Furry

A furry is a person who is interested in or creates fictional anthropomorphic animal characters who have human traits. This group of people make up the furry fandom. Furry characters (called fursonas, especially when referring to someone's personal furry characters) can walk on two legs, talk, or even have human intelligence. Another word for a "furry character" is an anthropomorphic character, which means a character which has some human features. but, unlike Anthropomorphism however, Anthropomorphism is also utilized for objects and much more too.

Many different stories have furry characters. Fairy tales and mythology often have animal characters who talk or do other human things. Books, comics, children's books, video games, and toys can have furry characters too. The most popular cartoon character that is a furry is Disney's Robin Hood.

Sometimes, people draw porn of furry characters to fit their sexual interests. Quite a few people believe this represents a large part of the furry fandom, and it gains significant news attention. There is a common misconception about furries, being that furries also have sex with animals. That is not true for most in the furry community, despite how many people believe it. More information on that in the “Sexuality” section.

What is Furry?

Things that make furry people different from other animals in stories:

Animals that are just as smart as (if not smarter than) people
Animals that act like people by smiling or other displays of feelings
Animals that can talk like people
Animals that walk on two legs like people
Animals that wear clothes that look like people's clothes, like t-shirts and pants.

Stories about people who can turn into animals, like werewolves (wolf-men), are considered furry as well.

Fursona traits

To have a fursona or furry character, that animal needs to look or act like a human in some way. Here are some of the ways:

Talking
Showing their feelings like humans do, by smiling and frowning
Walking on two legs
Wearing clothes
Living in houses or working at jobs
Having Human Intelligence

It's also important to say here that there's also "feral" sections of the fandom. They focus more on the animal aspects of the character, and most feral furry characters don't talk or do many human activities.

Not all of these features have to be on a fursona for it to be a furry character. Some furry characters can be thought of as "fursonas" without walking on their hind legs or having jobs. An example is a "quad-fursona," where the fursona (Especially transformed into a fursuit) is walking on all fours.

A character does not need to have fur to be a furry. A lizard or bird character that has these features could also be a furry, although they may also be called a "scalie" or an "avian".

Furry characters in art

Humans are good at reading human body language, but less good at reading animal body language. Art showing animals smiling or frowning like humans makes it easier for humans to know how the character is feeling.

Because humans have been around animals for a long time, humans expect certain animals to act certain ways. Art that gives animals human traits tells people what to expect from those characters. For example, many cultures see foxes as clever, so many people will assume a fox fursona is clever.

Art in the Furry Fandom is very important, in fact. In order to get a fursuit, you have to submit a reference sheet showing your fursona character at 360 angles. It's also a way to make profit or just show off your skills. At furry conventions, there are auctions, a Dealer's Den (a place to buy products from makers in the fandom), and presentations that have furry or anthropomorphic art in it.

Fursuits are another piece of art in the Furry Fandom, with each one being unique and special!

Fairy tales and mythology

For thousands of years, people have told stories and made art with furry characters. Egyptian mythology has many gods who are part animal and part human. Roman mythology has a story about a minotaur, which is part bull and part human. The werewolf of European mythology is part wolf and part human. There is also Aesop's fables, that usually have animal characters talking in them.

Cartoons and video games

Many cartoons, shows, and movies have furry characters. Examples include:

Looney Tunes,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Kung Fu Panda,
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. (Though this one has it's own fandom that separate from furries, called the bronies) and
Zootopia.

Many video games also have furry characters. A few examples:

Furry fandom

In the modern day, people from all around the world make up the furry fandom. Many of them meet and talk to each other the Internet, but they also meet in real life. Furry websites like FurAffinity and DeviantArt let people share pictures, stories, music, games, and animations that have furry characters.

Fursonas and role-play

Furries often make up a "fursona", or anthropomorphic animal character to represent themselves in the fandom. Often, but not always, the fursona species is that person's favorite animal. When it's not their favorite animal, it's an animal that represents them the most. These people sometimes talk to each other playing as their fursonas. Role-playing isn't exclusive to furries, but it is a big part of the community. These role-plays usually happen over instant messaging or forums, but sometimes happen in real life, like at furry conventions.

