pandapaco
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Ten years since my first furry convention
🕑 Added 2025-07-01 17:37:09 +0000 UTC… and I’m going back to where it all started.
It hasn’t been easy planning this trip. Some parts of it hurt more than I thought they would. But I know this year’s Anthrocon is going to be a special one.
This summer marks 10 years since I went to my first furry convention, and I still remember all the nervousness and excitement I felt before that first event. I had already been part of the fandom for a few years (I joined in 2008) but back then, there were no furry cons in my country, and I knew I’d have to travel abroad to experience one. I wanted to make it count, so I chose the biggest con at the time: Anthrocon.
In 2015, a bunch of us (Targus, Ruakuu, Andy, Moof, Salmy, Oselotti) organized our first trip to Pittsburgh; all of us were going for the first time, and that made it even more memorable. I clearly remember the moment I suited up in my hotel room, heart pounding. I’d worn a fursuit before, even as a sports mascot, but never in a place where so many other fursuiters were walking around. I thought it was going to be overwhelming, but I stepped out… and that first walk through the con hallways is a memory I still hold vividly.
I couldn’t believe how many people recognized me. It was surreal.
That first Anthrocon left a huge mark on me, it became a con I’d always hold close to my heart, even if I can’t go every year (flights to Pittsburgh this time of year are so expensive).
But this year, I had to go. I felt the need to celebrate, and what better place than the con where it all began?
This will be my 60th furry convention overall, which means I’ve been to about six per year on average over the past decade. It’s also my fifth time at Anthrocon.
Back in 2015, Anthrocon had 6,389 attendees, and it was the biggest con in the world at the time. Now it’s over 17,000 and it’s not the biggest one. Maybe it’ll retake the crown this year (Who knows?)
Art Show
I’m not going as a dealer or artist alley participant this time, I’m taking this trip as pure vacation. But I am setting up a big Art Show exhibition, the largest I’ve ever done, with 22 pieces, including 13 original artworks.
I’ll post photos of the setup in my Telegram channel once it’s ready:
https://t.me/panda_paco
If you’re interested in any of the pieces but aren’t attending the con, feel free to ask a friend who’s going to help you out!
New fursuit debut!
Yes, I’ll be debuting a brand-new fursuit!
The one everyone knows is now 14 years old, so I think it’s earned a peaceful retirement.
This new suit has been in the making for 7 years, and getting it finished and delivered was a whole saga.
Long story short: the maker studio went bankrupt. I managed to contact the agency handling the bankruptcy and after a lot of emails and paperwork, they agreed to ship the head early (I still don’t know how I convinced them, but I mentioned Anthrocon and they made it happen) The head was sent to a friend who’s attending the con and will bring it to me there.
I’ll try to recreate some of the photos I took ten years ago!
If you see me around, don’t hesitate to say hi, give hugs, or take pictures.
Of course, I’ll be at the fursuit parade —the one in 2015 was one of the biggest highlights for me, and I’m not going to miss this one. (Unless the weather has other plans.)
Doodles for Charity
I’ve got lots of plans during the con, I’ve been marking panels and events I want to attend, like the Sunday Sightseeing Cruise and the Artist Reception in the Art Show.
I’m also teaming up with my friend Koidel for something special: we’ll be drawing in fursuit for charity, with donations going to “Nose 2 Tail Cat Rescue”, Anthrocon’s charity this year.
We’re still waiting to confirm if we’ll be assigned a charity booth or if we’ll be walking around offering drawings, but either way we’ll be doing this on Saturday from 5 to 6 PM, after the parade.
That’s all for now. I hope to write another journal after the con and share how it went.
To everyone attending this year:
See you there!
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Another announcements:
Bad Dragon and Onesies Downunder
I made two unexpected collaborations this year, one is with the brand of the black and red dragon, completely SFW, for a button up shirt design and two enamel pins, for their collection “How to Drain Your Dragon”, you can check them out here:
https://bad-dragon.com/products/shirtnoxnix
https://bad-dragon.com/products/drainyourdragonbundle
And the other one is for the age play apparel brand Onesies Downunder, with a design of an onesie, summer related, today is their release date, check it out here:
And taking advantage I’m already announcing shops and merch with my designs, I still have available enamel pins and Art & Biro comic books on my Ko-Fi shop:
https://ko-fi.com/panda_paco/shop
