Dogpatch Press

The new all-time fursuit auction record is worth a nice car or some people’s yearly income. (Highest commission is a different number.) It’s been 3 years since the last record by MixedCandy: A look at furry business with a $17,017 record fursuit auction price, July 2018.

Shifting winds of tech and business helped make this possible; it has to do with porn, politics, and payment providers. We’ll get into that… but I’m sure that wasn’t on the mind of Zuri Studios, the maker based in the Czech Republic with a fluffalicious folio of “god tier fursuits“. (This auction is a contract to create one, not an existing fursuit.)

Zuri Studios just found out there’s no business like sew business.

$100K fursuit when?

Tripling the record since 2018 gets steaming hot takes on social media. How can any suit be worth so much? 

Like any painting or original object, it’s because something’s rare and someone’s willing to pay. (Try offering less for this one!) The price isn’t just the worth of one costume; it’s for years of school and practice, growing clients and a business, and developing networks for knowledge, trade and materials. Fursuits aren’t art to hang on the wall, they’re eye candy you hug at cons. When live events thrive, it makes a market. But you don’t have to fight for this fursuit when there’s makers for many budgets, who share free DIY maker knowledge. There’s more room for makers to be pro-fans when one can get such a big reward.

But how does that kind of purchasing power come from furries?

Cryptocurrency investing rides a wave of regulation

The answer starts here: Pornhub and Xtube purge millions of videos, telling furverts to “beat it”. It goes with furries making six figures with erotic art or working on Onlyfans, but getting squashed by the SESTA/FOSTA law that shifts liability onto websites. It’s the same friction all sex work faces, like bank account freezes, denial of licenses and high cost to exist. Let’s call the friction vs. demand for service the fap-gap.

Porn is huge, and the fap-gap brings capital flowing in if it can make things smoother for a profit. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency is developing payment with less friction. Together they bring Venture Capitalists investing in a new coin.

$CUMINU (based on the Etherium blockchain):

• In May 2021, this concept-coin appeared with a newly registered website and social media channels.
• It ties to the porn industry to create a pay system that serves adult business users in the fap-gap.
• It has experienced rich investors and is aiming for long term utility, not just a get-rich-quick meme by nobodies.
• It will have a platform to use it: “A mix of Pornhub, Only Fans and Cameo that offers a new adult social experience.”
• It’s being launched with big porn stars and mainstream influencers way bigger than furry fandom.

DISCLAIMER IN CASE OF HOT TAKES: THIS STORY IS NOT AN AD. Crypto has a huge problem with burning energy. I don’t use it. I don’t recommend speculating. I also don’t think sex work, regulation, or crypto is going away. This is simply reporting what happens and why. (See “A Furry’s Guide to Cryptocurrency” and beware of scams and bullshit.) When you’re armed with info, go ahead and write editorials.

Talking to auction winner Myst Dingo

Whatever your take on cryptocurrency, this sounds real and it’s funding the $50,000 fursuit buyer, Myst Dingo. Rumors ran wild because Myst was seen advertising $CUMINU; people guessed he might have even founded the coin and bought the fursuit as a stunt to push it. Those rumors aren’t true. Myst is just an individual investor who anticipates doing well and the suit is minor in comparison. Like someone buying a fancy car but an artist gets paid.

Myst Dingo responds:

Hehe, the coin is what give me the cash. It’s run by someone whose already rich. I’m open about it because it’s who I am. I’ve never been a fan of folks who throw cash around pretending to be loaded but it’s family or whatever. In the end, I got lucky. And Zuri deserves it. I’m supporting the token because the NSFW space gets really bad rates and taken for a ride from payment providers. It’s time to go to a platform where they have no control and pass those savings to the girls (and guys) who put themselves on display every day. We’ve even had issues with this kinda thing in the fandom if I recall.

As for a pump dump or whatever. Naw, they intend to and are making something game changing. It’s not my coin, it’s just one I got lucky on.

The ultimate plan, should things pan out is to build a charity/philanthropy YouTube channel. Similar to MrBeast. Figured I was in a position to give a single artist 50k, so that’s a heck of a start. Then it also makes sense to have that level of quality should this coin turn into what it can be. Then I can start giving out tens to hundreds of thousands for videos. I’m not taking credit until the suit is fully paid off. Full transparency, it’s 5k a week for 10 weeks. I’ll pay it off immediately should that token spike to a certain level.

Also, there’s no other maker I’d do this for.

A mix of market and fandom

This was a big event for The Dealers Den, the furry auction site. They also want to offer alternative payment options along with card or Paypal: The Dealers Den plans to rebuild with unprecedented features and Blockchain technology. However they don’t take a closing fee – which would be thousands an auction site like Ebay – which makes not-for-profit service.

Keep in mind fursuit making isn’t a get-rich business, one fursuit isn’t a goldmine, and it’s not a payday for a big corporation. Fur isn’t more rare, and freely shared knowledge of makers didn’t get more exclusive. The market isn’t cornered. The sale was paid in USD (not crypto) by an investor who’s already here. More than anything else, the source of money is a topic. With payment in USD, what’s an artist supposed to do about that?

Is this bad for the fandom? Readers can hash out the merits of artists getting paid by unorthodox means. Will the fandom be pissed about problems with it? Of course. Can they help solve the problems so artists can succeed without being in the doghouse?

(6/7/21: A few closing lines and link added.)

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