Transcription
Warning before this video begins. This video references some explicit adult content. If any of that is not appropriate for you, feel free to click off now.
The furry fandom is a subculture that celebrates the concept of anthroan animal characters. Furries can express their interest by creating a persona or an animal version of themselves. The fandom is known for its artwork, colorful fursuits, and conventions held worldwide. But how exactly did we get here? How and when did this strange cultural phenomenon take place? Today, I would like to cover exactly this.
The concept of humanlike animals dates back centuries, but the subculture we recognize today developed sometime in the early '70s. The furry subculture we know today rose in popularity around the same time as science fiction, anime, and role-playing communities. A popular example of a subculture that emerged at the time were Trekkies, which is a fandom that revolved around Star Trek. But out of all these groups, the furry community was a very special one. It differentiated itself because this community's basis was less about one specific piece of media like a specific movie or a TV show. The concept and aesthetic of anthropomorphism itself was the interest. This caused a melting pot of different inspirations for the subculture and its identity.
Furry literature and comics were pivotal in the community to find an identity for itself outside of sci-fi. Before the term furry was coined, artists used the term "funny animal" and would produce funny animal comics like Pogo, Furrylo, and Mickey Mouse. These comics were very influential, along with content geared to adults. Omaha the Cat Dancer was a very popular comic series notorious for its very explicit sexual content involving their anthroan animal characters. Reed Waller, the writer of these comics, along with cartoonist Ken Fletcher, created Voody. Booty fell under what was referred to as Amateur Press Association, or APA, magazines dedicated to funny animal characters. In case no one's not familiar, an APA allowed cartoons and comics to be put into photocopied packets. These were then mailed to subscribers. Because the internet was not as accessible back then, these APAs allowed interactions and discussions amongst comic book artists.
With Voodoo, Reed Waller created a written proposal. He and his associates wanted a funny animal fandom, completely separate from superheroes, sci-fi, and anime. The whole point of funny animals is that humans are too serious. They get puffed up and self-important. They're full of these insatiable desires for impact and significance. We don't want all that seriousness here. There's already enough everywhere else.
Along with Voodoo being successful, comics like Albido Anthropomorphics took off, which were a subgenre of furry literature that had much more sophisticated and adult themes. The comic Albido was a science fiction military series set in a galaxy that was predominantly humanoid versions of mammals and avian species. Animation, of course, had a huge impact on the fascination of stories being told by anthroan animal characters. Examples like Disney, Don Bluth, and Warner Brothers. Kids at the time grew up being mesmerized by these fantasy animal characters. This newfound funny animal fandom collected a bunch of artists that were carefree and created a very imaginative community. Films like Fritz the Cat were based off of a comic series that was then adapted into film, and it had very adult themes and references. Certain pieces of funny animal media like Albido Anthropomorphics and Omaha were very targeted towards a more mature adult audience. And because this funny animal fandom consisted of almost all adults during the '80s, they didn't feel the need to censor themselves for the general public eye. During its founding, it was so niche and small that they just felt comfortable being as wild and crazy as they wanted. When it came to more suggestive art and explicit artwork, the group had a very sex-positive attitude. The group was generally very accepting of unconventional sexual identities and preferences.
During the time when the fandom was taking form, the AIDS epidemic and homophobia was at an all-time high. Queer men felt like they had to suppress themselves and hide for their own physical and emotional safety. But this niche, funny animal community was a nerdy group of cartoonists, writers, and artists. It was weird and sometimes a very raunchy group, but they didn't have to face violence or be thrown into jail for simply being who they are. The group was a safe form of escapism for queer men where creative expression was praised and accepted. The group wasn't founded on being innately sexual, but the expression of sexuality was accepted, if that makes sense. I'll get into how this acceptance of NSFW content began to cause problems in the fandom later.
The first official furry convention took place in 1989. Mark and Rodney were a couple who founded and organized the event. The convention started off as an offshoot to the traditional sci-fi, fantasy, anime conventions. The first event was attended by around 65 people and only had a small handful of fursuits. The fursuits at the time were very different than the classic look they have today. Many recovered tapes of the convention show a suggestive dance performed by Hilda the Bambi. Her creator and performer, Robert Hill, was one of the pivotal costume artists that inspired the modern fursuits of today. The first four he created were called Annabella Bear, Clementine Bear, Hilda the Bambi, and Robert Bear. The Bambioid, as a species, was created by the artist Jeremy Collins who drew sexy alien deer known as Bambiids. This original species, described on Wikifur, is a highly advanced space-faring, gender-egalitarian matriarchy. They are well known for their penchant for skintight pseudo-fetish armor, leather gear, and similar provocative outfits, along with highly menacing, fearsome, and destructive weaponry, spiffy spacecraft, and lusty love for life. The costume maker, Robert Hill, loved the aesthetic of these Bambiids and their designs. He then took it upon himself to create a charming, skillfully made costume embodying the character. Robert Hill would go on to design fursuits for years, making over a dozen in the end, all of which he would wear to conventions and events. He would remain active in the furry community until the late 2000s, where he would step away from the furry events and websites. This talented artist unfortunately passed away in 2018. But this talented creative artist and performer set into motion the future and evolution of fursuit making today.
