I try a FURSUIT TAIL TUTORIAL from the 1980s! You won't belive how good it is!

[@kay9124]

Would you believe someone finally told me about this video? Talk about a blast from the past! Yeppers, I'm Kay Shapero , kittycat, and author of that tail instruction piece mostly because we needed more content for the conbook. That particular approach came from a friend who showed me how to make a short werewolf tail with a coathanger for a core. The trick is making it look like it's hooked up to your spine at the end like a real tail, hence the fitting over the coccyx. (Look it up in an anatomy book). I love the way yours came out there - I think I still have a couple of cat tails about here somewhere. Incidentally I recommended hand sewing because at the time I was constructing a fox tail with fur longer than you used in yours and it was murder working it out of the seam from a sewing machine.

[@foxcrowian8273]

wow interesting haha!

[@kay9124]

@@foxcrowian8273 Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp!

[@kwingle]

Ooooh :0 has anyone told you how cool you seem?

[@kay9124]

@@kwingle Thanks. I'm a long term fan, furry, costuming, filking, role playing games (started with D&D in 1974) et al. There is a lot of fun to be had out there!

[@pyyton_]

@@kay9124 you seem really cool, i wish my parents were like this lol

[@wasuptime]

“vintage” fursuits are one of my FAVORITE parts of the fandom!!! they did this stuff with no reference, no experience, and barely any knowledge within the fandom, bcs it was so new!!! they may look “dated” or “””cursed””” but they were intuitive and creative!!

[@candela__]

Humble beginnings :3

[@ThatDigitalDemon]

they're only cursed because they are realistic, y'know? realistic heads now don't have moving eyes or stuff like that

[@kezkreations1313]

“That’s bloody brilliant” Your real Aussie is coming out Skye xD

[@tofu_cat3440]

Ik this was weeks ago but this comment is bloody awesome 😏.

[@JamzyToonStudios]

@@tofu_cat3440 XDDDDD

[@Broseph_Stalin.]

Why did I read that in the tf2 sniper voice I can’t-

[@JamzyToonStudios]

@@Broseph_Stalin. xd

[@Piko_aibo]

Sounded a but bri'sh

[@Neffertity]

The wire belt loops are a pretty interesting concept. It can be shaped to the wearer's body, and gives it a bit more strength as well! I might try combining some of these ideas with my Super-Motion tails to see what the result is! Imagine, posable super-motion tails.

[@SkyehighStudios]

Heck yeah! I was gonna send this to you actually but it slipped my mind! The curvature to hug the tail bone area feels really nice and is super secure, I was thinking maybe a way to 3D print a curved base like the tail company tail I have with ways to run the wire into that to just make the finish nicer? I’m not 100% sure I may prod my friend who’s good with CAD to see what he can rustle up!

[@Neffertity]

@@SkyehighStudios Definitely seems like am interesting idea!

[@Ari_C]

if you decide to i recommend getting craft/doll armature wire for better longevity! wire from hardware stores is often anodized for weather protection and durability but as a result is more brittle and will break sooner with repeated bending. aluminum wire meant for stop motion animation has a good balance of strength(to hold its position under weight) and flexibility(able to be bent back and forth a lot before breaking). it's possible you'd be better off with a more heavy weight wire for fursuit tails though so for sure experiment with different types of wire, just avoid the anodized stuff! ^-^

[@Neffertity]

@@Ari_C Splendid advice! ^_^

[@crescentthewolf7743]

that would be AMAZING

[@tropicat212]

A tip for anyone who needs it! When stuffing (especially tails/tube shapes), if you get a ruler you can easily push the stuffing down to the tip/end of the tail!

[@firelion7749]

Oh wow! That’s pretty smart, thanks!

[@1r1descent_Sk1es]

I just used my mom's back scratcher when I made mine lol

[@crescentthewolf7743]

ty! this will be great advice for my first fursuit I'm doing soon! (especially cuz my tail is big)

[@itsjoshy8674]

Or you can use a broom stick handle

[@theTNTslinger]

I use chopsticks or kebob skewers!! Also also, most bags of polyfil come with a long pokey if you buy the bag :)

[@SkyehighStudios]

Thank you so much for all the interest and enthusiasm on this video guys! I’m blown away, and so glad you like it! 💙

[@MyNameIsntTom]

I'm still amazed how fast you can make fursuits, keep up the good work

[@mcchicken3928]

Hi

[@babirawan2023]

Wow

[@leod6460]

Ofc this is amazing!

