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My first "mainline" Pokémon game was Pokémon Ruby on the Game Boy Advance (I saved up chore money and I was so, so proud of my GBA.) Before that, I'd only ever played the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube side games... And while I hold Pokémon Snap near to my heart, going on my own Pokémon Journey in Ruby left me starstruck!

Some of my first exposure to fursuits was finding Pokémon costumes online, especially CanineHybrid's awesome Shadow Lugia and Groudon suits. I had a... rough relationship with cosplay in 2023, and I decided on a whim to attend my first furmeet after finishing my last anime convention of the year. I was curious and getting kind of nostalgic about my early cosplay journey during the pandemic, revisiting those dream cosplay plans. I've always liked mascots and fursuits, but I hadn't felt ready to commit to give it a serious try before that point.

I didn't... have a fursona, though. I didn't think I wanted one, either. But I like cosplay. I like Pokémon. I could... be a Pokémon. I scrolled through the Pokédex, looking for a balance of criterias: something easy to translate its design as a partial, simple enough in execution for a proper first fursuit project, and I had to actually like the Pokémon! I ended up landing on Wurmple, half because I thought the buggy butt would be hilarious to make (I was right), and because I quite enjoy bug-types.

Wurmple's fursuit was completed in a rush for the furmeet; everything was custom patterned, with a bucket head method base for the head, and furred with minky. It features a central vision slit (hidden between the connection of the mandibles to the forehead), and a hole in the chin area for air circulation. The tail is built like a large plush, with a solid nub base for support.

I love Wurmple; one of my favorite thing is coordinating cute little outfits with the suit! The build went pretty smoothly despite the unorthodox head design and it's relatively comfortable: it breathes really well, and a neck fan can blow straight into it without holding it, but the field of vision is very poor. I had a lot of fun goofing around at the furmeet, and people welcomed me there with open arms. It encouraged me to be a little bit more cringe and free, and is part of the reason I eventually dabbled into original fursuits instead of just cosplay suits. Over time I modified Wurmple to make the vision hole a bit wider and to make it a bit bigger inside. (It was a little tight.)

Wurmple paved the way for my Sonic suit, another one of those big childhood dreams. But Wurmple isn't just a stepping stone; he's a fun suit in his own right, and I love taking him to events.

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