There's probably no kink-affiliated community more misunderstood or maligned than that of furries (sometimes known as the furry fandom, fur fandom, furrydom, or furdom). TV dramas have been known to sensationalize the image of costumed conventioneers humping each other as a prelude to sexually motivated, jealous murder (looking at you, "CSI," even though you are a personal favorite for this writer). There have been many so-called documentaries on cable TV featuring the furry community as a fetish, which has unfortunately led most of the world to view all furries as freaks in stained fursuits. Even other non-vanilla types aren't always helpful or understanding toward the furdom. Why is it OK for other sub-groups of the kinky community to look down on furries, anyway? We've decided it's time to dispel a few myths and discuss the history of the furry fandom in the hopes that we could all just get along.

What does it mean to be a furry? To use the simplest definition, furries have an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters and/or mythological and imaginary creatures. That interest might take the form of a fetish for some, but there are many others who feel a spiritual connection to a certain kind of animal akin to the concept of totem animals. They don't believe they are animals, but they feel the spirit of a given animal present within themselves. (While not strictly furries, on a similar note, otherkin identify as non-human, whether that means they identify as kitsune [fox], dragon, were-beast, elf, angel, etc.) Not all furries wear full fursuits, but they may wear a tail, ears, a mask... it's not quite the same thing as pony play, in other words - for one thing, it's not strictly for the purpose of kinky role-playing. Of course it's more salacious for those outside the furry fandom to think of the community as nothing more than perverts having sex in cartoon animal costumes, which probably says more about those who hold those beliefs than it says about furries themselves. We bet most people didn't know that furry organizations have frequently held charitable auctions to raise money for conservation, animal welfare, and Hurricane Katrina victims (see here for one example from Furry Weekend Atlanta). Mainstream representation of furries, from the "CSI" episode to MTV to an unkind Vanity Fair article, only encourages mistaken, negative beliefs about furry fetishism without mentioning any positives.

If you're thinking furries must be running rampant in the kinky porn scene, you're wrong. There isn't even much studio-produced porn that focuses on furry kink. Director Belladonna memorably paid homage in a scene from "Fetish Fanatic 7" with a couple of girls in bunny masks. "Fetish Fairy Tails 5" is all about the Big Bad Shewolf (the beautiful and very busty Summer Cummings) terrorizing the farmer's daughter, Snout Boy, and Miss Piggles before putting on a little solo show with some food. In scene four of "Fat Beach Patrol," you'll witness the surreal spectacle of a BBW going at it with a man in a shark costume. Furry fetishism is one small aspect of the fandom, but it's the one that gets the most attention. The sensational and titillating is what grabs people's interest, after all. Would it be so exciting to know that many furries just like watching cartoons and dressing up as animals out of purely innocent fandom?

Furrydom as a concept is said to have originated at a panel discussion of anthropomorphic characters in sci-fi novels at a 1980 sci-fi con. "Furry fandom" was being used in fanzines by 1983. But if you go back to earlier decades you'll find the most commonly cited early touchstones for the furdom: the Disney film version of "Robin Hood" in 1973; the novel Watership Down, published in 1972; and in 1965, the TV anime series "Kimba the White Lion." It's clear that furries have been around since long before the internet was widely available, but message boards, blogs, fan art sites, MUCKs (a kind of online role-playing game), and websites have helped the furdom get and stay connected.

Conventions are another excellent way for furries to socialize, to share their art, and to learn. The first convention for the fur fandom was ConFurence, held in southern California every year between 1989 and 2003. After noticing a growing furry contingent at sci-fi conventions, Mark Merlino and his now longtime mate Rod O'Riley began to throw the original "furry parties" at west coast cons in the late '80s before putting together ConFurence Zero in 1989. It wasn't a huge turnout but it was enough to encourage them to keep going. ConFurence 1 in January 1990 had 130 attendees and by ConFurence 9, in 1998, attendance was well over a thousand. The convention was handed over to Darrel Exline in 1999. Owing to a venue change, competition from other furry cons, and the dot-com bust, attendance dwindled below 500 by 2003, the year ConFurence called it quits. Even though it's gone now, the legacy of ConFurence is its influence on all furry cons that came along after it. Events included an art show, a masquerade, guests of honor, and an emphasis on fan-created content. Other cons would take this concept and expand upon it. Merlino didn't want to see the tradition of SoCal furdom cons die, so in 2004 he and Robert Johnson Jr. put together Califur. Anthrocon - held in Pittsburgh, PA - started in 1997 and has become the largest furry convention in the world. Anthrocon Chairman Uncle Kage (Sam Conway) is a celebrity in the furry community, also hosting a popular stand-up storytelling performance at conventions that never fails to draw a crowd. There's a list of furry conventions on Wikifur for those who'd like to find one close to them, including ones in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and all over North America.

If you can't make it to one of the cons or you want to keep in touch with fellow furries all year round, please check out our All4Fur forum here at Social Kink. We also recommend WikiFur as the ultimate guide to the furry community.