SECURING tickets and travelling overseas to support sporting teams is a reasonably hardcore effort at the best of times. Doing it in a giant, anatomically-correct kangaroo suit is, well, even more so.
Like all great concepts, the idea to create a human-sized, mascot-style kangaroo suit to wear to the 2006 World Cup in Germany was hatched over a few beers.
But instead of promptly dismissing it in the morning-after hangover haze, Brisbane architect Marco Giaroli - or ‘Strapper', as he was dubbed by his mates for unknown or undisclosed reasons during uni - subsequently set about carving a head out of glued polystyrene and a body and tail out of, well, brown, kangaroo fur-like material.
And tennis balls for testicles, of course.
The design requirements?
1. To be able to drink (beer) in it without undue difficulty (as any good outfit should allow)
2. To conceal his identity (Australian fans running amok overseas-who'd have thought?!)
The result is the impressive, impossible-to-miss ‘Strapperoo'.
So impressive, in fact, that he is often inundated with requests for photos and autographs - at one stage in Germany his autograph queue out-stretched the Socceroos' own. And despite the Italians thinking he was a giant rat, the Strapperoo has also received plenty of media attention, although he prefers to be "the people's roo" drinking beers in the crowd.
FourFourTwo caught up with the Brisbane-based Strapperoo to discover the ins and outs of wearing a furry costume in a sub-tropical climate.
So, is it hot in there? "F%&k yes. The hottest by far was first game in Germany against Japan. Spent around 20 hours in the suit. If there is a breeze, the suit can be quite cool. If no breeze, you need plenty of beers."
Mmmm. Sweaty, oddly-shaped suit - every dry cleaner's nightmare. Which is why they've apparently refused to clean it. Giaroli himself is a little concerned that it will fall apart if cleaned, declaring that there's "nothing a spray can cannot fix".
Fortunately he reports that the suit also helps with queue jumping - who's going to fire up at a giant marsupial? -although he's encountered some "marsupial discrimination" as not all pubs and clubs admit animals. Obviously they've never seen the Bundy Rum ads. He also concedes that bathroom breaks (which is, let's face it, what we all want to know about) can be challenging.
Which brings us to the dangling tennis-ball testicles. Having encountered the Strapperoo a number of times, it's fascinating to watch people go through the reactions: first, marvelling at the suit; second, registering and then commenting on the fact that the suit is ‘anatomically correct'.
Do people try to steal the balls? Absolutely, he says, "but they're attached by elastic so tricky to steal - most people just want to touch them."
Surprisingly, he's only lost his testicles twice. Once going down a slippery dip in Germany: "I made it to the bottom but left my balls 20 metres up the slide." And once in Nagpur, India (like all self-respecting Aussie males, the Strapperoo is both a football and cricket fan): "Our bus broke down so we were just running and jumping on any vehicles/bikes. Jumping into a caged ute I ripped my nuts off. Luckily directly behind me was a friend who caught them in one bounce. Both needed quick surgery."
Speaking of injuries, it's not kids but drunks who try to tackle him. And occasionally sitting on the testicles proves reasonably painful.
It also seems that real kangaroos aren't fooled by the suit - which begs the question of just how close he's had to get to them to test the theory out - but real women are. Still, he concedes, "on most nights it tends to be the wing men who take home the prize". Perhaps it has something to do with the shower in a can? Still, judging from the hot chicks in the pics with him, we're pretty sure he's just being modest.
The suit is also popular with mayors: "I made the front page in Kaiserslautern for having a beer with the lord mayor. At the time I had no idea who he was - he was more drunk than me." The article was there's-so-much-we-can-read-into-this entitled Mayor drinks with kangaroo.
In 2008 the Strapperoo was joined by an as-yet-unnamed emu* that Giaroli's sister knocked up in a 24-hour period. Think fluffy emu body that sits on your hips joined to a head and beak by a piece of material that runs up your back. Think uncannily skilled family who can whip up incredible costumes.
So can we expect to see Strapperoo and the emu at the 2010 World Cup? Not at this stage. They missed out on the first ticketing round and are now pinning their hopes on the next round or on FIFA extending a hand, perhaps as "part of an Australian-African animal exchange program". The Strapperoo is willing - and we quote - "to be prostituted out to them" in return. Mmmm, sweaty man in a kangaroo suit. Now there's an offer FIFA can't refuse...
* Any suggestions for a name are welcome.
