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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.

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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.

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Real life couple Aphox and Balto Woof.

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Furry with a the tail and leather collar.

A furry named “Taiko” dressed as a german shepherd is a theatre major in college who focuses on lighting design. “I always hang around actors, but I wanted to do this because it helps me get over that stage fright stuff,” he explained. “They can’t see my face, so I feel more open.”

Taiko’s favorite part of the convention was getting such a positive reaction from Pittsburgh natives who are now familiar seeing the furries downtown each summer. Outside the hotel attached to the conference center, passing cars honked and families stopped on the sidewalk to take photos of the furries with their children.

During a panel talk about professional fursuiting (being a mascot or theme park actor), “Yippee Coyote” described his fursona: “It’s me, but more confident and outgoing. It’s me but better.” I can understand the appeal of wearing a costume for people who with social anxiety; it offers them a way of inventing a space where their comfortable acting out and showing a different side of themselves.

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College student and german shepherd furry “Taiko” (in red bandana) and friends.

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A cuddle puddle in the hotel lobby.

And yet the sexual deviancy hovered like a big furry elephant in the room. Though everyone I spoke to disavowed the sexual aspect, one only had to look at the artwork being produced in the artist alley to see that this it’s very real. Pornographic comic books and art prints were being sold next to scented candles and key chains. The event offers special badges for underage fans, with restrictions to entry to certain activities, like a room where people could play a card game similar to Magic the Gathering but with furry tentacle rape hentai cards.

I do believe them that the appeal is not all about the seedy underbelly of interspecies copulation. The event had a certain joyfulness and camaraderie that you don’t feel at similar “geeky” events like a comic convention or even a brony gathering. However, I’m still not convinced that it’s all as PG as some of the more upstanding members might have you believe. After all, it’s a culture that has invented the onomatopoeic term “yiff” just to describe their sexual encounters.

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Artist Lapin Beau posing with the drawing I commissioned for $20 of myself as a “sexy raccoon”.

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Furries taking a break from their very hot masks. Also, the guys were surprisingly hot. To keep their suits dry, they all wear Under Armor brand long johns to wick the sweat away.

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Furry in training.

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Fursuit parade.

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CD of furry rap, with a track called “Get Your Yiff On”.

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Furries posing with Pittsburgh locals outside a bar.

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Furry couple heading to the elevator.

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“American Idol” style judging panel for the dance competition. Some guy was dressed as Redfoo from LMFAO for some reason.

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Furries posing.

If you follow this blog you know that last December we returned back to Pittsburgh which we left in 1978 to find fame and fortune. Some things remain the same but Pittsburgh has changed a lot. Anthrocon (#anthrocon, #furries) is one thing that didn’t even exist when we left. It is a convention of people who like to dress in costume and fur suits of their favorite or original characters.

Anthrocon was founded in 1998 with about 500 people. The convention was in Philadelphia but moved to Pittsburgh in 2006 in search of a larger hotel and venue. The first convention in Pittsburgh attracted over 2400 people and has continued to grow each year and brings millions to the Pittsburgh ecocomny.

This year was the first year that the Fursuit Parade of over 1000 characters was in public and Pittsburghers came out in the thousands to show their support and cheer The Furries as they paraded around the convention center. I have just begun to look through all the images I took of these colorful characters but this should give you the general idea.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Our sub is growing, we'll have to party at 20,000. :)

.#QuailtyShitpost

So i guys i know everybody loves a awful puns so I WANT YOU TO lay down the worst furry puns you have example: Dis is my significant otter! hah ... you get it?

Well, I'm here at an empty place with a tablet. I can't think of anything to draw so I'm going to send out some free things.

I plan on doing pixel art, maybe some normal digital, but I might not do anything if I end up having no free time after this trip. If you leave your ref, I'll probably respond if I plan on doing it. I might ask for permission to include it in a star bound mod if I am in the mood to try and make a mod. It will be around 4 hours from the post time before I can even look, so sorry if I don't respond for a while.

TL;DR Free pixel art, maybe digital, all crappy, might ask for permission to use your sona in a mod.