Furry conventions

Furries sometimes meet at conventions to talk about their favorite characters, buy art, make friends, and show off their fursuits. These meetings may also have music, dancing, and parties. Conventions are usually held in large hotels, so there is enough room for hundreds or even thousands of people.

Group of furries in fursuits at a convention taking a picture together

The largest furry conventions are Anthrocon, Midwest FurFest, Further Confusion, RainFurrest, Furry Weekend Atlanta, and Eurofurence. Many others happen all around the world each year.

A fursuit at Anthrocon, one of the world's largest furry gathering.

Fursuits and other costumes

Some furries dress up in "fursuits", which are cosplay costumes that look like their fursona. Fake fur is used to make these costumes, so they can be many different colors. Some fursuits look very much like real animals; other fursuits look like cartoon characters or legendary creatures, such as a fursona having a toony style or fursona species that is fantastical like dragons or unicorns.

A person who wears a fursuit is called a fursuiter. Fursuits may cover the person's whole body, or just part of it. A fursuit that covers the whole body is called a "fullsuit." A suit that covers only part of the body (usually the head, arms, and feet, plus a tail) is called a "partial suit" or "partial." With a partial suit, the rest of the body is covered with clothes to hide the person inside. a "quarter suit" is a suit that covers all parts of the furries body except the torso.

Fursuits are almost always one-of-a-kind. This is because they are often based off of a person's fursona that they made themselves. Some are made by the person who will wear them, others are made by other people who make them for money.

People usually wear fursuits for fun. Sometimes people feel less shy in a fursuit because no one can see who they are inside, and only the thing they want to be seen as on the outside. This can make them feel more comfortable dancing, playing, hugging, meeting people, or being silly. People may also wear fursuits to be a mascot for a charity or event, usually one related to animals.

Inside a fursuit, it can be difficult to see and hear. Fursuiters often have a friend called a "handler" to help them cross traffic or use stairs. In any weather (especially in hot temperatures), fursuiters must be careful not to overheat. This can lead to heatstroke and heat exhaustion. That's why furries often have water bottles or ez cooldowns padding on them.

Slang in the furry fandom

Like many groups, the furry fandom has its own slang. "Murr" is a word used to show you like something or find it attractive (sometimes sexually). "Scritching" is gentle scratching; in the furry fandom, this is a way to show you like someone, like hugging. "Yiff" is a slang word for sex, and comes from the sound a fox makes during sex. Not many furries like that slang. A "fursuit" is a cosplay costume that looks like a furry character, or "fursona". A fursona is an anthropomorphic animal character someone makes up for themselves. The word “snoot” is slang for snout. Furries often "boop" snoots; this means gently pushing or tapping a fursuiter or furry's nose, usually done as part of roleplay, as a greeting, or for fun. The word "beans" refers to the paw pads of an animal, fursona, or fursuiter. "Poodling" is a word used to describe someone showing their skin during partial suiting. A lot of "graymuzzles", or older furries are against poodling because it "breaks the magic". Breaking the magic means to get out of character while fursuiting. There is also "Milfurs", who are furries that have served in the army (Can be any kind of field). Babyfur is a subsect of the furry fandom used to describe a person who favors (sometimes in a sexual manner) having a toddler fursona or items such as diapers, pacifiers, etc. The overall furry fandom does not look kindly towards these Babyfurs for various reasons.

Sexuality

Furry pride flag seen with the NorCal Furries at the 2022 San Francisco Pride Parade.

Only around 20-30% of furries identify as heterosexual. 28.8% of furries identify as homosexual, 23.4% identify as bisexual, 16.5% identify as pansexual, and 10.5% identify as Asexual. The rest either don't know (5.8%) or identify as something else (4.9%). Around 3.2% of people in furry fandom admit to being sexually attracted to animals, or zoophiles.