Furries In The Media

Not happy about this NatGeo trailer

2013-05-18T02:15:40Z

NatGeo trailer for an upcoming season of Taboo lumps furries in with ponyplayers, extreme body modifiers, satanists, etc. and the "furries" shown isn't even a real gathering as it's obviously staged.

Showing off your ‘fursona’ on campus

2013-05-15T15:20:03Z

Here is an article from May 14, in the online version of the Coast Report, the student newspaper of Orange Coast College in Orange County, California.

The article describes the Orange Coast College Furry Club, with a brief description of the fandom by campus furry Alex "Ace" Nobles.

Maybe you’ve seen them in the cafeteria.

Maybe you’ve wondered a bit about the furry tail.

Maybe you’ve even been just a little curious about what that silver fox tail actually means.

Well, here’s the answer.

The students with tails attached are part of the Orange Coast College Furry Club and with about a dozen club members, the club’s main focus is about honoring anthropomorphic animals with human features.

“Each person chooses their own species, expressing their own character called a fursona, which is the presentation of oneself or the qualities admired in other artists,” club member Alex Nobles, 19, a music major said.

People are furries in different ways — some see it simply as art while others walk around in fur suits. Or, some wear a tail while others just participate in club meetings, Nobles said.

It started with a guy sitting in a booth and has grown to an actual club.

Nobles’ persona is Ace because he wears an ace of hearts in his hat as a good luck charm that he carries with him, he said. He wears a silver fox tail representing his fursona.

The Furry Club meets from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Mondays in Social Science room 104 and members said they talk about news, anything interesting, any new characters in movies and upcoming conventions.

The club is a self-supporting and most members are males.

Nobles said most of the time he doesn’t get negative feedback for being a furry and for the most part people are just curious about why he wears it.

“As long as you are not obnoxious and weird, people don’t seem to mind,” Nobles said.

Lion and mythical warg to join Bundy's second furry party

2013-05-10T09:24:05Z

Here is an article, dated May 10, in the Fraser Coast Chronicle, a daily newspaper serving the Fraser Coast area of Queensland, Australia.

The article (which makes the mistake of equating furries with fursuiters) describes next month's Bundaberg Furmeet.

HOLD on to your tails - Bundaberg is about to become furry central.

What is a furry you ask? Well, while definitions vary, a furry is generally a person who dresses up in an animal suit and takes on a "fursona" in line with their animal alter-ego.

Furries can come in all shapes and forms from leopards to lions, foxes, rats, pigs and every furry critter in between.

This year will see Bundaberg's furry community hosting their second event which will see people from all over the country converge on the rum city for the two days of fun.

On June 15, paying members of the local community with gather for fun and dancing with a special public fun day planned for the botanic gardens on June 16.

Hayden Grant (aka Bingo Fox) said the Furries in the Park event should be popular.

"I'm expecting around 50 paying attendees from around Australia and about 25 people with fursuits," he said.

The main drawcard for the Sunday event on June 16 will be an appearances by Alex the Lion and King Julian from the Madagascar movies and also a new quad-suit (which walks on all fours) of a warg, which is a mythical beast from the Lord of the Rings.

logoTV

2013-04-28T10:38:54Z

this is one of those. odd ones.

http://www.logotv.com/video/what-i-think-im-an-animal/1706138/playlist.jhtml#vid=902354

seems to play better in Ie than firefox for me.

Scenes from Furry Weekend Atlanta 2013

2013-03-18T17:45:21Z

Here is another article in Atlanta magazine, about Furry Weekend Atlanta (a followup to their earlier article).

The article contains quotes from convention-goers Razz, Phorone, and Jonus, and is accompanied by a slideshow of photographs.

On a weekend that seemed perfectly suited for the park—clear skies, and generous 70-something-degree breezes—some 2,400 people from around the world descended on the Westin Peachtree Plaza to suit up for something completely different: Furry Weekend Atlanta, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.

From March 14 – 17, attendees of the annual convention—designed for fans of anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics and behavior to animals—gathered over three main hotel floors for a mix of events, from poker and video game tournaments to a talent show, as well as panels on topics such as fursuit making and Furoticon, an adult trading card game. And, as with any event that attracts such a huge crowd, convention goers were as colorful and diverse as the programming itself: some attendees wore basic accessories, like cat ears, while others remained in full suit for the entire convention. “What outfit?” asked “Razz,” a Chicagoan dressed in a dog suit. “I am a puppy.”

