Quadrobbers: who are they, where does the subculture come from, and what should parents pay attention to
26 September 2024 11:56
In Ukraine and around the world, a new subculture called quadrobing is gaining popularity. Videos with quadrobs are gaining a huge number of views on social media, and the comments are full of both supporters of this trend and people who are categorically against this “hobby”.
Who are quadrobers, how they differ from furries and terraformers, and how this subculture emerged – read in the "Komersant Ukrainian"‘s article.
Quadrobbers: the history of the subculture
The person who founded quadrobing is considered to be a man from Japan named Kenicho Ito. According to Ito, because of his rather unusual appearance, his peers used to make fun of him as a child, calling him a monkey. However, this did not bother him at all, and when he visited the zoo as an adult, he noticed how fast the chimpanzee moved around the enclosure. Subsequently, Ito began to study the peculiarities of the primate musculoskeletal system and tried to adapt them to the human body.
For 9 long years, Kenicho Ito has been studying a new running technique involving all four limbs and trying to achieve the highest possible speed. It should be noted that his efforts did not go unnoticed, as in 2008 he covered the 100-metre distance in 18.58 seconds, becoming a record holder in this sport. 5 years later, he covered the same distance in 16.87 seconds, and in 2015 he entered the Guinness Book of Records, covering the 100-metre distance in 15.71 seconds.
After setting the world record in the world’s most popular sport, coaches from the United States of America became interested in this sport, launching a completely new type of training. It was called “animal flow”, which means “animal-style movements”. This type of training combined elements of other sports, such as yoga, Pilates, and others.
Thus, quad biking (or quadricycle) originally developed as a kind of sport that, by combining various types of physical activity, helped to use as many muscles as possible during a workout.
Over time, quad biking began to gain popularity among people around the world and grew into a trend, mostly among teenagers and children. Today, quadrobbing is seen as a subculture that involves imitating animal behaviour by people who wear specific props for this purpose. Usually, quadrobs wear a mask resembling an animal’s face, gloves in the shape of paws, and have a fake tail.
Quadrobbers, furries, and therianthropes: what’s the difference?
Quadrobing is one of the most popular trends among subcultures that imitate animal behaviour. However, in addition to quadrobs, there are also furries and therianthropes. The main differences between these subcultures are as follows:
- Quadrobers – imitate animal behaviour by repeating their movements, sounds, and wearing clothing elements that resemble animal ears, paws, and tail;
- Furries are fascinated by animals with human characteristics. In other words, supporters of this subculture mainly imitate cartoon characters who can have human facial expressions, walk on two legs or wear clothes;
- Therianthropes – believe that they were born in the wrong body because they have the soul of an animal. In other words, such people believe that they should have been born as an animal.
It should be noted that such subcultures as quadrobing and furries may be just a teenage hobby or play the role of a hobby in a child’s life. Instead, therianthropes undergo a kind of mental change when a person begins not only to imitate animal behaviour, but also to identify themselves as an animal.
What should parents of quadrobers pay attention to?
If your child is fond of one of these subcultures, you should closely monitor the development of this interest, as quadrobbing can be both a hobby and a signal of possible psychological problems. Psychologist Vitalii Storcheusov, in his commentary for the UNIAN online edition, notes that if a child is actively interested in quadrobbing, but at the same time remains socially active and maintains a balance between hobbies and other areas of life, it may simply be a form of self-expression.
However, you should be concerned if quad biking becomes the main activity in a child’s life, as it may indicate problems with self-identity or mental health. In such cases, parents should pay attention to changes in their child’s behaviour and, if necessary, contact a child or family psychologist.
It is important not to put pressure on the child and not to forbid them to engage in this hobby, as this can only exacerbate the situation and worsen the relationship between the child and parents. Instead, the psychologist advises creating a positive family environment so that the child gradually loses interest in this subculture.
The author: Olya Yushko
