Quadrobers flooded Ukraine: who are these people in animal masks and with tails

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Game or threat – a new subculture is becoming increasingly popular in Ukraine. Quadrober children become the protagonists of curious and sometimes dangerous situations.

The younger generation wearing masks with the image of animals and false tails, moving on all fours, can now be seen not only in videos from the Internet, but also on the streets of Ukrainian cities. Sometimes the situation gets out of control, as, for example, in Mykolaiv, where an ATV hit a cyclist.

A new subculture

You must have heard or seen on the streets of your city children who are crying and imitate the behavior of animals – cats, dogs and more. And, most likely, they asked themselves: what is happening and whether the zombie apocalypse has suddenly begun. Meet – these are quadrobers. For example, recently one such weirdo caused trouble and hit a cyclist in Mykolaiv.

How did quadrobers come about?

Let's start with the fact that the world was first introduced to what quadcopters were by a guy named Kenichi Ito from Tokyo. Who should be thanked for such a sight in the middle of the city. In childhood, he looked like a monkey, because of this he often listened to ridicule from his peers, but he did not take offense. Once, as an adult, Ito saw a monkey running around the enclosure at an incredible speed in the zoo. Since then, Ito began to study the features of the locomotor system of the monkey and try to adapt the existing functions to the human body. It took 9 years.

Of course, Ito did not go unnoticed – an adult man running around Tokyo was repeatedly noticed by the police, but, nevertheless, the innovator achieved the desired results.

In 2008, he ran the 100-meter dash in 18.58 seconds; in 2013 – in 16.87 seconds; in 2015 – in 15.71 seconds.

Ito became a record holder, and American fitness trainers began to pay attention to the new running technique, which is why a type of training called “animal flow” appeared in the United States – “free movements in the style of an animal”, combining yoga, pilates, stretching, capoeira and break dance Simply put, at first quadrobikes were really only a form of exercise, not a subculture.

Who are quadrobers now?

In the modern world, quadrobers are most often people (especially children) who have become participants in a non-standard subculture that no longer has anything to do with sports. Nowadays, children who participate in the trend move in a turban, using thematic props – masks and false tails. For them, quadrobikes are not about physical activity, but about community and belonging to trends.

In the story “Breakfast with 1+1”, 19-year-old Nika, a representative of the furry subculture, said that quadrobikes are often confused with participants of other currents such as therians and the mentioned furries. In addition, there is a lot of false information on the Internet.

According to her, parodying the behavior of animals helps quadobers to relieve stress.

Stores responded to the fascination of children and teenagers with the theme of animals. The counters are full of various attributes. For the convenience of quadrocopters, accessories are even placed in separate corners. The head of one of the stores, Olena, admits that she noticed children's interest in such products as animal masks, chokers, fluffy bags, and ears as early as a year ago. Since then, Quadrobers with their parents come to the store almost every day.

Reaction of Ukrainians

People react differently to the subculture of quadrobers in Ukraine: some like to be photographed in costumes, while others do not support this trend.

What do psychologists say? 

Psychologists say that such fun can be useful for a child.

However, experts do not recommend allowing children and teenagers to parody animals on a permanent basis. 

What do parents need to know?

If the child has a happy life, and quad biking is one of his hobbies, absolutely nothing will happen to him. Now she just plays with her friends because it's fun, it's interesting, it's a way of expressing herself, and there's such a trend, but over time she'll realize that she doesn't need it. Such a scenario is real if the child has a healthy psychological immunity, a healthy psyche.

In the case when the child has not received a healthy self-identification due to the behavior of the parents, but has a distorted psychological immunity, problems may begin, says psychologist Vitaly Storcheusov. 

Such children do not fully know when to stop. They may be apathetic and consider themselves outcasts. Symptoms of a neurotic cycle are also possible, and neurosis works on the principle of “I attract even more to meet my expectations.” That is, according to the expert, if a child considers himself an exile, he will do everything to remain one, confirming this role.

“In extreme cases, children consider themselves animals. If a child said “I'm an animal”, this indicates that his psyche is severely damaged,” he said.

The psychologist advises parents to pay attention to how much time the child lives in the role of an animal, what part of life is reserved for him. If a son or daughter has this hobby, but has lost activity in other spheres of life, this is a “wake-up call”.

“You need to see if the child keeps common sense outside of the hobby. If so, then, most likely, the processes of introspection are taking place in her, which sooner or later will lead the child to a new path, where the young quadrober will get some result and change his views. If the child has closed in on himself, and his whole life is quadro-bearing, then this is 100% worth paying attention to, even if he does not identify himself as an animal. A hobby can only be a “bell” that there have been problems in the family for a long time. If the child was unhappy even before this hobby, then it is obvious that something needs to be changed in the family,” says psychologist Vitaly Storcheusov. 

Do you need to contact specialists? 

Storcheusov is convinced that if there are “alarm bells”, you should contact a child psychologist or a family psychologist. If it is completely trash, a qualified psychologist can advise you to consult a psychiatrist.

“Parents must not forcefully tear a child out of the environment of quadrobers, in order not to receive resistance from him and not to spoil the relationship. The child will choose the place where he is happy, so it is necessary to act according to the principle of cooperation. Relationships in the family should be established so that the child is ready to give up this hobby, since everything is good in the family. If the parents persuade the child to give up the quad bearing, it will make the situation worse. It is worth acting according to the principle of “wedge by wedge” – there should be more positivity in the family so that the child is independently ready to reduce the value of this hobby”, explained the expert.

It is possible to reduce the value of the hobby by establishing relationships between the child and the parents. Quad biking should not become the only way of life, but an additional hobby, something interesting, but not super valuable.

“If a child gets emotions only from this hobby, it is obvious that he will identify himself exclusively in it. If the quad bike is only 10% of her hobbies, then there is a chance that her quad bike friends will quickly “fade” against the background of more interesting hobbies,” says Storcheusov.