Some attendees, such as “Phorone,” were drawn to particular events: the twenty-two-year-old from Seattle was attending his fourth Furry Weekend Atlanta, which he says has become his favorite of the conventions because of the dance competition; he placed third this year. “The dance contest began in Atlanta, and it still has the best one,” he said. “People aren’t just having fun on the dance floor—many are professional dancers who come with choreographed routines.”

Others, like “Jonus,” a website designer from Pittsburgh, had come for an escape, both mental and physical. “I work sixty hours a week, so it’s fun to meet like-minded people and also get some exercise,” he said of the convention, which he was attending for the first time. “I’ve met so many friends from around the world, from England to Prague, and there’s a tremendous sense of community here.”

Furry Weekend Atlanta turns 10

2013-03-13T16:01:11Z

Here is an article in the March 2013 edition of Atlanta magazine (a monthly general-interest magazine based in Atlanta, Georgia). It mentions the upcoming Furry Weekend Atlanta convention, and interviews con director Tiger Paw.

Please don’t tease the animals.

“It’s considered a breach of etiquette to sneak up and pull someone’s tail,” says the man known as “Tiger Paw,” founder and director of Furry Weekend Atlanta, which celebrates its tenth anniversary March 14 to 17 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. “It’s hard to see and maneuver inside one of these big animal heads—not a lot of peripheral vision—so you don’t want to make someone fall.”

However, you are encouraged to bray, roar, and howl with a cuddly menagerie at the convention, which features panel discussions on costuming, music, and dancing; video game and comic book vendors; improv skits; and art exhibits by and for furries, or people who enjoy modeling animal-mascot costumes and other customized ensembles known as fursuits.

Furry fandom, which celebrates anthropomorphic characters, formalized in the 1980s as an offshoot of sci-fi/fantasy conventions. It has suffered some image problems, such as when an episode of CSI erroneously conflated furries with plushies, or plushophiles, a separate subculture of people who sexually fetishize stuffed animals.

“That has nothing to do with us,” says Tiger Paw, explaining that FWA is a PG-rated event attended by families with children. The fourth-largest fur convention, FWA should draw 2,200 this year; the biggest—Pittsburgh’s Anthrocon—attracts some 5,200. Of course, “there is some partying back in the rooms, as there is any time you get thousands of people with shared interests together,” says Tiger Paw. “But sexual activity is not our mission.”

Furry identities vary, taking cues from Disney (The Lion King has its own following), Aesop, and anime. “It’s all about anthropomorphism, or having fun with combinations of human and animal traits,” says Tiger Paw, a thirty-six-year-old IT specialist. “It’s a very personal quest. For some people, it’s about art and creative expression, and for others, it’s about an affinity with a particular totem animal.”

He falls into the latter category, sporting a small feline charm with his civilian clothes. “I’ve always loved big cats and especially liked The Jungle Book when I was a kid,” he says, noting that a percentage of FWA admission fees supports the Conservators’ Center, an exotic animal sanctuary in North Carolina. Furries are big on honoring their muses.

Nationally a few dozen whimsical couturiers specialize in fursuits, which average $2,500 but may top $10,000 if they include animatronic effects. These outfits are not a requirement for attendance at the convention, and some revelers slack off with just ears and a tail or no costume at all. Occasionally a Storm-trooper, seemingly lost from Dragon-Con, wanders into the mix. “Fursuits are usually either cute and cartoony or growly and feral,” says Tiger Paw, who moonlights as a red panda in his less ferocious moments.

“We’re subject to trends like any other group,” says Tiger Paw. “For a while, wolves and huskies were hot, and lately otters seem to be gaining steam.” While these critters are as diverse as any other ecosystem, their human alter egos are predominantly male professionals in their early twenties. Happily for them, more women are picking up the scent and arriving in vixen-wear.

“Part of the appeal of being a furry is that you get to be a kid again,” he says. “You walk around in a suit that makes people smile with joy the moment they see you—it’s addictive.”

