Furries

[Rewrite in progress; follow the links below for more information on Furries]

What is a Furry?

In brief, Furries are animal characters who are highly anthropomorphic, especially in terms of intelligence, behaviour, emotions, communication, and culture. Additionally, people who are fans of such characters are also referred to as Furries.

[Work in progress]

History

Pre-Fandom

The interest in “intellectual animals” has been as old as civilization. Anthropomorphic animal characters are found in the art of many ancient cultures. From the gods of Egyptian mythology to Native American animal related spirituality are all considered an early form anthropomorphic characters. The earliest example of anthropomorphic literature commonly cited by furry fans is Aesop’s Fables, which dates to around 500 BC.

[19:28] you can see the rain curving towards his face
[Work in Progress]

Furry Fandom Roots

The 1980s saw the debut of several key comic book series starring humanoid animal characters, including Steve Gallacci’s Albedo Anthropomorphics (June 1984), Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (May 1984), and Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo (first episodes appear in Albedo Anthropomorphics and Critters anthologies, circa 1984; standalone publications began in 1987).

Though all three series (and similar comic book works) gained much praise, partly for their use of “funny animal” characters in more mature and serious contexts, Gallacci’s Albedo series is the one regarded as being the most influential to the creation of the Furry fandom. An illustration of Albedo’s main character Erma Felna — presented by Gallacci at the NorEasCon II World Science Fiction Convention in Boston, Massachusetts on Labor Day weekend, 1980 — and accompanying written notes planning the Albedo Sci-Fi comic serial gathered significant attention at the convention, and generated much conversation about the use of intelligent animals in science fiction and fantasy. Subsequent conventions (such as Worldcon and Westerncon) featured informal gatherings to further the discussions about anthropmorphics, and to share other independent anthropomorphic drawings and concepts.

4chan and the Fandom

Furries and 4chan had been long time rivals on the Internet ever since 4chan launched. Many believe that because furry cartoons does not fit the anime-oriented 4chan when it started out. Furry porn has become a common thread topic on 4chan over the years. Unlike usual furry usage that involves no nudity, nearly all furry usage on /b/ is pornographic. 4chan is most often blamed for furry stereotypes.

[Work in progress]

Present Day

[Work in progress]

Video: “Furries – An Inside Look”

Furries – An Inside Look from Curt Pehrson on Vimeo.

References, Links & Further Reading

Article References

• Wikipedia articles: “Furry fandom”, “Anthropomorphism”, “Kemono”
• TV Tropes articles: “Furry Fandom”, “Petting Zoo People”, “Funny Animal”, “Civilized Animal”, “Sliding Scale Of Anthropomorphism”
• Wikifur articles: “Furry Art”, “Funny animal”
• Anthrocon website —“Just what IS ‘Furry’ fandom?” / 2006-03-28
• YARF! The Journal of Applied Anthropomorphics — A Chronology of Furry Fandom / 1999-02-02
• “The Furry History Project” by Perri Rhoades (in progress, occasionally revised).

Furry Websites

• Fur Affinity [dot] net — the Furry fandom’s “largest online community”; hosts artwork, animations, literature and music
• ArtSpots — a Furry artwork gallery for general audiences; advertised as “a place for people who want to improve, hone, and share artistic skills and knowledge in a professional environment.”
• WikiFur, the Furry Encyclopedia
• Flayrah – “Furry Food for Thought” — Furry-relevant news, features, media reviews, opinion pieces, etc.
• The Fursuit Archive — a site which documents fursuit-related media (pictures, videos, Furry conventions and their public media coverage, etc.)

Public media coverage

• Pittsburg City Paper — “Animal Passions: The furries come to town … and our correspondent tails along” / 2006-06-29
• Pittsburg Tribune-Review — “Furries purr over Pittsburgh reception” / 2007-07-06
• BBC Magazine — “Who are the furries?” / 2009-11-13
• Bizarre Magazine — “Super Furry Animals” / 2008-05 (PDF)
• Hartford Advocate — “Hell Hath No Furries” / 2007-11-01
• Montreal Mirror — “Welcome to the jungle: Montreal’s furries and furverts defend their unusual lifestyle” / 2001