Laura Mooney
Arts Editor

Wi Halloween just around

the corner, most people are
wracking their brains to find the ideal
costume for whichever event they plan
to be attending. While most people
only have to deal with dressing up
on one day a year, there is an entire
subculture dedicated to wearing
elaborate costumes on a sometimes
daily basis. Furries, for example, are
a unique branch of Geekdom who
are interested in anthropomorphic
animals; animals which exhibit human
characteristics and emotions. This
genre is still relatively new, but plenty
of information has been gathered to
gain a good insight into this group of
people for whom Halloween comes
more than once a year.

The Furry subculture was said to have
begun at small sci-fi conventions in
the early 1980s, but for the more
dedicated fans it has been an
ongoing argument as to when the
genre actually came into being.
Some even argue that Furries go
back to as early as the 1960s and
1970s, with the release of novels and
movies like Disney's Robin Hood and
Watership Down paving the way for
anthropomorphic creatures to gain a
fan base. These days however, while
movies and novels still have a place
in Furry fandom, the members are
more often creating creatures from
their own imaginings. Many of the
hand drawn creations contain human
elements, ranging from the simplest
additions, such as an upright fox in
human clothing, all the way to animals
drawn with muscles and other human
attributes.

When asked what the draw to Furries
is, most people would not have an
answer. Ask a Furry and they will have
a million reasons to explain why this
fandom is the best. In a documentary
entitled Furries: An Inside Look,
filmmakers explore the world of the
Furry, and what exactly it is that draws
people in. The majority of the Furries
interviewed for the film all had the
same response. It was the way in which
the animals mirrored human emotions,
and finally being able to connect to

a creature that for so long no one

has been able to understand. Even if

it is just your basic housecat, giving it
anthropomorphic qualities enhances
one’s relationship to the animal,
bringing it to a whole new level. Now
you could interact and be real friends
with your pets instead of only having
them as silent companions.

Many of those interviewed for the
documentary said they fell into the
Furry universe completely by accident.
They were the average kids who
grew up watching cartoons like Sonic
the Hedgehog and playing games
like Starfox, both of which feature
anthropomorphic animals. From there
it became an interest in the artistry,
and many began doing research on
the Internet about art of this variety.
Many of the Furries found the fandom
through a website called DeviantArt,
where users can upload their own
drawings on a public forum. For many
Furries this was the gateway into the
underworld of the Furry fandom, and
was their first experience with the
genre.

Soon, Furries began using the
subculture and the anthropomorphized
animals as a way of expressing an

alternate persona. By creating a
“Fursona, the artist emulates the

qualities they believe they have, or
they create one that embodies the
qualities they wish they had. They

can choose to be whichever animal
they feel most connected to, while

also choosing a more realistic animal
appearance or going with a stylized,
very human-like creature. The artist has
complete control over what they want
their Fursona to look like and how they
want it to act, making the Furry culture
one of the most unique and individual
subcultures out there.

Of course the Furries are not alone in
this world and hold yearly conventions
all over North America, where over
5000 Furries from all over the world
gather to celebrate their strange

love. The conventions provide a place
for understanding and open-minded
Furries to get together and dress

up as their Fursonas in a completely
accepting and non- judgemental
environment. Interestingly, Dr. Samuel
Conway, the CEO of Anthrocon, the
largest organized Furry convention

in the world, is a graduate from
Dartmouth who has his PHD in
chemistry and became interested in
the Furry subculture in the early 1990s.
This just goes to show how widespread
the fandom has become over the
years, and that it does not discriminate
against anyone who may be interested
in the genre. The conventions also often
feature Furry comedians, and special
guests who are all members of the
Furry community themselves, enhancing
the experience even more for those
who attend.

The Furry fandom does not come
without its hardships. Many of the

members experience bullying due

to their interest, sometimes even
having these closed-minded people
attempt to crash the conventions
simply because it is something different
that they do not understand. In daily
life, not many Furries express their
Fursonas and instead choose to hide
it. Those who choose to integrate it
into their daily lives have experienced
relentless bullying because they chose
to wear a tail or a set of animal ears
out in public. Many misconceptions
about the Furry subculture that have
presented themselves over the years
only add to the negative view that

is associated with Furries. Many
automatically assume that to be a Furry
means to be sexually interested in the
anthropomorphic animals they create.
However, according fo one poll about
the interests of Furries, only a smal
fraction of the members expressed any
sexual interest in the Furry creatures,
and of that it was only a mild sexual
interest - nothing extreme.

So even though the Furry subculture
may have their questionable
characters, for the most part they are
just a group of people like any other,
who simply show their appreciation
for the creativity put into animals with
human qualities. These people are alll
very talented artists and who clearly
have immense imaginations that should
be celebrated and explored even
further. For those Furries who have
not yet integrated their Furry lifestyle
into their everyday lives, Halloween
provides the perfect opportunity to
get dressed up in their best Fursona
costume, and wear it proudly for the
world to see.