H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion (The ABCs of Death - Film)

2013-03-13T05:56:58Z

Coming to a large screen hopefully near you (or already on a small screen digital download).

From wiki:
The ABCs of Death is a 2012 American anthology horror film produced by Ant Timpson and Tim League. It contains 26 different shorts, each by different directors spanning fifteen countries. The film is divided into 26 individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death. The varieties of death range from accidents to murders.

H: H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion Director: Thomas Malling
Writer: Thomas Malling

This short shows animals with human bodies. A male dog is at a strip club and is aroused by a female fox. As she removes her clothing, a Nazi symbol is revealed on her arm. A small toy-like tank drives up to him and produces a metal fist that punches him between his legs. A series of contraptions emerge and restrain him. She laughs while he is being electrocuted and hung over spikes in water to die. A locket around his neck opens and reveals encouraging words. The words echo in his head: "Keep calm, my son, carry on." He manages to escape his restraints and defeat the fox. He pushes her into the spikes in the water. Her skin melts and her body explodes.

Slideshow: Furries Converge on the Boise Hotel and Convention Center

2013-03-12T12:41:13Z

Here is an article from March 11, in the Boise Weekly. It concerns last weekend's FurIdahho convention.

Article text:

Hundreds of furries converged on the Boise Hotel and Convention Center March 8-10 for the 2013 FurIdaho: Furries In Time and Space Convention.

Furries share an affinity for fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities. Don’t get it? It’s like an anime convention or Comic-Con, but instead of Sailor Moons and Green Lanterns, attendees are decked out in furry, full-body animal costumes.

The event included an art show, a dealer’s den and a long list of workshops, panels and activities like a parade and the Furry Olympics.

(The article includes a slideshow of photographs from the event.)

furrymedia @ 2013-03-04T23:02:00

2013-03-05T07:02:08Z

I came across this while watching this show tonight. This was shown in 2009 (I think), but thought it would be funny to mention here.

1,000 ways to die: #412 Em-Bear-Assed

April 16, 2001
Mojave Desert

Palmdale, CA A man under the influence of magic mushrooms comes across a group of furries in animal costumes engaged in sexual encounters around a campfire in the desert and attempts to join in, but is rebuffed. He mistakes a nearby mother brown bear for one of the participants and is mauled to death.

http://www.spike.com/video-clips/o0i2tl/1000-ways-to-die-em-bear-assed

Enjoy!
-J

Not like that Doctor in THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER

2013-03-03T22:38:04Z

http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/gp-artist-draws-inspiration-from-animals

“'The principle of the strip is that I always want to create a good picture of GPs’ preferred standard of excellence,' Dr Hilton says.

“'I don’t want to create Doc Rat as a greedy, money-grabbing, rude or incompetent GP. I want him to be a doctor we can all be proud of. I make cartoons because I have something to say, and it forces me to distil my message into a few words and images.'”

http://www.docrat.com.au/

furrymedia @ 2013-03-02T20:21:00

2013-03-03T04:21:24Z

Gawker:
Furry Convention of Unacceptable Adults’ Scars One Hotel Guest’s Cheerleading Children for Life

http://gawker.com/5986711/furry-convention-of-unacceptable-adults-scars-one-hotel-guests-cheerleading-children-for-life?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_twitter&utm_source=gawker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Found this on Twitter.
-J

VancouFur 2013 furries displaying their inner selves in hippy, happy costumes

2013-03-03T02:48:10Z

Here is an article (dated March 2) in British Columbia's The Province newspaper. It concerns this weekend's VancouFur convention, and includes comments from furries Mic the Squirrel, Xeonae the Coyote, and Jacky the Rabbit.

Fur is flying in Burnaby this weekend.

More than 450 people turned out for VancouFur 2013, a “furry” convention aimed at educating and entertaining attendees in the furry fandom.

On Saturday, the lobby of the Executive Hotel and Conference Centre was a zoo of people in animal costumes, called “fursuits,” as well as those with simple tails and ears.

While a fiddler played a tune, the furries paraded throughout the hotel, dancing and howling. The parade included several dragons, wolves, dogs, rabbits, unicorns, an alligator and a bull.