Over the years, it gradually grew in attendance until its largest attendance in 1998 at Conference 9 in Buena Park with over 1,200 registered for the 4-day event. A huge technological advancement at the time was accessibility to the internet and chat rooms. Communication networks such as Telnet. Telnet created servers referred to as MUD, meaning multi-user dungeon. Within these chat rooms, people were able to role-play adventure games over online text. Furry MUD was founded in the 1990s and was a gathering hub for furries to role-play fantasy adventures as anthroan animal characters to socialize. Furry MUD is now one of the oldest and largest MUD-style games in existence.
Another artist I'd like to highlight is a man named Ken Sample. This furry artist lives in California with his wife, Lisa. When he started drawing furries around 1975, he referred to them as "exotics." He created a lot of unique species and designs. He was very influential with his distinct art style. But a very special character I'd like to highlight is his character Ken Cougar. The character is an anthropomorphic cougar with features reflecting the artist. Ken Cougar is one of the first showcases of a persona. Other artists in the community became inspired by Ken's persona, and soon there were panels at conventions where you could ask around and create a persona with fellow attendees.
Even during the fandom's conception, there were some external and internal conflicts arising. Due to the community being very open to sexuality and adult-oriented topics, mainstream media and journalists would pick this up and mischaracterize the entire furry community as deviant. And yes, while the fandom was very tolerant and carefree when it came to adult topics, it was hardly the entirety. Publishings such as Vanity Fair's 2007 article, "The Pleasures of Fur," where they continued to say, "It's sex, it's religion, and it's a whole new way of life." Along with the infamous episode of CSI, "Fur and Loathing," where they mischaracterized the group entirely. Furries at the time have gone to social media explaining how journalists would approach them at conventions and ask them if they'd like to be interviewed for a segment covering the fandom. They would unknowingly agree and then they would come to see that they've cut what they've said out of context and have become greatly mischaracterized without their consent. And before the community knew what hit them, by the 2000s and onward, their complex and multifaceted subculture was cheapened down and simplified into a fetish.
Due to this mischaracterization of the fandom in media, there then grew an in-group within the fandom. Furries disgusted by the perversion and the eroticism that was being tolerated in the fandom. A manifesto was written by Charlotte Trotman, known as Squeeat, a furry who demanded to take a stance against the lewd content that had been permitted at conventions. Allow me to read out what exactly this new in-group in the fandom encompassed. Just a warning, there's some pretty intense and heated rhetoric in this manifesto.
"Furry fandom is an embarrassment. There's no getting around that. But that doesn't mean it's beyond repair. There was a time where the designation 'furry' didn't double as a zoophile, plushophile, psychopath, or naturist. It used to be fun, and people used to know exactly where you stood when you referred to yourself as a furry. But these days, people hate being called that. They cringe at the thought of being lumped together with the platoon of perverts who have decided to set up base camp under the guise of 'furom.' A lot of cool people have dropped out of furriness altogether rather than be associated and pressured by these nutballs. I wrote this page as a response to the massive influx in support for the furry manifesto. Even if by some miracle the masses rose up and managed to expel every last wacko from the fanbase, the name 'furry' has taken on connotations that it will likely never shake. I did a little brainstorming and I came up with this: 'Burned Fur.' The name has a double meaning. Non-psycho furs can be called burned because anyone with a firm grasp on reality would clearly feel slighted by the screamingly deviant direction the fandom has taken. Another way of looking at it is the example made of furs who have spoken up against the phantom's perversion and been burned at the stake for it. The term is simple enough. If you've ever lusted after a German shepherd, owned a harem of Care Bears, or considered yourself a reincarnation of a unicorn, you don't qualify. Burned furs are furries who are tired of being associated with lunatics and want to make sure they're heard."
