Syber and Skittles prowl the halls (photo by Orzel; more)

Visitors to this month's Califur had low expectations after last year's disappointing experience.^[1] Instead, hotel and convention staff delivered what attendees dubbed "the best Califur by a wide margin", "light years better than the last time" and "the best year yet".^[1][2][3]

The registration count rose 23% to 720,^[4] with several dealers reporting a decent profit.^[5][6][5][7] The event made much of its safari theme, printing the now-common personalized room keys. Several fursuiters played along, accessorizing their costumes with plastic guns and crossbows; at least 87 participated in the fursuit parade.^[8]

Some commented adversely on the presence of Cal Cotton, a dealer in real fur tails, mink-tipped floggers and scrimshaws.^[9][10] It was not their first year, though, and despite recent activism against the use of real fur in plush toys, many attendees saw no real problem.^[9][2]

Califur 4's venue was memorable for all the wrong reasons — a disappointing ice-cream social,^[11] filming (albeit by furries) in the halls,^[12] and a wedding reception forcing the event into what one con-goer described as a "furry ghetto" of black curtains.^[13][14] The curtains were so notorious that their lack was advertised as a feature of the new hotel, the Irvine Mariott.^[15]