Parents of 24-year-old waiter discovered he's 'a furry' - and immediately embraced his bunny identity, even appearing in his TikTok videos

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A waiter whose parents discovered he is a furry when they walked into his bedroom to find him dressed in a bunny costume has said his family immediately embraced his hobby.

Owen Mullett, 24, started dressing up as a furry – an animal-like character with its own name, costume and personality traits – after stumbling across TikTok posts about the practice during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Mr Mullett, who lives in Darlington, Durham, got 'more and more interested' in the community and eventually began to message furry social media creators, before attending his first convention and eventually making his own videos, amassing more than 15,000 followers on TikTok.

Although his clips do attract 'a lot of hate' and homophobic comments, his family have been supportive of his hobby and he stresses that it's a 'misconception' that being a furry is a sexual fetish.

His 10-year-old sister even donning the animal headpiece because she finds it 'hilarious' and the family embracing him occasionally wearing the costume around the house.

Owen Mullett, 24, (pictured as a furry) started dressing up as a furry – an animal-like character with its own name, costume and personality traits – after stumbling across TikToks

Mr Mullett, who lives in Darlington, Durham, has started making TikTok videos as a furry

After attending his first convention, Mr Mullett's parents discovered him making a TikTok video dressed as a furry in his bedroom one day.

But to Mr Mullett's surprise his family immediately embraced his hobby, especially his mother, 40.

'My mum just looked at me and went, "What is that, what have you got on right now?" and I just thought, you're going to see it anyway, it's funny, isn't it?' he said.

His mum responded 'That's brilliant, I love it, it's so silly, it matches you perfectly,' Mr Mullett said.

'It wasn't the reaction I was expecting but it's the best outcome I could have hoped for,' he said, adding that his family's support has been 'really nice actually'.

The furry fandom has brought Mr Mullett a greater sense of community, as he 'went from having my little group of four friends to over 100 friends that I interact with regularly' and connected him with his partner, who is also a furry

After attending his first convention, Mr Mullett's parents discovered him making a TikTok video dressed as a furry in his bedroom one day

Mr Mullett added: '[Their support] helps me be a lot more free around the house to make TikToks and my mum's even been in a TikTok before, she really enjoyed it.'

Mr Mullett says the furry community has 'improved my life'.

'It's a fandom where you can be yourself, you can express your creativity, you can be free in yourself, there's no judgment, you're just you,' he said.

The furry fandom has brought Mr Mullett a greater sense of community, as he 'went from having my little group of four friends to over 100 friends that I interact with regularly' and connected him with his partner, who is also a furry.

'It's taken me from a place where I didn't have many interests, I didn't have much going on, apart from my work life and just hanging out with friends,' he said.

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'It's given me a place where I can be me.'

Under his fursona – furry persona – Shoyo, Mr Mullett has two different fursuits and each one allows him to inhabit a different energy.

'When I'm in my original suit, I'm a lot more jumpy around, energetic, it's complete chaos. It's just a bit more fun,' he explained.

'When I'm in my new suit, I'm a lot more quiet and a lot more chilled out, mainly because it's not as cartoony as the other suit, it's a little more peaceful, so I like to fit in with how the suit looks.'

When Mr Mullett attended his first convention wearing a fursuit in November 2022 he was 'really nervous actually' and 'really scared' but enjoyed bringing a smile to people's faces in his furry costume.

He has since attended three furry-specific conventions in the UK and described them as spaces 'that I can be with friends in an environment where we all feel safe and I feel happy'.

Mr Mullett said: 'It's like being a kid again, you can do anything that you want without worrying about what others are going to think of you.'

Under his fursona – furry persona – Shoyo, Mr Mullett has two different fursuits and each one allows him to inhabit a different energy

Mr Mullett says he needs to be 'careful' when meeting up in public spaces like parks with other furry friends wearing a fursuit

When Mr Mullett attended his first convention wearing a fursuit in November 2022 he was 'really nervous actually' and 'really scared' but enjoyed bringing a smile to people's faces in his furry costume

At these conventions he has been to 'loads' of furry raves, saying that 'dancing around to loud music dressed in a silly costume is hilarious' and adding that they are some of 'the best experiences I've ever had'.

One TikTok video which his mum appears in is a comedy skit showing Mr Mullett in his fursuit walking through his house and dancing in the kitchen, while his mum dances in the background.

He said: 'I've walked around my house in my fursuit, like I've made a TikTok and I've just thought 'Ugh, I need to get something downstairs, I'll just walk across'. My family looks at us like I'm crazy but it's funny.'

His mother in particular is 'really interested' in the furry fandom because 'she loves the sewing aspect' and 'has gotten really into watching videos of fursuit makers', he said.

'My little sister is extremely fond of wearing my suits. If I leave it on the bed, she'll put it on her head and walk away with it, she just thinks it's hilarious.'

His mother in particular is 'really interested' in the furry fandom because 'she loves the sewing aspect'

The furry community has helped him feel 'a lot better' in himself, connected him with dozens of new people and opened up additional interests such as art, which he hopes to pursue as a career

He has been to 'loads' of furry raves, saying that ''dancing around to loud music dressed in a silly costume is hilarious'

However, he says he needs to be 'careful' when meeting up in public spaces like parks with other furry friends wearing a fursuit.

He added: 'There's people who don't agree with it. I've had loads of stares before, but I'm an open person so if anyone wants to ask me anything, I'm more than happy to share.

'There are also small kids around so you've got to be careful, for one, scaring them, you don't want to scare a kid in a giant animal costume, but also, they're expensive so you've got to be careful because you don't want them to be damaged.'

Mr Mullett paid £800 for one fursuit and around £970 for the second, while his partner made him a bodysuit to wear with both of them, which cost around £350.

He makes comedy skits for his TikTok account @yaboiloki, which has attracted a lot of attention online

Mr Mullett paid £800 for one fursuit and around £970 for the second, while his partner made him a bodysuit to wear with both of them, which cost around £350

He makes comedy skits for his TikTok account @yaboiloki, which has attracted 'a lot of hate', including 'threats' as well as 'silly, stupid remarks' but it is 'water off a duck's back'.

'Most of them are homophobic comments, for some reason. It's really weird, because I don't post anything that's LGBTQ+,' he explained.

Mr Mullett said there is a 'misconception' that being a furry is a sexual fetish.

'People can do whatever they want to do, but it's not for me, it's not what I do,' he added.

Mr Mullett said outside of his furry costume and the conventions he is more of a reserved person and just goes to work and college

'While (being a furry) is a big part of my life, it isn't something that defines me as a person,' Mr Mullett said.

However, he added, the furry community has helped him feel 'a lot better' in himself, connected him with dozens of new people and opened up additional interests such as art, which he hopes to pursue as a career.

Mr Mullett said: 'I'm more of a reserved person in real life – I go to work, I come back home, I draw, I go to college – so when I get to put these suits on and I get to go to these events and conventions, I can let myself be a little bit more free.

'For me, the furry community was a big step. It was something that I wasn't sure about. I was uncomfortable about the idea (at first) and to learn about it and start understanding it was a great experience.'