So with that, a new group of burned furs began to form in furry conventions. Those who were staunchly against all of the perverse content. Some artists in the community didn't want to ruin their potential of getting into the animation industry by being involved with the furry fandom with its deviant stereotype. And for many, this sentiment resonated. But almost everyone agreed that zoophilia and pedophilia do not have any place in the furry community. But the exclusion didn't stop there. They strove to expel any furries that were lycanthropists, shamans, plushiles, and even vegans in the furry community. There's an entire paragraph in the manifesto talking about veganism. This burned furs group ended up rallying those who didn't conform to the idea of how furry should be. Group member Hand Dog was open about their exclusion of homosexuality, Christianity, obscure fetishes, and erotic artwork. This group ended up being labeled as a hate group and criticized by furries for being prudish and making the furry fandom feel unaccepting for LGBT individuals. What is unfortunate is that these labels meant that if you weren't a burned fur, then it was assumed that you were on the side of zoophiles, which this created even more controversy and division very early in the fandom's conception. I could probably make an entire separate video covering the controversy of not safe for work content in the furry fandom and the division it causes, but for now, I would like to move on.
I'd now like to highlight that since then, online and digital spaces have grown exponentially. The early to mid-2000s where the magical worldwide web was accessible at the fingertips of millions of people. Online games such as FeralHeart, Impressive Title, and Animal Jam all featured anthroan animal avatars that you could roleplay with other characters. Other video games like Five Nights at Freddy's, Ratchet and Clank, and Pokémon games all inspired a lot of furries today. Books like Warrior Cats, Wings of Fire, Redwall, and Animorphs resonate with the furry community. APAs were now a thing of the past. Sharing artwork had never been easier thanks to platforms like Twitter, DeviantArt, Shezi Art, and Fur Affinity. Artists were able to create their own digital portfolios and blogs where furry art could be drawn, shared, and celebrated. Being able to communicate with fellow furries across the globe made organizing meetups and conventions much easier. Access to furry animation on YouTube was a pivotal milestone for how the furry community became what it is today. Animation software like Flipnote Studio, MS Paint, Adobe Softwares. These made animation more accessible to regular folks at home, creating an influx of animators on YouTube creating animated furry shorts. Multi-animator projects were where artists would animate a few seconds of audio and then stitch them all together to create one collaborative finished product. Animators could create whatever they want with little to no limitations. Other subcultures at the time also happened to overlap in furry culture like scene, emo, anime, and other influences. The subculture had blown up exponentially. What started as 60 to 75 people in a funny animal fandom has now become 1 to 2 million fans of anthroan animal characters worldwide. Furries are no longer a niche group of geeky adult white men who enjoy furry artwork. Now, for example, there's a huge influx in female furries who were an incredibly small minority for years in the fandom. Minors and younger furries are now an integral part of the fandom. The community now has actively worked to be safer for all ages, with private 18-plus spaces created for those who enjoy the aesthetic as well. Different races, religions, gender identities, job titles, and backgrounds have influenced the furry artwork and culture as well.
Everyone has societal expectations of how they're supposed to conform in one way or another. These constrained expectations are lifted when you're participating in a hobby where you have none. In the furry community, you can be anonymous and completely feel free to be as weird as you want and free to explore whatever you enjoy. It's a great outlet for people that don't normally have the freedom of expression in their day-to-day life. And while yes, the community does have its issues that should be addressed, which I hope to cover in later videos as respectfully as I possibly can, this fandom is also an incredible creative outlet for so many people. Most fandoms just celebrate a singular piece of media, like one movie or one TV show. But the furry community celebrates their own members. The furries who contribute their own unique skill and talents are the things getting praised. Individuality and self-expression is an integral part to the fandom's culture. Creating your own unique characters and personas. When people create personas, it is used as a vessel of identity exploration. Some people make their persona an embodiment of who they wish they were or some form of their dream self. Writing and animating fantasy stories using anthro characters, along with designing and crafting custom fursuits that you can use to truly embody a character. Sewing, crafting, and sculpting custom-fitted fursuits is a very neat artistic venue and even very profitable businesses for many artists.
As of this year, 2025, making a living in any art field right now is an incredible struggle. Job layoffs for artists spike during and after the pandemic, including senior artists being cut from their teams, along with the huge gutting in the art industries and job employment being exceedingly difficult. Artificial intelligence has also posed a huge threat to these artists. Many people now use a chatbot or an image generator to type in prompts to create cheap, vacant copies of artwork trained off of work by real artists who upload their work online that is being scraped by these companies. Regular people and even businesses are incentivized to use these auto-generated systems instead of commissioning and hiring a human artist, an artist who has spent years of their lives perfecting their craft. This is why so many artists are so against the use of AI and its software. It's not as easy to just work alongside these unregulated and very harmful programs. But the furry community is very unique where artists are integral to the community. Furries are patrons of the arts who love supporting their favorite fursuit makers and artists. When a furry comes up with their personalized unique character in their brain, getting an artist to perfectly execute their vision is commonplace in the community. Furries really love getting their persona commissions and multiple art pieces from different artists of their beloved characters.