Later, in the “headless lounge,” a room where furries can take off their animal heads without offending others who would rather stay in costume, several furries spoke to The Province about their “hobby.”

A middle-aged man who goes by the name “Mic the Squirrel” said he attended the convention “for fun.”

With a day job at a car dealership, Mic sometimes wears his suit to draw traffic onto the car lot. He also attends parties and events in costume. He bought his squirrel suit on eBay for $50, a good price as some suits can cost thousands of dollars.

Many furries make their own costumes as well, such as “Xeonae” the coyote, who said VancouFur is her first convention.

“I’d heard about furries and I wanted to try it out,” she said, fanning herself with a paw. The suits are very warm.

Beside her, “Jacky,” a local artist with a rabbit “fursona,” tried to define the furry subculture.

While he admits people identify with the group for various reasons, he believes it’s closely connected to the hippy subculture.

“I think this is the most welcoming group I’ve ever found,” he said of the furries. “Everyone is welcome, everyone is happy.”

The costumes are a way of expressing what’s inside, of emphasizing the traits that make each person unique.

“We all find different ways of expressing ourselves,” he said.

For Jacky, that means a rabbit fursuit.

“I have an affinity to rabbits in general,” he said.

His personality traits align with typical rabbit characteristics, and he was drawn to the creatures as a child.

A few years ago, a friend invited him to his first furries event.

She eventually made his first rabbit costume for him.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Furry Fandom & Cosplay groups meet up at local parks

2013-02-17T21:48:33Z

(There is a video at the original source, I'm just on an old computer right now and can't post it)

http://www.cbs8.com/story/21217948/furry-fandom-cosplay-groups-meet-up-at-local-parks

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Have you ever heard of Fandom, Cosplay or Furries? More and more San Diegans have found new groups of people to socialize with and these meetups provide an added bonus for members - dressing up in costume.

"One day I just surfed the net, and I found out San Diego has a Furry meetup and I found my place to fit in," explained one member of the San Diego Furries.

To be a member of the Furries all you need are some paws and furry tail. However, some members have a complete furry costume, some of which cost close to $900.

The group meetups happen once a month at a local park. According to one member, the group has been going strong for a year and attracts people from all walks of life.

"I'm in the military, and I'm a helicopter electrician," said one member.

Now we head down to Seaport Village, where another meetup group is getting together – this one with less fur and more makeup.

Cosplay members dress up like their favorite anime and film characters.

"We're not a bunch of nerds hanging out in the park. We're a big group of friends that treat each other like family. And this gives us a place to belong," said one Cosplay member.

The group's leader says he wears a "remotely, detonateable collar" that tracks his position.

"I'm totally a nerd I'm into all the Japanese stuff. I'm also a computer nerd, a gamer," he continued.

He also likes the social aspect of the group, saying:

"I've gone on dates, but nothing serious at the moment."

However, some members have made love connections. One member of the San Diego Furries met her boyfriend through the group, saying she couldn't have met him any other way

Hello Kitty In Space or Should I Say Stratosphere

2013-02-16T20:47:37Z

Only furry that she used her Hello Kitty Doll But still interesting

By now only a few on this earth has not heard of how a 7^th grader, Lauren Rojas, has sent Hello Kitty Plush 93,000 feet up in the stratosphere as part of a science project.

Having looked at the video, she did an excellent job of presetting her experiment during the flight, the pictures are spectacular and hello kitty in her rocket is just so cute. The rocket parachuted back to earth 47 miles from the launch point, in a tree; a likely place for a kitty. Hello Kitty is safe and sound back on Earth. The video went viral and new report has been seen all over the world and on National TV.

Not to detract from Ms. Rojas feat, some in the media is reporting this is Hello Kitty’s first trip into (or near space). That honor really should go to Melissa whose Hello Kitty has flown with The Expedition 9 Crew in 2004. I quote from part of that post.

“This is to certify that Hello Kitty accompanied the Expedition 9 Crew in their long duration space mission aboard the International Space Station. This item was flown for the wonderful Melissa (last name omitted for obvious reasons).

The Expedition 9 Crew was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on April 19, 2004, at 9:19 a.m., aboard the Russian Soyuz Spacecraft TMA-4, and return to Kazakhstan on October 24, 2004, at 6:35 a.m. aboard the Soyuz Spacecraft TMA-4.”

