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18+ please, not safe for work. A pair of “toys” projects to fill that void in your life…

(BTW, I’m not exactly an expert on sex toys, so if I get something wrong here or cheerfully quasi-endorse shoving a carcinogen somewhere with lots of chemical-absorbing tissues, my apologies, I don’t know what I’m talking about.)

I’d be curious to know if there’s been any studies done on the market for animal-shaped sex toys. On the one paw, it can’t be the world’s biggest market, with a lot of competitors (Fetish Zone, BadDragon, Zeta Paws/Zeta Creations, Exotic Erotics, German YiffyToys, come to mind, with a host of other smaller names out there. I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, but it has never been my life goal to list all animal-themed sex toy manufacturers.  An amusing side-project or hobby, perhaps.)

So, I’m looking at a pair of projects with a long road ahead of them, because it’s a packed field, and some of the players have serious name recognition.

On the other paw, it’s a field that appreciates novelty for its own sake. And not everybody has $100-$150 lying around for a detailed piece of hardware modeled after Haruki the Very Friendly Akita with frighteningly realistic coloration when Amazon has a roughly comparable piece of plastic that maybe looks more like chewing gum than Haruki, but hey, $35.

Anyway, that’s a long, rambling way to say that even with three 900-pound gorillas in the room, wherever you are on the XYZ axis of novelty, price, and style, there’s likely to be a market, though whether it can sustain a startup? That’s a hard one.

PlayBow Toys

Indiegogo ending February 25

PlayBow is a startup by Obsydian. You can see some of her work-in-progress for PlayBow on Tumblr, the PlayBow website is a bit work-in-progress (and the contrast between realistic animal dong and cheerful cartoon background is, uh, intense.)

Her current Indiegogo: startup funds toward acquiring a 3D printer, to create the sort of detailed toys we can see on her Indiegogo website, including the feline at left and…whatever the heck the “genitacle” is from. Obsydian’s not new to the toy market, she’s done work for Frisky Beast. PlayBow itself is only a few months old, a December startup. Digital printing is her ultimate goal with this IGG project, but you can see a few of her cast-from-mold projects here.

One challenge for me is that I’m really not sure how much my very own genitacle would cost. It would be a new direction for me, I haven’t had relations with cephalopods before, but the pledge points are for discounts and coupons. Now, there’s a couple of pledge points that come with an actual thing that is a thing, but they’re in the $100+ category, and at least partially custom work. Points for going with Fixed Funding (since Obsydian is aiming for a digital printer, it makes sense to stick to that price point.)

If Obsydian makes goal, though, this may be a unique opportunity to FINALLY get a model of your zorskyroo character’s junk at an attainable price, and that is not a thing to be passed up.

Alder’s Toy Chest

Indiegogo ending 3/18/14

Now, I don’t often do this–use art from a project page in fulll but really Alder’s illustration is most of the reason I’m doing this post. Look at them. So proud! Marching eastward, as if toward war. Sexy, sexy war. Anyway.

Alder’s Toy Box is a startup project by Aldereen. This one has a unique selling proposition: Custom toys at an achievable price. A tour through his FA account has a few of his projects, like the Alek plug (Alek is a mouse, which is possibly why his friend Alder stands so much taller in the crowd scene above) and the work-in-progress of, well, now you know what a demon keeps in his pants. If he wears pants.

Aldereen’s cast pieces aren’t as polished as big vendors, the lines are a little softer and less defined than the realistic stuff. But it’s custom work, and that’s an unusual thing in sex toys.  And so much more distinctive than a MaryMouse badge. Wear one to your next convention! Imagine the delightful conversation with security!

Strictly from an editorial perspective, the project itself needs some caulk and glue here and there. At this point, it’s a project focused on custom work, but there’s very little variety in the images available. Now, there needs to be some delicacy here since Indiegogo would prefer less, not more, penis on its server. But I think the lack of variety undercuts what’s the core statement here: custom work. It’s even in the header: “I make custom toys for those that have custom needs.”

That catch phrase is awesome, by the way. It’s sharp, it’s clear, it may actually be perfect.

The rewards are a little bit busy as well, a common trap for new crowdfunders–breaking up the offer into way too many sub-categories, adding too much copy to an area that should ideally be easy to scan through. But again, it’s a first-time project.

