Yeah, it’s Fourth of July. But did you know that the biggest Furry Convention in the world is also going on this weekend? Yes, Anderson Cooper brought it to my attention. I really wish I could go this year, but instead I’m in Denmark, the country with supposedly the highest population of happy people (ugh).
This is a good overview of all the different kinds of creatures you'd see at Anthrocon. I kind of think wearing jeans is cheating, though.
For just $200, this “one of a kind” art can be yours. Go here for some NSFW shots. I dare you. (Via Crappy Taxidermy)
You get Juggafurs! Juggalo makeup with furry costumes.
Santa had one particularly flamboyant reindeer.
And I thought they smelled bad on the outside. DeviantArt user and self-described “animal mortician” Zhon made this super-creepy tauntaun costume.
Furries are just like scientologists or doctors — they use a bunch of weird terms they made up. Here’s your pocket furry dictionary:
Fursona: A portmanteau of furry and persona. It’s what animal you identify as.
Yiff: The joyful noise furries make when they copulate. Can also be used as a verb, i.e. “last night I yiffed a hot wolf.”
Yiffy: Horny
Pawing Off: Masturbating
Mate: Wife/husband/girlfriend/etc…
Tailhole: Butthole
Scritching: Scratching behind one’s ears
Anyfur: Anyone
Cuddlick: Cuddling and licking
Furplay: Foreplay
Furson: Person
Huggle: Hug + snuggle
Lagbeast: A mythical creature that slow servers for furry sites are blamed on
Plushie: A stuffed animal that a furry carries as a totem
Otherkin: People who identify with a mythical creature like a wizard of dragon instead of a real animal.
Greymuzzle: Older furry
Therians: People who feel their true spiritual identity is an animal, though they may not dress outwardly as one
When not dressed in fursuits, furries appreciate the finer things in life, like art.
This weekend, BuzzFeed will be heading to Anthrocon, the largest furry convention in the U.S. For those who aren’t familiar with the furry lifestyle, here’s a primer.
What’s a furry? Furries are people who like to dress up in animal costumes and enjoy role-playing as their animal “fursona”. Sure, not all furries actually dress up, some are just fans of the furry world, or only role-play online. Within the furry community, there’s a lot of distinction in the finer points of the identity, but for our purposes, let’s just say it’s people who wear the fur suits and people who are furry admirers.
They have much better moves than I ever will.
Here are the latest fashion trends from Anthrocon 2012. You didn’t think simply a fursuit was enough, did you?
Furries are party animals. Here’s what went down this weekend at Anthrocon.
I hung out with furries for 3 days straight. I kind of loved it.
Why, hello, furry friend.
Furries have spent a lot time being the butt of jokes, considered by even 4chan as perverts and serious weirdos, a seedy underbelly of the internet. But does the most maligned group online deserve such a terrible reputation? After spending three days among furries at a convention this weekend, I can confirm they are indeed huge weirdos, but they also have an endearing wholesome earnestness. And more importantly they are really, really fun.
Anthrocon is the largest furry convention in the world, held in Pittsburgh since 2005. Approximately 5,000 people attended with 1,000 of those in full fursuits. The distinction between those in fursuits and those without isn't an accurate meter for level of dedication. The suits start around $2,000, so many who would like to wear a suit simply can't afford it, especially younger furries in high school or college. A group of recent college grads I spoke with all wished they had suits but it wasn't in their budgets. Meanwhile, the convention admission is a reasonable $60 for 4 days.
The Pittsburgh convention center has a main large hall for vendors of furry accessories and an "artists alley" where you can commission artists to create artworks of your furry character. In smaller rooms, there are panel discussions, meet-and-greets for groups by species, and board game rooms. There was also a talent show, dance competition, and performances by a furry acrobat from Japan. At night, a ballroom turned into a booze-free dance party.
Anthrocon vendors in the main convention hall.
People who didn’t have full costumes typically wore just a fuzzy tail or a pair of ears, and were mostly in their early 20s. Though I couldn’t see the faces of the people with full costumes, known as “fursuiters”, several furries told me they estimated that the fursuiters were about 80% male, and averaged around 21-24 years old.
I met several couples, gay and straight, who attended together. One couple, “Aphox,” a female fox, and “Balto Woof,” a male wolf, met at a previous convention while working at the sales booths in street clothes, and later started attending together in costume. “Balto Woof” works for a custom fursuit company, and had lent “Aphox” the fox costume she wore.
At Bronycon this weekend, I recognized two familiar faces and a distinctive dino suit. Indeed, this same father son duo were at the furry convention I attended just 2 weeks before.
A furry event in West Windsor, NJ was canceled due to “inappropriate behavior”. Oh my.
According to Briget Clerkin of the NJ Times, a recent BBQ event called "Fur-BQ" was shut down by police after things got out of hand. The furries are officially disinvited from holding another event there, because a couple engaged in what was described by township attorney Mike Herbert as "inappropriate behavior".
As Furaffinity user ebonyleopard described it, "for the kids, it was like seeing a live reenactment of a Discovery Channel documentary, just with more colorful looking animals."
Basically: two furries were getting it on in public.
On Furaffinity.net messageboards, furries were dismayed and angry at the culprits for ruining it for everyone else. One of the organizers posted in a message thread:
Because what was done has shed such awful light on furry to the general public in the area that pretty much no one would even think of hosting us. This 'issue' was brought up in an open town forum and televised on public access tv. There is photographic evidence on file with the town, pd, and mayor.... Trust me this is worse than we are leading this to be.
You naughty furries!
Photo by Flickr user ^..^James. / Via photos.nj.com
LINK: NJTimes - 'Furries' party at West Windsor rescue squad building included 'inappropriate behavior
Thanks to @DicconHyatt for the tip.
Via nj.com
Photographer Nikki Loehr provides a first-hand look into the gas attack that occurred at the 15th Annual Midwest Furfest.
Photographer Nikki Loehr provides a first-hand perspective on the bizarre chain of events.
Nikki Loehr
Nikki Loehr