[@Corvin_Ito]

this tutorial is actually very simmilar feeling to how Dollightful makes fluffy/fabric tails for her custom dolls, just without the shape at the end of the wire tail. Im only about 8 minutes in but the wire "spine" in the tail seems like it'd make for a fairly good husky/curled tail since you can pose it

[@rowan-priince1860]

I second this on the curl!

[@ctricac1d608]

yessss i love dollightful! her dolls are so cute

[@TRUExNINJA]

I never knew furry conventions existed so long ago until right now

[@dreamt0wn739]

Same lol

[@finnibugz]

Furries have existed since Egypt.

[@dreamt0wn739]

@@finnibugz lol true. I read the Kane chronicles books too lmao

[@finnibugz]

@@dreamt0wn739 The Kane Chronicles? You read those too? Oh m gosh I haven't read those in forever! I think I spelled Kane wrong...

[@dreamt0wn739]

@@finnibugz you didn't lol- I always forget it's the kane chronicles xD

[@x.perseus.x]

Oh my gosh! That’s a really good tail! Makes me think back to my first tail….. was on the right track! You should totally make a finished partial for it! That’s could be a cute cat! Or whatever animal you’d like. But wow. Those people were really on to something. These days we just use the foam and stuffing, but I’ll have to start using wire again!

[@kay9124]

Just remember to whip stitch the wire core to the back of the casing - it's what lets the whole thing react to your movements.

[@KitsuneNeko]

Before I was even a furry and just did cosplay... that's how I made tails. I used wired hangers. They were sturdy and flexible... but the tails were not huggable.

[@Fvckallofyou1]

use some rope and thick stuffing and lemme hug a tail ;)

[@thistle305]

Sky! Well done! It would work really well with a golden retriever suit in my oppionion. The way it wags reminds me of a happy retriever. Thanks If you read this!

[@pamsawadski9055]

20 years ago-

[@griffbear39]

Fun! How simple and easy! Cheers. Please do show early fur cons, I only ever met costumers doing more real fur suits back in those days. One guy had a type of lion cat suit he spend ages on perfecting the articulated tail. So when he walked it moved in a natural cat like way.

[@MyNameIsntTom]

"The 70s and 80s were good times" - 15 year old

[@SkyehighStudios]

I mean I’m 22 and I’m not qualified to say that either 😂

[@MyNameIsntTom]

@@SkyehighStudios lol

[@PhoenixTV109]

Yes to many teens are saying that!😂

[@randomperson44482]

Lol

[@mxrcydxrcy]

I mean, i don’t blame anyone who says that lol, they had good music. -11 year old

[@_a_crazy_cartoonist]

God I’m so glad none says “furvert” ugh

[@TheFoxfiend]

It makes sense that early fursuits would use wire in the tail, it was a readily available material. Pros of wire: it would be very posable, at least initially, and would have a very lovely spring to it. Cons though are that if it gets bent up (like say it got shifted around in a vehicle and something heavy fell against it the wrong way) it may be near impossible to get it back to its original shape.

[@Ari_C]

if you decide to do more with wire armature for support i recommend getting craft wire for better longevity! wire from hardware stores is often anodized for weather protection and durability but as a result is more brittle and will break sooner with repeated bending. aluminum wire meant for stop motion animation seems to have the best balance of strength(to hold its position under weight) and flexibility(able to be bent back and forth a lot before breaking)

[@markgrey5360]

Just because a way of doing things is deemed or is actually old, it doesn't mean that it is irrelevant or is a bad way of doing things, they can in some cases be better than modern ways of doing things tbh.

[@CCodys]

Here's my idea onto this... Make the core, Instead of sewing the fur end shut, make it removable with either metal clip like buttons sewn on or velcro- Then you only need one core for multiple tails, For bigger tails, use double or triple the amount of wire for extra stability?

[@LoserFinn]

the wag on that tail is SO good! I love it! it has personality!

[@chewynum]

Big old tip, use a broom handle or long stick with a bulb at the end (rubber stoppers are great for point ended sticks) to help with tubes :D

[@maskedmildew5437]

This is an amazing piece of history. I'm glad you linked the con book too! Imagine how many people wouldve forgotten about this until it disappeared if no one had made a video.

[@shylastar3653]

Yo do ya think you could try make a tutorial on making that into a wolf tail? Cus I’d love to use this method :D on my oc star who has the biggest fluffiest tail imaginable lmao

[@SkyehighStudios]

I’m sure you’d just adjust the length and thickness of the toob

[@jellylemonade1655]

@@SkyehighStudios TOOB

[@kyla.wyla1]

@@SkyehighStudios tube X3

[@itsjoshy8674]

Chewb

[@ricegorm]

Toob

[@menkisser611]

honestly if i make a dog suit ill probably do this, i love the way it wags and its posable!

