put it on as you would any other full body suit: legs first, then arms, then zip up the front. Careful not to trap any fur in the zipper. Then put on your feet - roll up the legs if necessary and tuck the top of the feet under the leg opening to hide the seam.
Put on your head next, and then the hands. If you have no one to help you tuck the wrists into the costume sleeves, you can roll up the sleeves as far as necessary, put on your hands, then roll them back down with a stroking motion.
Congratulations – you're a cute, fluffy animal!
To take off your costume, simply reverse the steps you took to put it on.
If you have a padded body, the heel/lower leg padding should be inserted before attaching your feet. Your costume is shipped with the heel padding already in place, so make sure you remember which pieces are the heel pieces, and which way up they are positioned. Your heel pieces have a small opening (no snaps) on the top outer edge to add/remove stuffing if necessary: if the lower leg is too tight, you may want to remove stuffing. If too loose, add stuffing – you can buy stuffing at most craft stores. Your leg will slide in front of the padding, with the two “arms” on either side of your leg.
Attach your desired set of feet before beginning to put the costume on.
The feet on your costume are attached by zipper. Be careful not to trap any fur in the zipper when unzipping or zipping your feet. You can tell which side of the costume each foot attaches to by the placement of the gap in the zipper. The gap should always face inwards.
Once your feet and lower leg padding are in place, slide your legs into the legs of the costume, in front of the heel padding as shown above, and into the shoe. If you're having trouble getting your foot into the shoe, you can slip fingers into the gap in the zipper to help guide your foot into the shoe. If there's not enough room to do this, you can unzip the foot zipper until there's enough room for you to guide your feet into the shoes, then zip it back up once your feet are in place.
Once your feet are in the shoes, you can stand and begin to pull the costume up. Put your knee and
butt padding in place as you pull the costume up. Adjust any padding that seems to be out of
place, or have shifted, then pull on the arms and zip up the costume. Be careful not to trap any fur in
the zipper – the zipper is as large and sturdy as possible, and can usually handle some trapped fur, but
it's always better to be sure! If the body is a little tight on the first wear, don't worry – it will stretch out.
If you have an unpadded body, simply put it on as you would any other full body suit: legs first, then arms, then zip up the front. Careful not to trap any fur in the zipper. Then put on your feet - roll up the legs if necessary and tuck the top of the feet under the leg opening to hide the seam.
Put on your head next, and then the hands. If you have no one to help you tuck the wrists into the costume sleeves, you can roll up the sleeves as far as necessary, put on your hands, then roll them back down with a stroking motion.
Congratulations – you're a cute, fluffy animal!
To take off your costume, simply reverse the steps you took to put it on.
after-wear care
Your costume may be hot and/or slightly damp after wear. The padding is usually the worst offender for getting damp, and you will want to remove all padding immediately after wear, unzip the feet, and let the parts air dry. Hang the body on a sturdy clothes hanger. Do not keep your costume parts in direct sunlight, hot, or damp environments. On a hanger in a closet is ideal!
You may want to spray the parts with a disinfectant spray. You can make a spray yourself with 1 part rubbing alcohol, 2 parts water, and a few drops of a scented oil of your choice to mask the alcohol smell. Spraying all parts at the end of every wear is a good habit to get into.
Next, brush your costume. This will keep it looking tidy and ready for the next outing!
You may want to spray the parts with a disinfectant spray. You can make a spray yourself with 1 part rubbing alcohol, 2 parts water, and a few drops of a scented oil of your choice to mask the alcohol smell. Spraying all parts at the end of every wear is a good habit to get into.
Next, brush your costume. This will keep it looking tidy and ready for the next outing!
Ongoing care
Washing your costume is an important part of keeping it looking nice. Your costume generally does not need to be washed after every wear, but it all depends on the wearer, so use your best judgment. Generally, I like to wash my costume every 3-4 wears, assuming each wear is 2+ hours, but your mileage will vary depending on where you are wearing your costume, how much you perspire, and so on.
You can wash your costume in the bathtub, or in a washing machine. Brush your costume (you don't want any matted fur getting wet – mats will be harder to get out afterwards), turn your costume inside-out, zip it back up, remove the tail stuffing, and it's good to go! You can use your normal clothes detergent to wash your costume; avoid bleach.
The padding does not need washing as often as the body itself, if at all, but if you choose to wash the padding, simply remove the stuffing and put the cases in the washing machine.
If washing in the bathtub, use cold or lukewarm water, add a bit of detergent, and submerge the body. You can scrub the inside of the costume with your hands by rubbing the cloth against itself. Pay extra attention to areas that get especially dirty, like the armpits and crotch. Drain the tub, and rinse with another batch of water if you choose.
Drying your costume after a bathtub wash is the most challenging aspect. If you have a washing machine, get the initial drying done with a spin cycle – make sure your costume is still inside-out, though! If you do not have a washing machine, squeeze out as much moisture as possible in the bathtub, then drape your wet costume over a drying rack or similar inside the tub – it's going to drip for a while so don't keep it anywhere you don't want water on the floor! Don't put your costume on a clothes hanger when it's dripping wet, as this may cause it to stretch with the weight of the water. You can point a fan at your costume to help it dry faster. Once it's less “dripping” and more “damp,” or after a spin cycle, you can turn it the right way out, hang it up, and brush as it dries.
If washing in the washing machine, choose a cycle that will use as much water as possible (eg. “heavy” soil level), set the temperature to COLD (triple check this - hot water will destroy the faux fur!) and wash the inside-out body with your usual detergent.
Machine washing is ideal because it will spin out most of the water, speeding up drying. Once the cycle is complete, remove the costume, check how wet it is and either put it in for another spin (if still dripping wet) or flip it the right way out, hang it up, and brush as it dries.