I also thought Hello Kitty as Soyuz crew mascot aka Micro Gravity Indicator some time ago.

Still way to go Lauren for Hello Kitty first altitude Balloon mission.
Now I am thinking with many tech and science geeks in the fandom: A furry Near Spce Inititve to send a plushie uip.
Full Report : Hello Kitty says hello to space, thanks to Antioch teen's science project

Fursuit Video linked in Political Blog entry

2013-02-15T21:45:37Z

While the linked article really has no furry content, the author decided to put up a link to EZwolf's Furry Gangnam Style. Per the author "No, not the video in question, it's just entertaining."

From "Wingnut PAC Used Female Interns For Simulated Sex Video With Hillary, Panda Bear"

Kooky-Con? 6 highly unusual conventions (incl. Anthrocon)

2013-02-09T05:34:28Z

Source
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/kooky-con-6-highly-unusual-conventions

"Where can folks preoccupied with anthropomorphic animal characters — “furries” — gather to socialize, hone their role-playing and gaming skills, partake in acting workshops and roam a cavernous convention hall wearing a homemade fursuit without frightening small children? Why, Pittsburgh of course."

Full story at link

Tom Broadbent: At Home with the Furries coverage

2013-02-06T15:37:33Z

The ordinary home lives of dragons, gryphons, and mystical deer

http://io9.com/5981272/the-ordinary-home-lives-of-dragons-gryphons-and-mystical-deer

Over the last few years, photographe Tom Broadbent ad been getting to know and photographing people who participate in furry fandom, fursuits and all. His ongoing serie At Home with the Furries hows fursuited folks in ordinary settings doing ordinary things. On the one hand, his photos show the mundane side of folks who participate in the fandom, but on the other, they create fantastic scenes in which mythical creatures have to do their laundry and make their breakfast just like everyone else.

You can see many more photos from this series on Broadbent's website.

Tom Broadbent Documents All Those Furries That You See on Forums

http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/02/04/tom-broadbent-documents-all-those-furries-that-you-see-on-forums/

If you’re used to creeping around 4Chan or Reddit, you’ll know the story about furries. For the rest of us, they’re a meme of a sort that started at a Sci-Fi con as a drawing and then went viral. At the heart, they’re personified animals–and they digg sexy time the way humans do. We’ll stop right there.

Tom Broadbent ecently did a project documenting people who cosplay as these characters, but wanted to show them doing daily everyday tasks. This is similar to the project documentin superheros during daily life hat was done previous.

Head over t Tom’s site or the best web viewing experience.

It's a surreal life, 'At Home with the Furries'

Tom Broadbent has spent the past few years photographing "Furries" — people who spend parts of their lives dressed as anthropomorphic animals — away from the confines o conventions and events. He's published his work a At Home with the Furries a series depicting furries in everyday scenes. The result is a whimsical, fantastic set of images, that plays the furries' spectacular costumes against the stark contrast of some truly mundane settings.

20 years ago. Wow. . .

2013-02-06T13:32:38Z

"A look inside the world of FURRIES"

2013-02-06T00:18:39Z

Here is an article (dated January 28) about furries, in the Out & About Newspaper, a monthly, tabloid-sized newspaper focusing on the Nashville and Knoxville (Tennessee) GLBT communities.

The article interviews locals Joseph Jackson, Gaysian of Clarksville, and James Tipton (whose definition of a furry - "someone who identifies with having an animal soul in a human body" - is more like therianism).

Article text:

What is a furry? Being a furry is embracing an animal side, living with one or more alternate animal personas but despite embracing animal nature, it’s also about being human.

Even within furry communities there are variations to what being a furry means exactly. ”Being a furry means to have a love of anthropomorphic creatures no matter what degree of animal characteristics,” said Knoxville resident Joseph Jackson.

Gaysian of Clarksville, who has asked to use his fetish community name as opposed to his real name, identifies a furry as "embracing animal-like characteristics with behavior or physical appearance."

Nashville resident James Tipton echoed both of these explanations. “A furry is someone who identifies with having an animal soul in a human body. [They] may have a certain affinity for an animal or may be someone who wished they could be an anthropomorphic version of an animal.”

