True story - I happened to be vacationing in Japan when this character debuted on the new “Digimon Tamers” anime series. My friend and I instantly knew at that moment “the furries are gonna be ALL over this!”, and we even considered the possibility of buying up a bunch of Japanese Renamon merch to resell at conventions in the US, and get the jump on the craze before the show made its eventual way there. (didn’t end up actually doing it though.)
My one shining moment of predicting a fan trend before it actually got started. Also fun to think about, according to Wikipedia, the “Digimon Tamers” anime debuted on Japanese TV April 2001, with Renamon apperaing in the 3rd episode on April 15th, making this only a day or so off from the 20 year anniversary of Renamon’s animated debut.