Your costume may take several days to dry as the fabric is so heavy, so make sure you wash it well in
advance of any events!
The costume feet can be spot cleaned using Woolite or a similar product. Spray your cleaning product on dirty areas, and scrub with a sponge or towel. Rinse with lukewarm or cold water.
If the feet are extremely dirty you can wash them in the bathtub or washing machine with normal detergent. If washing in a washing machine, put your feet inside a protective mesh washing bag. Do not wash feet in a machine with an agitator.
Like your body, your feet may take several days to dry. Point a fan inside them to help them along, or put them outside in a shaded but well-ventilated area during the day.
As the stuffing inside the feet cannot be removed, it may be compressed slightly by the washing process. Fluff it back up once they are dry by pinching the fur or lining and pushing/pulling the stuffing around. You can also put them in a dryer with a tennis ball for 10-15 minutes, like you would to fluff a pillow - just make sure it's on a cold setting!
You can wash your costume in the bathtub, or in a washing machine. Brush your costume (you don't want any matted fur getting wet – mats will be harder to get out afterwards), turn your costume inside-out, zip it back up, remove the tail stuffing, and it's good to go! You can use your normal clothes detergent to wash your costume; avoid bleach.
The padding does not need washing as often as the body itself, if at all, but if you choose to wash the padding, simply remove the stuffing and put the cases in the washing machine.
If washing in the bathtub, use cold or lukewarm water, add a bit of detergent, and submerge the body. You can scrub the inside of the costume with your hands by rubbing the cloth against itself. Pay extra attention to areas that get especially dirty, like the armpits and crotch. Drain the tub, and rinse with another batch of water if you choose.
Drying your costume after a bathtub wash is the most challenging aspect. If you have a washing machine, get the initial drying done with a spin cycle – make sure your costume is still inside-out, though! If you do not have a washing machine, squeeze out as much moisture as possible in the bathtub, then drape your wet costume over a drying rack or similar inside the tub – it's going to drip for a while so don't keep it anywhere you don't want water on the floor! Don't put your costume on a clothes hanger when it's dripping wet, as this may cause it to stretch with the weight of the water. You can point a fan at your costume to help it dry faster. Once it's less “dripping” and more “damp,” or after a spin cycle, you can turn it the right way out, hang it up, and brush as it dries.
If washing in the washing machine, choose a cycle that will use as much water as possible (eg. “heavy” soil level), set the temperature to COLD (triple check this - hot water will destroy the faux fur!) and wash the inside-out body with your usual detergent.
Machine washing is ideal because it will spin out most of the water, speeding up drying. Once the cycle is complete, remove the costume, check how wet it is and either put it in for another spin (if still dripping wet) or flip it the right way out, hang it up, and brush as it dries.
Your costume may take several days to dry as the fabric is so heavy, so make sure you wash it well in
advance of any events!
The costume feet can be spot cleaned using Woolite or a similar product. Spray your cleaning product on dirty areas, and scrub with a sponge or towel. Rinse with lukewarm or cold water.
If the feet are extremely dirty you can wash them in the bathtub or washing machine with normal detergent. If washing in a washing machine, put your feet inside a protective mesh washing bag. Do not wash feet in a machine with an agitator.
Like your body, your feet may take several days to dry. Point a fan inside them to help them along, or put them outside in a shaded but well-ventilated area during the day.
As the stuffing inside the feet cannot be removed, it may be compressed slightly by the washing process. Fluff it back up once they are dry by pinching the fur or lining and pushing/pulling the stuffing around. You can also put them in a dryer with a tennis ball for 10-15 minutes, like you would to fluff a pillow - just make sure it's on a cold setting!
traveling with your costume
Your body, feet, tail and hands are vacuum bag safe for up to 48 hours. Your head can be vacuum packed, too, but a lot of people still prefer not to vacuum pack their heads – it's entirely up to you depending on your comfort zone. If you don't use vacuum bags, you can squish your costume into any large enough bag without much of an issue - don't worry if you need to sit on it to get it closed!
If you are flying, you can take your head with you into the cabin as your personal item.
If you are driving, don't leave your costume in a sweltering hot car for extended periods of time. Faux fur risks damage at temperatures over 140 Fahrenheit, and cars in sunlight can reach as high as 180! Keep the air conditioning on - if you have no air conditioning, try to keep periods that the car is left in direct sunlight with your costume inside as short as possible. Park in the shade whenever possible.
If you are flying, you can take your head with you into the cabin as your personal item.
If you are driving, don't leave your costume in a sweltering hot car for extended periods of time. Faux fur risks damage at temperatures over 140 Fahrenheit, and cars in sunlight can reach as high as 180! Keep the air conditioning on - if you have no air conditioning, try to keep periods that the car is left in direct sunlight with your costume inside as short as possible. Park in the shade whenever possible.
REPAIRS
Over years of wear, you may experience a popped seam. We recommend learning a couple basic stitches to perform these types of repairs yourself so you don't have to pay to ship your costume back to us for simple fixes.
You can find tutorials online for the “blanket stitch” which is an excellent – and easy – stitch for fixing popped seams in your costume. If a seam pops in your tail or any other area you can't access the backing, use a "ladder stitch." If you have any questions about performing minor repairs on your costume, email us and we will be more than happy to advise you on the best course of action!
You can find tutorials online for the “blanket stitch” which is an excellent – and easy – stitch for fixing popped seams in your costume. If a seam pops in your tail or any other area you can't access the backing, use a "ladder stitch." If you have any questions about performing minor repairs on your costume, email us and we will be more than happy to advise you on the best course of action!
Enjoy your costume!
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