Still confused? Think of the Patronus Charm from the Harry Potter series- an animal is created from a person's individual personality to protect them.

A furry's animal identity is referred to as a fursona. While the three furries varied slightly on their definitions of a fursona, they agree it is essentially the part of themselves they relate to an animal.

Tipton uses his black wolf fursona to envision himself as a natural leader. He faces his challenges head-on. "I defend those people that are close to me -like a pack)- and help others when I can," he said.

Gaysian identifies spiritually with three animals: a black panther, a white stallion and a black dragon. He calls on each of his fursonas for different situations.

His black panther defines his every day personality. “Panthers are independent, strong-willed and at times affectionate, but should still be feared and respected,” Gaysian shared. He finds himself purring, pawing at objects like a cat, rubbing against objects to leave his scent and other cat-like behaviors.

His white stallion represents his Korean heritage. It’s a symbol of mobility, wealth and power. He said he calls on this when he needs to hold his head high; this fursona empowers him with nobility. In order to be unbiased during the interview, he said he was trying to suppress his fursonas but felt his white stallion fursona present.

In regards to his black dragon, Gaysian is still working on figuring exactly what that fursona means to him. "You have to find our own path, find your own meaning. You have to find out what comes with the spirits," he said. “Finding out a fursona can be done through many means, such as meditation, tarot, spiritual reading and physic means.”

Jackson talked more about the emotional impact of his fursona, a cat-person with milky, pearl white ears. "It's not me, by definition my fursona, my alter-ego, is everything I wish I could be."

In actuality, Jackson sees his fursona as the characteristics he has muted in order to fit in. "Other people may laugh at the fact that you talk to yourself. Others give them a name and hold onto them because sometimes they may be everything you've ever wanted to be and wanted screaming at you from the back of your head."

Gaysian said most people imagine furries to be in the big suits going to conventions to get together to have sexual relationships. Jackson attributed this perception of furries to media portrayals. None of the three furries interviewed have ever had sex in a fur suit.

"Not all furries have sex in fur suits," Tipton said. "Not all racecar fans drive Lamborghinis."

Gaysian said the conventions are for people to let themselves be as they see themselves to be, and to be around people who feel the same way. "[There is] no perverted purpose behind it. It is a chance for people to be free," he said. Tipton mentioned many furries form deep friendships with each other.

Another common misconception with being a furry is it's a way for people to legally practice bestiality. "It is more about the emotional connection as opposed to the sexual and physical one," Gaysian said.

Jackson said it’s a completely ludicrous thought that furries want to have sex with animals. He explained “Just because people want to have sex with the Playboy Bunnies doesn't mean that people want to have sex with actual rabbits,” Jackson joked. "People relate with the animal, not have sex with the actual animal." Jackson thinks it will take a long time to undo the black stain the media has painted on the furry community.

Like the others, Tipton says he enjoys women wearing furry ears and tails but he has no interest in real animals.

Ultimately for Gaysian, being a furry is just a part of who he is. "I present myself as I am and people either like it or don't like it." Now that’s one animal instinct we can all relate to.

Review: "Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony"

2013-02-04T10:53:10Z

I first heard about MLP-FiM from a feature on the "Know Your Meme" website. And after I saw the first two episodes I thought: "This show could be BIG in the Furry Fandom." Three seasons later not only has the show become popular with many Furries but surprisingly the show spawned its own fandom: "Bronies".

There's been a lot of talk about Bronies in the Furry fandom, unfortunately mostly negative. Older adult Furs think of them as annoying hyperactive teenage and college fanboys. Other Furs just don't like the show so they blast them or any Furry who loves the show. And with the reputation we Furs have gotten from the mainstream media since the early 2000's most Bronies don't think of Furries highly either. They believe the same Furry "sex freaks" stereotypes that Anime, Sci-Fi fans and internet trolls believe, and also blame our fandom for giving their fandom a bad reputation.

Yet despite all the dislike and misunderstanding there's plenty of crossover between fandoms. Furries such as Dustykatt and MandoPony (formerly known as MandoAndy) became popular Bronies via their videos and songs on YouTube. And there's many artists and others who were once Furries who became tired of the drama or reputation of our fandom and "Joined the Herd".