[@ShwintyKat]

THIS IS PERFECT I've been dying for a way to make a meerkat tail that could stand under its own weight!

[@whitmorez7027]

It was a pretty simple and poorly explained tutorial and you made it look so amazing!!! I might have to try this out myself!

[@jeromefountain6]

Awesome work with the tail skye. And i would love to know how the furry fandom came to be.

[@kirintheprotogen8659]

Watch fredrick knudsen’s down the rabbit hole on the fandom, it’s amazing

[@jeromefountain6]

@@kirintheprotogen8659 thank you i well 👍👍

[@Morrynlupine]

I definitely recommend the documentary "The Fandom" by Ash Coyote! It's about an hour long, but quite enjoyable.

[@jeromefountain6]

@@Morrynlupine i will check it out 👍👍

[@spookyaj2808]

I am def gonna do this. THANKS FOR POSTING THIS >:)

[@screamingcayote1]

Aw, my "Times Was Here" scribble is still there 🧡

[@muttbrained7839]

I would love to see this become a challenge or trend within the fandom! A nice way to take a peek back into the early days of the fandom!!

[@RoseDeNoire]

I have one of these tails for partialing it’s awesome and moves amazingly, made it last year I think.

[@wildpacktv5470]

They were on to something with this tutorial. It reminds me of a articulated tail but so much easier to make

[@theresehartley7138]

Tip for turning your "tubes" inside out.... slide it over a broom handle

[@Klebkatt]

1:50 While it may be a bit unpleasant looking, that's probably what furies would look like if they were real. Aside from that, I like the touch with the ears and you can tell a lot of work went into that costuming. It takes a lot of time to do makeup and prosthetics, so my hat is off to that gentleman in the picture.

[@merenaa.2746]

As a wannabe 80s/90s fur, I am absolutely taking this into consideration. My sonas a cat anyway!

[@thundercrystalz7799]

I just got stuff to make my fursuit partial! You inspired me to make a fursuit! Thanks!

[@crescentthewolf7743]

im making my first mini partial too! i wish you the best of luck :3

[@thundercrystalz7799]

@@crescentthewolf7743 Thanks, you too! Sadly I have school today

[@crescentthewolf7743]

@@thundercrystalz7799 oof i hate school, anyways have a good day and ty! :3

[@octoepics9565]

ANIMAL JAM FURRYYYYYY

[@thundercrystalz7799]

@@octoepics9565 ayeeeeee

[@dachandewuffsteiger]

As someone who's been in furry since the mid 90s yeah, fursuits have come a LLOOOOOOONNNNG way. Back in my day we used to get the giant block of foam and carve the face out from it. Or other creative/traditional mascot making methods. Giant heads, huge paws, and faux fur was no where near as good as it is today.

[@liketoshop247]

You'll have to update us on how this progresses, but I admit I am pretty intrigued by the flexibility of poses with it!

[@Frankie-Ak]

Take into consideration that wire tends to be cheaper than foam these days, thats actually a really good way to make tails with delicate features(like shark tails), have them move, and still hold their shape while on a budget.

[@niallmacconaill7172]

Well!!! Nice to see THAT bit come back up! I found that tutorial on the furry BBSes in the early 90s, and I know Kay Shapero and her husband reasonably well. I had my mom make me a cat tail for a live-action roleplaying campaign, along with cat ears. It withstood being outdoors really well! It works great for shorter tails. This said, please don't judge beginning furcons' costumes as "fursuits", because they're not trying to be. If you saw the amazing Eeon horse costume worn by the late, very missed Waarhorse, it can stand against anything done today. There was a lot of bodypaint jobs too. Costumes were varied! I lament the singular focus on mascot-style fursuits today... But thank you for trying out and seeing what we could do back then! :)

[@SkyehighStudios]

It was really awesome and I learnt a lot too :3 If they weren’t fur suits were they more cosplay of existing characters? I suppose I personally define fur suits as anthro costumes made from fur portraying an original character or fursona, not sure how those concepts worked back then but I’d be interested to hear more!!

[@niallmacconaill7172]

@@SkyehighStudios There were a few, but very few cosplays as we'd call it today. Even back then the focus was on personal, original characters. Some went way over the top - like the 9' tall wolf mech piloted by a cockroach in its mouth. That was from an early AnthroCon. It was AWESOME. I have video of it, but need to digitize it from the old camcorder tapes.

