Cosplayers often go to painstaking lengths to look like their favourite characters from science fiction. But one man has taken his dedication to a new and very hairy level.
It takes Paul Smith 300 hours to make each Chewbacca costume that he wears at conventions across the country. The 54-year-old has spent thousands of pounds building his collection. It includes six Wookiees – the species Chewbacca belongs to in Star Wars.
The process starts when a friend sews a mesh suit. Paul then buys bags of hair extensions from wig shops. “I need about 45 bags of hair extensions per suit,” he said.
BBC Scotland (Steve Morley)
Fox news
A crafty fox picked up an RSPCA officer’s mobile phone and dumped it in bushes.
Ben Fitzcosta had set up the device to film the rescue of an injured vixen when her curious mate pounced in Bagshot, Surrey. The phone recorded the theft – and Ben saying “I can’t believe that” as he fetched it back. The vixen is recovering at a refuge.
Metro (Amanda Welles)
Signalling failure
A gift bag for menopausal railway staff working for Avanti West Coast has been called an “insulting gimmick” by unions.
The pack included a fan for hot sweats; a jelly-baby sweet “in case you feel like biting someone’s head off”; a tissue “if you’re feeling a bit emotional”; and a paperclip “to help you keep it all together”.
The Guardian (Lyn Hedges)
[See also: This England: What a stink]
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This article appears in the 28 Feb 2024 issue of the New Statesman, The QE Theory of Everything