What impressed me most about the Brony fandom is how fast it grew from its beginnings on 4chan. In a just a few months image and news sites like Equestria Daily appeared along with the announcements of the first Brony conventions. The Furry Fandom took decades to grow to the size of the Brony fandom because Furs didn't have the technological advances of broadband internet, cellphones with Twitter, Skype and instant streaming YouTube video to promote it in its early years.

My observation is the Brony Fandom has become a interesting crossbreed of Anime "otaku" fan culture with the personalization (customized ponies similar to our "Fursonas") and the "Love and Tolerate" close-knit community of the Furry Fandom. It may be the first time that Anime fans and Furries have worked together to create a new fandom.

So why did I spend $12.99 to download a (DRM-Free) Mp4 copy? Well besides being interested in their Fandom for a few years now and trying to gain a better understanding of it, I was also curious how well Bronies could create their own documentary.

"Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony" originally begin as a kickstarter project budgeted at $60,000. But thanks to very generous donators wound up with a $322,022 total (whoa!).

The creators used the extra cash well to travel around the world (Israel, UK, Germany and the USA) to interview Bronies and to film at several Brony conventions. They also managed to rope in MLP:FiM creator Lauren Faust, voice actress Tara Strong (voice of Twilight Sparkle) and John de Lancie (voice of the villain Discord and "Q" on Star Trek:The Next Generation) as executive producers. It also features very entertaining and funny original animation created by JanAnimation, with John de Lancie serving as narrator. It's not perfect. The pacing tends to drag a little in spots, spending too much time on an individual and the cinematography ranges from professional to sloppy (shaky and out of focus shots) during the convention scenes.

The documentary features interviews with Faust, Strong and de Lance, along with short interviews with several well known Bronies. But the main focus of this documentary is on several teenaged Bronies as they are first interviewed along with friends and (bewildered) parents, and later as they travel to conventions. One Brony is very young who brings his father to BronyCon in New York. Another is dealing with Asperger syndrome. Others are artists and performers who have never attended a Brony convention before and wondering what's going to happen and how they'll be accepted.

There isn't many "squick" moments besides a quick and funny mention of "clopping" (aka "pawing" in our fandom) and a interview with the founder of BronyCon, "Purple Tinker" a transgender person/woman. From what I dug up on Google she has caused some serious drama in the Brony Fandom with her outspokenness and threats to competing Brony conventions. And she may have been a furry at one time (no surprise!).

To corral this up "Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony" does an fine and entertaining job of portraying a very positive and exciting image of the Brony Fandom. I wish the Furry Fandom had the time, people, resources and especially the cash to create a documentary this well made and entertaining.

(Comments are welcome - but please no bashing!)

Look Out! FurCon 2013 Takes over San Jose.

2013-02-01T12:23:38Z

http://www.sanjose.com/news/2013/01/19/furcon_2013_mcenery_convention_center

San Jose is once again ground zero for the wild and weird as Further Confusion, or FurCon, takes place this weekend at the convention center. Corey Strom, vice chairman of this year’s event, was nice enough to take a moment out of his busy schedule and break down exactly what FurCon is and isn’t.

Josh Koehn: In a nutshell, what is FurCon?
Corey Strom: Further Confusion is a celebration of the anthropomorphic arts. Anthropomorphism being the blending of human and pretty much anything else. In our case it’s animals and fantasy creatures. While the costumes bring the most visual impact to the convention, traditional artists, sculptors, performers, singers, musicians, gamers, dancers, and general fans make up a much greater chunk of the attendee population.

What was the most creative “fursuit” you saw at last year’s event? So far this year?
The quad suits were quite awesome. I particularly liked the Woolly Mammoth running about. I have seen her this year as well.

Last year, I joked that FurCon is “the city’s annual hot mess” and a celebration of fetishism. You disagreed with my description. How come?
Further Confusion pictures itself in quite a different way. First and foremost, FurCon is a 501c3 charitable organization. Our charter revolves around charity, art, and education. We have given over $150,000 to local charities to day and bring in around $4 million dollars in residual income from out attendees extended visits. We are an all ages event where families can come and enjoy any one of the 170 panels about the art, community, and the social life around it. Most of our guests are here for those reasons. Some of our guests use this opportunity to express themselves—it is a creative art related convention after all. A few of our guests enjoy the freedom of expression beyond that of most and will likely draw more attention, which may confuse people new to the concept of a furry con.

