I'm all ears!

Especially when cosplaying a Kemono character hehe.

Ears are not all the same though, there can be huge differences not only in the price range; but are more expensive ones always worth it?

I advise you to get some snacks, I can talk for ages about this topic!

We'll start with the basics:

In general there are two main types of faux ears - clip ons and headbands. Clip ons tend to be on the inexpensive side. You can position them wherever you want on your wig, thus multiple angles are possible, and they're suitable for every head size not giving people with bigger circumferences a headache. On the downside they often look very cheap and don't stay in place properly (depends on the quality of the clips), in some cases you can't use them at all (e.g. on hard cap wigs, real hair is nearly impossible too).

The clip of the purple ears won't last long, the metal is too weak to properly hold them in place and will deform after a short time. The black clip is way sturdier and will last longer.

Headbands are the most used model and also the one with the most varieties. Looking at the headband itself we either have plastic (lightweight and more flexible in sizing) or metal (sturdier, long lasting and easier to hide due to being slimmer) and different ways of attaching the ears to the base, e.g glueing (for plastic, easy to repair but fixed into one position), by wire wrapping (suitable for all headband materials, movable on said band and sturdy) or even magnets (only for magnetic headbands or sewn in magnets, invisible attaching and most flexible positioning). The durability of the fixation is determined by the quality of the adhesive or wire and the craftsmanship of the maker.

Here you can see a standard quality metal headband with a very thick and sturdy wire. Those ears stay in place perfectly and won't budge a millimeter.

Another big difference are the materials and kind of base of the ears themselves. The first thing you notice is of course the fur (mostly faux fur); the important part is the density of the fibers and their overall look. Good quality faux furs are dense enough so you don't see the fabric base and only have a subtle and natural-like shine, sometimes even a gradient color in the tips.

The interior structure can be very complex or fairly simple, I'll just name a few methods because there are thousands of possibilities.

For clip ons the most common method is sewing together two pieces of fabric (often two different fur lengths and colors); it's very simple but also limits the height and achievable shapes drastically. It doesn't look anywhere near realistic either, but that's what you can expect for 2 € (or 15 € at a con...) right?

C'mon you all know these ones. I don't recommend them, save the money to get decent ones for just a bit more...

Another beginner-friendly method is a foam base. Here the shape of the ear is cut out of thin crafting foam and then covered in fabric which is glued onto. This gives the craft more stability and a broader range of shapes while still being easy to make and lightweight.

This pair is super lightweight and comfortable to wear due to the simple base and plastic headband. Made out of fairly cheap faux fur though and look very flat in person.

A combination of a foam base with a wire inlay can achieve even more realistic or fantastic forms, making 3D sculpts possible and granting even more robustness. The wire can also be used as a fixation to the headband and ensures posing options for the ears (e.g. one sided floppy puppy ear as seen below) which can be undone and done again at any time you want. Depending on the thickness of the metal and the size of the base the weight of the fluffy accessory can get quite heavy and thus difficult to wear for long periods of time though.

These puppy ears are fully poseable due to the inserted wire. I love the asymmetrical look the have here >///<

Taking my Kitsune ears as an example you can see how the wire exits the base, functioning as an attachment and shape stabilizer. The shape looks very realistic due to the natural looking sculpting.

The last method I'll describe is a worbla base. This also makes 3D sculpts possible but is not poseable at all. Only a few ear crafters I've seen use this, probably because cutting the material is more difficult (and you can't cut multiple layers in one go like with foam) and you have to shape the base with heat and let it cool down in the right position to get the desired shape. Unfortunately, I don't own any worbla ears yet, maybe one day though ^^"

Looking at the price range of ears you'll see vast differences as already mentioned. This is mainly not because of the materials alone but rather because of the experience an ear maker has gathered over their career and the techniques and the equipment they use. It takes a lot of time and money to develop skills like patterning and airbrushing, designs can get unbelievably intricate. The time and resources that they used to perfect those skills have and deserve to be paid as well; of course there are makers where you mostly pay for the name and experience they provide, but let's be honest: it is real craftsmanship, art and last but not least a luxury that ought to give you a pleasant feeling and look good.

Definetely one of my absolute favorite pairs (and one of the most expensive, too). They combine a perfected realistic looking kitten shape, multiple piercings and glued on rhinestones, detachable handmade bows and immaculate hand painted details that are UV reactive. All in all a masterpiece of ear making!

For me personally it's definitely a passion and I love to collect interesting and beautiful pairs, even if most of them don't necessarily have a pragmatic use. And even if the two boxes we currently use to store them are almost completely full, whoopsie (/▽＼)

What is your favorite pair that we already used? Let us know in the comments!