The furry fandom originally started as a small group of sci-fi nerds and comic book artists. Thanks to the internet, it has grown exponentially. The community definitely has its issues like all walks of life, but it's one I'm very personally attached to. I love the fact that creativity is praised and respected. I love how it's not treated as some kind of disposable skill doomed to be replaced by a machine. I love how the community embraces weird and nerdy people and gives them a venue to explore this unique form of self-expression. I love the friend group that I've made and being able to bond with my friends over an unconventional shared interest.
As a kid who grew up in the 2000s, Disney movies and Pixar films mesmerized me. I loved watching the process of how animated films were created. The journey of how teams of concept artists, illustrators, writers, and animators would band together to create something culture-defining. Elementary school me had a huge fixation on Pigeon books by Mo Willems growing up. They were a charming series of kids' books about a stubborn, self-aware pigeon actively interacting with the reader. I loved the characters from the book and created my own stories of these anthropomorphic pigeons. It was definitely an odd and obscure fixation, but it was one that resonated with me deeply as a small kid. Animal Jam was also one of my favorite games growing up, being able to roleplay as a wolf pack or deer herd with other fellow kids online and creating silly animal adventures just for fun. I'd spent hours dressing up and recoloring the charming animal avatars. I also loved looking up anime wolf art bases on DeviantArt or Animal Jam official artwork and horribly tracing them, wishing that I could draw something as good one day. I loved talking to other artists online through Instagram, getting feedback, and trying to improve my skill. Because of this journey, posting my art online, I've improved a lot over the years, although still not perfect. Adventure roleplay games were also my favorite. I loved being able to create any character I wanted to embody and roleplay as. From a dapper pirate lynx to a swift archer raven to an elderly polar bear who runs an ice cream shop. I just really loved putting myself into the shoes of people of different ages, gender expressions, and personalities. It wasn't anything too deep, but I just thought it was really fun.
Being a weird, artsy middle school-age kid made me feel left out from my peers at times. I had a lot of difficulty understanding social cues and felt disconnected as puberty hit my friends and I. I had no interest in dating, sexuality, fashion, beauty, or any particular strong incentivization to conform. The furry community embraced the weird. They liked all of the things that I did, and the group was a venue for me to meet incredibly interesting people and talented artists. But that's just my story. And every furry has their own origin of why they joined such a weird and unconventional cosplay community. Some people are furries just because they enjoy the cute art and the illustrations produced. And some people join for the crafting aspect and costume designs. Some furries may join for self-expression, being able to explore their identity through costume performing or artwork. Some may want to meet new friends with similar interests. And some may just like the partying aspect and participating in the adult side of the community. And if it's a bunch of consenting adults, then it's okay and shouldn't be judged or shamed. Fortunately, there's a space for all of that in this group. The subculture is what you make of it. And at the end of the day, we're just a group of artsy nerds that want to have a good time. And this group happens to be an incredible form of escapism. Being able to go to a furry convention and escape and detach from real life into an alternate world can reduce anxiety, enhance relaxation, and improve overall well-being. Being a furry for some people is a form of self-care and improving your mental state. And for some people, it's the way they make money and pay for their rent. And who are we to judge and take that away from someone?
But yeah, that's the end of this video. I hope this brief summary deep dive of the origins of the furry community was interesting and you learned a lot. I certainly learned a whole ton when I was researching this, like the burned furs movement. I had never heard of it before, and I think it's really interesting on how we view adults versus minors in the furry community today and how the topic was an issue even at the fandom's conception. Seeing how the fandom has even grown aesthetically is really interesting, too. The old furry artwork for conferences is one of my favorite things. I was looking at them and was so impressed on how unique and appealing the old styles were. And yeah, there are a lot of issues in this community that I feel like go unspoken. And in the future, I'd really like to bring up some of those issues. I'm also trying to make furry content, obviously for furries, but I want people to be able to watch my videos that aren't furries and don't know anything about the furry fandom and still be able to understand what I'm saying, if that makes any sense.
But yeah, check out my Etsy if you're interested in supporting me. I sell these really cute Sun and Moon hoodies there. And yeah, just let me know what you think in the comments. Did you find anything interesting? And did you learn anything? I've really loved reading the comments on the wealth disparity in the furry community video that I've made. I want to use my voice and this YouTube platform as responsibly as possible. So, if I get any information wrong, please, please feel free to correct me. But yeah, let me know what you'd like to see next. Bye.