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How has FurCon changed over the years?
The most amazing thing about FurCon is how its managed to thrive for 15 years. Keeping on top of trends, culture and changes in tech and business have been key in keeping the doors open. We have grown from a 691-person convention in 1999 to well over 3,000 right now. Our move to downtown San Jose has been the biggest change for us in recent years, having been at the DoubleTree up the road for so many before. We continue to grow, and as long as we deliver a fun, exciting, educational atmosphere I am sure we will be around for many years to come. We absolutely love working with the great people and businesses of San Jose.

How does San Jose rank when it comes to furry conventions?
As of last year we were the second largest furry convention in the world. Our registration has not finished yet for this year to tell.

Your “fandom” name is Chairo, and your “fursuit” was an auburn-colored Raccoon last time we met. Is that still the case?
It is. I was nick named by a friend when I showed them my first fursuit of a raccoon before I had named it. It became both my nickname and a name for a costume. Chairo is Japanese for “tea colored.”

Is there a process to changing one’s fursona? Does this happen often?
People do change their fursonas. Some never do. There is no real process if someone wants to change, they will generally just refer to themselves with their new name. They will change avatars and references to their online presences as well. People deeply rooted into the concept may have custom license plates and other things, which makes such a change a bit more complex; in some cases, more costly.

How much time and money have you invested into your fursuits?
I make my own, so it’s difficult to quantify. I can spend a few hundred dollars on materials, which could produce a costume which can net $2,000-3,000 if it were sold. I have had a number of commissions, but I am far from making costumes as a self-supporting business.

What’s the most extravagant fursuit you’ve seen?
Depends on the definition. Some incorporate mad sewing skills with patterns to dazzle and behold. Some focus on electronics, lights, moving ears and muzzles that snarl. Even others focus on hyper-realism. I am partial to both realism and light effects. With lights though, I prefer to see them used in conjunction with a more tony styled costume. Anyone who comes can expect to see well over a thousand costumes over the course of the weekend. Where I am sure any fancier of such will be truly amazed by the selection and quality.

What is the best part about FurCon that no one seems to talk about?
The amount of community and friendship that is fostered here carrying on long after the event is over.

What exactly goes on at the notorious Klingon party?
Joyful consumption of grog and ales with song and traditions from homeland Klingon. Be sure to bring stories of battle and wounds to show your worth! In 1998 we began advertising our convention in the form of room parties at other Science Fiction conventions, one of which was BayCon, where we shared party space with the Klingons. Once they got a fursuiter on a roasting spit—after a lively chase, of course. They couldn’t couldn’t get enough and have been with us ever since.

Yiff in hell, hipster.

2013-01-28T14:22:54Z

http://hoodedutilitarian.com/2013/01/yiff-in-hell-hipster-the-author-gets-over-furrself/

From the comments:

"Ten years ago, snippy people on the internet told furries to stop taking it so seriously, that it was just a dumb fetish and not a subculture.

Today, snippy people o the internet are telling furries to stop taking it so seriously, it’s just a dumb subculture.

Gentlemen, I give you: progress!"

Kotaku:My Weekend At A Furry Convention

2013-01-24T22:41:55Z

Article i found on a site.

http://kotaku.com/5978236/my-weekend-at-a-furry-convention

Revenge on the Nerds

2013-01-13T13:40:17Z

The Unbelievable Wretchedness of Mainstream TV’s “Nerd Episodes”

io9 reports on the poor image nerds get from Hollywood, including the CSI "Fur and Loathing" episode.

"Custom-made cat suits"

2013-01-03T00:05:52Z

An article dated January 2, 2013, in the White Bear Press (a newspaper covering the region of White Bear Lake in Minnesota):
http://www.presspubs.com/white_bear/news/article_1c212fb4-5393-11e2-b9a0-0019bb2963f4.html

The article discusses Snap E. Tiger and his fursuit-building business.