[@SkyehighStudios]

I’d absolutely adore to see it! A lot of it was before I was even born but sometimes I wish I was there to experience it for myself :3 seemed like a much more relaxed community haha

[@niallmacconaill7172]

@@SkyehighStudios Oh, it had its problems, absolutely. misogyny was a thing, the fight for and against adult art became a raging fire, and creeps abounded. I knew many creators who did amazing things but folded against the negativity they received.

[@CookieCrumbAJ]

I’d love to see you roasting 90s fursuits

[@mintthefurry3804]

I would LOVE to learn about the furry fandom, how it started back then. Pfft, back then. Makes us sound ancient 😂👍

[@crescentthewolf7743]

the ancient egyptions WORSHIPPED furries we are ancient and some of us were literally gods apperently-

[@HNYPOT]

That's the exact fur I need for my suit's hair omg gimme

[@SkyehighStudios]

I can sell some to you if you like xD I have 0 use for it LMAO email me if you’re keen [e-mail]

[@alfawhitewolf7227]

@@SkyehighStudios or you selling Redfer

[@unicorndonut466]

I got to meet the people who started confurence at Denfur yesterday!! They were at Ash Coyote’s table because of the documentary titled “The Fandom”

[@trashman11]

It feels like im watching a vintage recipe when your expectations it to taste like hot garbage only to find out its really good and now i want to try it myself (just with wire that wont rust over time)

[@nancythedachshund3288]

At first I thought “who is that pretty girl on the thumbnail?” Then I realised it was you!! I didn’t realise my fav KZbinr was so pretty :)

[@fawnafriends7666]

Love skey’s face when she looks at the shapes 🤣

[@aidensrde1392]

ima need to try this soon

[@TakaTheTherian]

WOW that’s actually really good! I love it! Now I wanna try and make one only problem is I can’t sew and I don’t have a sewing machine but I’ll learn

[@JuniperJawz]

Skye. I’m subscribed because you make the most interesting content EVERR

Nice pfp!

[@subwoofer5458]

This was a rly entertaining video skye :) the tail is rly good

[@Kureijisaikokyatto]

Thank you very much for making this video and showing this method. For the first time in my life, I made a tail following the steps of your video. Thanks to you, to Kay, and to the guys who created this method, I was able to fulfill my little dream ☺☺☺☺☺

[@l33tsaber]

I'm glad my family's not the only ones who call instructions "the destructions". (Also, wowzers, that tutorial's just a hair older than I am!)

[@heyitsleyy]

Thanks for the tutorial! I used this to make my first tail and it turned out pretty awesome! Only negative is mine won't stand up lol. But at least it holds a curve while resting. And it really does move very nicely and naturally. I'm so excited to wear this to otakon on Saturday! Thanks again :)

[@jessical4866]

This is fascinating! The pattern is so simple but practical, and the history lesson was great too. (Trying not to remember that photo... nope I remembered it.) Tail looked AMAZING and I adore your energy!

[@ChezaSengokuARTIST]

I love this! It has such a nice wag to it! I'm currently trying to make a tail for the first time. Its for a wolf who has a seriously fluffy tail and pretty long, but I want it to be able to have a good spring/wag to it. I was thinking of using a fishing rod blank as the tails skeleton. No idea if that will work or not 😅😂

[@chuckles1808]

Working with wire without the proper tools can be a (literal) pain. I sliced my fingertips so many times making my first chainmail. Coat hangers are a good choice for easier to move wire, and cheap. I think your tutorials are real neat.

[@SalinaWood]

this is basically how i made my last tail minus the core fabric, which probably would have been a good idea.

[@JayFeather578]

Thank you so much for making this video! I just finished mine today and haven’t taken it off since!😂

[@laylamaas7930]

Hello for the one thats reading this i hope your'e having a great day !

[@goldmmoking]

I would love to see you made a video about old furry conventions!

[@pillbugprince7855]

Thats such a cute tail! I love how bouncy and poseable it is!!

[@xXspottyXx]

wow,i didnt know,that fursuit tutorials from that long ago exist:0 Also that tail looks awesome^^

[@snowflaketheprotogen2202]

Im going to support her pateron soon

[@KasumiYugen]

Wow- you somehow found this stuff ;=; goodjob!

[@finncharles4590]

I'm currently making a bull terrier partial, so I fully understand tube tail pain ;w;

[@sproutscustoms5003]

Hey Skye to get the tail to stand up better (if u make like a heavy tail) use thicker wire

[@SkyehighStudios]

That wire was very stiff to begin with xD I feel like I’d need a blacksmiths hammer any thicker!