Follow @Furstarter on Twitter for dailyish updates from the world of fur-funding! Note: Images used above are included to promote the work of crowdfunding artists, and are owned by the original creator.

 

Title says it all. I'm looking for a high quality artist who can draw a definitive picture of my fursona. Please PM me so I can send you a picture of my fursona, and we can get talking! Thank you!

submitted by DaYiff
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submitted by ZeiglerJaguar
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Do you (or other furries that you know of) enjoy their art/fic/games/comics?

Do you participate in the community?

What kind of "vibe" do you get from the series/fandom in comparison to the fandom around Disney anthro characters (or just plain original furry characters and their fan community?)

I've sometimes seen negative opinions ('Furries invading the fandom are so annoying!') but sometimes I also see really good fanfics (or fanarts) that seem...kinda exactly like they'd be written by someone who'd also have fun commenting in that thread about anthro physiology, or go into details how a society would look like where humans and anthro characters live together, or often references animal traits and mannerisms the anthro characters have. I dunno whether the authors of those fics would class themselves as a furry, but they seem to generate the kind of content that also comes up here, so...I dunno. Your thoughts?

submitted by HiNoKitsune
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submitted by adomb
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A couple of furs and I are planning a local meet-up, but we aren't sure what a good way to get the word out is. If anyone knows of some ways please comment.

submitted by Patricky5
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I remember some time ago some US clothes shop were selling wolf fursuit heads before Halloween as part of some mod clothing thing.

submitted by neonthewolf
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Hey guys

We all know that omegle bot that's passing around, right? Well I've got an idea to bypass it.

This website: http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/middle/ is a website that displays a simple word each day. So in this case, why don't we use that word as a prefix?

So for example, todays word is vertical, so the omegle tag for today will be furryvertical.

Thoughts?

submitted by Startomas
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I've already asked what brought you into the fandom, but now I ask what keeps you in it? Of all the things to fanaticize over, why stay with anthropomorphic animals?

I'm here for the art, the fluff, and the fantasy.

submitted by Discord2974
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Because I live in Oregon, and I can't tell people I'm an Oregonian without people hearing Argonian instead

submitted by JarekBloodDragon
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submitted by Alpine_Hell
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Hey guys, I need something to do in my free time between work and classes for the next couple days.

Leave a comment with a ref, or a text description and I'll sift through them and pick a few at random to draw.

See my tumblr page for examples. http://jonahmightdie.tumblr.com [NSFW]

submitted by tenpoundpen
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You know how this goes...someone asks "where do you want to live?". What do you consider your prime habitat? Does it suit your species or are you that literal fish on land? Remember, cities count as habitats, pigeons agree!

I'm torn because I was born and raised in the coast. I love the beach, topic and cold alike. But I've always been fond of forested mountains, and I recently moved to the Rockies...I think it's fitting of me. Sorry beach, but you can remain a holiday migration spot for me.

submitted by Sareii
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submitted by Yrruf
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Are you an artist? A writer? A musician? Do you like to commission people or do you just like/follow? Maybe your just a person who has a little free time and likes yapping. So tell me, what do you do? I forgot fursuitors! Maybe you do that.

submitted by TheRedWox
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submitted by uzzeee
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Maybe it's because "avatar" is a more generalised term that can include fursonas along with everything else.

Maybe it's to distance myself from it just enough, but not too far, so it can think and act differently to how I would in some situations, like some kind of secret, separate entity or a smaller less-inhibited part of myself.

Maybe it's so I can more freely and often change its body mass, shape, build, gender and all that, while keeping a consistent colour and pattern design to make it recognisable, and feel like I can do this as much as I want because it's just a graphical representation of whatever I want it to be, more grounded in imagination than reality.

Maybe it's just the way I think because I haven't been a part of this sort of community, where everyone has an animal-based avatar... or maybe I should just start calling it a fursona here, even though it doesn't really feel like one.

Or maybe I won't care and will continue to draw red, anthropomorphic tigers anyway, up to and beyond the point where I become synonymous with them, because who's going to stop me from doing so?

submitted by Big_Red_Hothead
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submitted by adomb
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Here is an article, dated January 19, 2015, in the San Jose Mercury News:
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27347785/furries-turn-downtown-san-jose-into-wild-kingdom?source=infinite

It concerns Further Confusion 2015.


