The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters. The term "furry fandom " is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at furry conventions. In , cartoonists Ken Fletcher and Reed Waller created the amateur press association Vootie , which was dedicated to animal-focused art. According to fandom historian Fred Patten , the concept of furry originated at a science fiction convention in , [ 8 ] when a character drawing from Steve Gallacci's Albedo Anthropomorphics started a discussion of anthropomorphic characters in science fiction novels.
This led to the formation of a discussion group that met at science fiction conventions and comics conventions. The specific term furry fandom was being used in fanzines as early as , and had become the standard name for the genre by the mids when it was defined as "the organized appreciation and dissemination of art and prose regarding 'Furries', or fictional mammalian anthropomorphic characters".
During the s, furry fans began to publish fanzines, developing a social group that eventually began to schedule social gatherings. By , there was sufficient interest to stage the first furry convention: Confurence 0, [ 11 ] and it was held at the Holiday Inn Bristol Plaza in Costa Mesa, California.
Allegorical novels, including works of both science fiction and fantasy , and cartoons featuring anthropomorphic animals are often cited as the earliest inspiration for the fandom. According to a survey from , most furries believe that visual art, conventions, literature, and online communities are strongly important to the fandom. Fans with craft skills create plush toys and also build elaborate costumes called fursuits , [ 19 ] which are worn for fun or to participate in parades, convention masquerades , dances, or fund-raising charity events as entertainers.
Furry fans also pursue puppetry , recording videos and performing live shows such as Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends and the Funday PawPet Show , and create furry accessories , such as ears or tails. Anthropomorphic animal characters created by furry fans, known as fursonas , [ 24 ] are used for role-playing in MUDs , [ 25 ] on internet forums , or electronic mailing lists. Sufficient interest and membership have enabled the creation of many furry conventions in North America and Europe. A furry convention is for the fans to get together to buy and sell artwork, participate in workshops, wear costumes, and socialize.