[@PyroChimp75]

That came out really well, you should do video interview with some of the OG furries from the 80's and 90's and ask what the conventions where like and the limitations they had while making fursuit back in the day. Great video!

[@lovingdragons]

This is actually brilliant!

[@thegoldendoe601]

Wow! I think I'll use this pattern for my vernid sona. It's all of what I want in a tail for a vernid. Plus, the inner tube definitely could prevent the fur becoming rubbed from the wire on the inside

[@valeriegirard4798]

Good tutorial ! Maybe I’ll do like this for my kitsune tail . Thanks

[@yamiinee]

honestly, at the beginning it wasn't going to be too nice, BUT THE FINAL APPEARANCE IS AWESOME

[@FlutePlayer777]

This is anatomically correct!!!! So satisfying and simple to make too! Thanks again for posting this.

[@Poosai447]

I can’t believe that tutorial is so old but SO GOOD

[@spacefilth328]

i have been planning to make a tail to match a head my friend gave me! i had no clue how to start as id never made anything like that before but this looks really good and easy!

[@DireBeastRexYT]

yo this gives me such nostalgia back to my very first tails I made in the early 00s! they also had a flexible wire spine, but I never lined the inside like this- nor did I use the wire for the belt attachments, so Im gonna try this when I get back to making them!

[@YadonTheCat]

I had to try making one of these, seemed like something I could actually do despite being a beginner, and it went very well! No idea how to sew the end closed though..

[@jpn_119]

wow thats surprisingly good! now i wanna try it!!

[@SkyehighStudios]

I was shook when I put it on I was like WAIT ISNT THIS SUPPOSED TO SUCK?

[@ssjbears]

"Ladies, gentlemen, and genders unforseen." best inclusive language I've heard in awhile, lmao

[@alir540]

I just wanna say that I love this video. You’re reactions aren’t so cute n funny! I’ll definitely be trying this in the fear future! Thanks!

[@Serial_Designation_A.]

I might try this technique once I get some fur of my own! That’s a really good tutorial!

[@darkhelliadarkfire6109]

I would love to see a video on all the old furrycons!!!

[@kokakolakulli]

Thats so amazing! I gonna do this if i can work with the materials xd

[@aleutale]

now i highkey wanna try making a wire tail for one of my planned character suits

[@Firyfloof]

That would be cool to know about how fursuits had all started out!

[@spindlespice197]

If you do end up making adjustments to the pattern/method someday I would love to see a video of it!

[@BlackMew13]

Huh funny, this is almost exactly how i made my very first tail XD I just didn't make a seperate casing for the inside :'D And no i didn't use any tutorials for that, i just winged it!

[@HappyfoxBiz]

you want a tip? you know those brooms they sell at Coles, Woolworths and all the other places... you take your inside out tail and loop the end that you want to push inside out over the end of the handle and start pushing down, keep pushing down and grunting until your inside out tail is the right way around, then walk out embarrassed because not only a lot of people saw you doing it... But you could have done it with the mop you have in the laundry.

[@kipper-0]

Super cool! I had a similar idea for way of making a tail because of how many doll customizing videos I watch where they make the tails almost in the same way. I think it turned out really well!

[@JOLT_x3]

Is it written in ancient script?

[@Jann03]

Are you kidding me?? I need to try it someday when I'll be making my own fursuit :DDDD

[@jaaaaaacccck]

Hah funny that's how I make tails poseable in my art dolls! But I obviously use a much thinner jewellery wire.

[@kiwitheparakeettiger1277]

oh crap! that’s incredible! well done!

[@ZombieZeke]

You know I've been trying to get my hyena tail to stand up properly, I think I'll be taking a page out of this tutorial!

[@wakeup6541]

Do you think you could make a tail with a secondary color, or a fluffy secondary like a husky tail?

[@SkyehighStudios]

Yeah! Just split the pattern down the middle and then you’d have a half and half!

[@FirecrackerTNT]

This feels like a very cost-effective way to make what I want to make!!! And pose-able!! Absolutely love it. Would you happen to know how to adjust this to make a wolf tail instead? Do you just… make it wider?

[@Sharkstixx]

Please do a video about the old cons! This was awesome!

[@Sykozona]

Im excited for the day i get a fursuit from skye

[@Welchito-hl7kh]

Man, im not a Fursuit maker. But it deffinetly gave me an idea. I wish i could Do it but i dont have the workshop for it.

[@karameru_xd]

I might try to use this method with my first fursuit!

[@therubypenguin8042]

[Item stat, rated 1-5] Vintage-style tail: Back waist cosmetic Strenght: 3 Flexability:5 Weight:1 Durability: 4