SAN JOSE -- The green-eyed werewolves, foxes in top hats and spectacle-wearing mice formed a fantastical wild kingdom, searching for camaraderie in one of the most curious celebrations of creative expression in Silicon Valley.

San Jose's annual FurCon kicked off last week and goes through Monday, converting the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and three downtown hotels into a colorful and odd collection of larger-than-life furry characters. The furries, as they call themselves, are people who love animals -- both real and fictional animal characters -- dress up as animals and collect anthropomorphic art.

"It's just expressing your creativity and being something else for a while," said Alexis Rudd, of Sonoma, who designs costumes for furries and animal puppets.

The 3,000 furries looked at times like a collection of sports team mascots or characters out of Aesop's Fables. But for many, the five-day convention, dubbed Further Confusion, marked a space where they could shed the identities they have at work or with their families and become, for a brief while, a dancing cheetah, cuddly and affectionate shark, party-loving dragon or tenderly shy unicorn.

Few costume-clad furries talk. Instead, they shake their giant animal head or offer a purr or squeak. Most only use their animal names, such as Moo or Spottacus, and basic identifying traits such as appearance, gender or profession become moot points.
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"I don't have to explain anything, and I can share what I want," said Marie, a longtime Bay Area furry who was selling handcrafted goods at FurCon. She declined to share her last name because of what she called her conservative job in the legal field.

"It's a community you can always go back to," she said. "You can be a three-headed werewolf with wings, and I'm going to talk to you seriously."

The annual San Jose convention is one of the largest events of its kind, put on by Milpitas nonprofit Anthropomorphic Arts and Education to raise money for a charity. This year Rocket Dog Rescue, a San Francisco-based volunteer canine rescue organization, will receive the funds raised at FurCon -- where real four-legged furry creatures mixed with the human attendees at the event.

Beyond the money for charity, event organizers estimate that FurCon -- now in its 16th year -- brings about $3 million into the local community, with visitors spending money on hotels, restaurants and transportation, said Sam Rasmussen, FurCon's media liaison.

The Bay Area furries scene has blossomed in part because so many tech workers participate. The chairman of this year's convention works for Google; other furries said they worked at Yahoo, Apple and startups.

Some said the creative freedom encouraged in the furry community, which is unwaveringly judgment-free even when confronted by utter weirdness, is a relief from the rigors of coding and stress of deadlines.

At FurCon, attendees showed off their animal suits in a parade while Maroon 5's "Animals" appropriately played in the background; faced off in a dance competition; joined myriad social events including speed dating; and attended workshops in writing, drawing and puppetry.

"When you get a lot of people with open minds in the same room, it's a huge party," said convention Chairman Jeff Bowman.

But furry fandom -- the term for the community that gathers online and at furry conventions -- was also a buzzing center of commerce. Artists, costume designers, graphic novelists and comic book dealers crowded the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the convention center.

Furry fandom isn't just a fetish or a weekend lifestyle -- it's also a booming and lucrative business. On Saturday morning, costume designer Deanna Petro had just sold a hand-sewn gray wolf costume for $4,000. Animal suits can cost $1,000 to nearly $10,000.

But the lingering question many outside the community might have is: Why would anyone want to spend the day dressed up in a sweltering costume and adopt the personality of a mischievous wolf or flirtatious kangaroo?

For some furries, it's just that they really, really love animals.

"One day, I thought, 'What would it be like if I were a cat?' " said Cassy Abbott, 20, an art student from North Hollywood wearing a $1,900 cat costume. "It's fun to be acting like a cat, running around and nudging people and purring at them."

But for a lot of furries, there's more to it. It's the freedom of adopting a new identity behind the protective layer of a disguise. While many of these furries attend the same conventions, they recognize each other only by their animal persona -- and most took care never to remove their costumes during the convention, even though some of them heated up to 120 degrees and others required that they walk on all fours in a physically grueling display.

In costume, there's less fear of judgment. The closest most of the non-furry community gets to this is a really elaborate Halloween costume.

"People have expectations of you," said David Benaron, a four-decade furry, doctor, Stanford University professor of pediatric medicine and startup CEO. "When you're in this sort of costume, biases and judgments go away. I feel completely comfortable, and I'm not poised in the boardroom or watching the IPO market."