Furry
Furry ( Engl. Fellig , furry , with fur occupied or wearing fur ) is the collective term for an international subculture that of anthropomorphic animals is interested in words, images and sound. This ranges from the typical werewolf to animal cartoon and comic characters . Most of the members of the subculture are from the US , Japan , UK, and Germany .
The word furry is used both as a noun and as an adjective . Fans also refer to themselves as furries , furs or furry fans .
Well-known examples
The most common definition of furry includes well-known cartoon characters such as Roger Rabbit , Bugs Bunny, and Mickey Mouse , who stand out for their anthropomorphic looks and behavior. Comic-like overdrawing and humorous elements are generally not included under the term, but are also not opposed to it.
Further examples of anthropomorphic characters in modern media are the animals from Redwall , Usagi Yojimbo , Omaha the Cat Dancer , Fritz the Cat , the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the characters of the popular, now dismissed American television series Father of the Pride . These are beings that are depicted more realistically than cartoon characters. Anthropomorphized animal characters such as the figure Chopper from One Piece or the later appearing mink species can also be found in animes . Also popular with Furries is the anime film Bagi , in which the leading actress is a genetically modified mountain lioness with a human mind and clearly anthropomorphic features.
Characters with an animal body and a human mind as well as mythical creatures such as dragons and griffins are also commonly referred to as furry . The term furry therefore also includes all classic fables . Even lizards and dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or Godzilla have supporters among the Furries. Mostly beings with scales are also referred to as scalies (from English scales or scaly ; German scaly or covered with scales ).
Attitude and interests
A not inconsiderable number of those interested in furry, similar to parts of the Star Trek fan community or the manga / cosplay scene, have raised the furry existence to a view of life, some see themselves as animals in humans, follow spiritual / shamanistic values or is a lover of (partly also erotic ) representations of anthropomorphic beings. Most keep their furry existence as a simple hobby. In many media reports sexual motives are discussed, whereas Furries object that these play a subordinate role. In most of the fursuits that are often discussed in such reports, sexual acts are only possible to a limited extent due to their construction. However, this rarely happens and is by no means a minor point in the community.
Within the group one speaks of the furry fandom, a fan community for anthropomorphic works of all stripes. Because of the often great distance to each other, this maintains contact mainly via the Internet . Larger meetings are the so-called conventions , such as the annual Eurofurence or its American counterpart, the Anthrocon . These do not attract all fans by far, but in Europe they reach hundreds, sometimes thousands, in the USA regularly thousands of visitors.
Furry in art
Many furries give their colorful fantasy world artistic expression in all conceivable forms.
The main interest of most Furries is graphic works that can be found in online archives such as Yerf , Fur Affinity , Furry Network , Weasyl , deviantART , Inkbunny , Sheezy Art , SoFurry or VCL (Vixen Controlled Library) .
There are thousands of more or less professional artists who either distribute their images for free over the Internet or who print and sell them. Many independent webcomics revolve around furry topics or contain corresponding anthropomorphic characters, such as Sabrina Online by the American artist Eric W. Schwartz or VG Cats by Scott Ramsoomair .
There is also a strong history of writing culture, with this area ranging from light fanfiction to full novels with literary depth. The distribution of such stories was mainly through fanzines until the 1990s , now mainly via the Internet. An example of an attempt at a German fanzine outside the Internet is Fur Fiction , an anthology of short stories published by Helge Lange at Edition Solar-X. In terms of subject matter, it is based on the GDR book From the Diary of an Ant (Scientific-Fantastic Animal Stories) published in 1985 .
Many members of the fandom have created their own original characters ( OC for short ) to represent them. These are called Fursona's or just 'sona .
The theme of the upright animal has also led to the making of costumes with an anthropomorphic appearance; referred to as a fursuit in the scene . As a rule, the fursuits are adapted to the wearer's fursona.
In the past, furries have been involved in films or computer games several times , which has recently found a certain continuation in 3D animation . An example of the influence of the subculture Furry is the 1994 released Erben der Erde , the 3D animated film Kaze - Ghost Warrior from 2004 by Amadhia Albee, known under the stage name "Timothy Albee" or the film Finsterworld , in which Furry only plays a subordinate role.
The artist Annika Larsson has dealt with the culture of the furries and tried to find a philosophical explanation for this phenomenon. This process resulted in the 2012 film "ANIMAL (in 14 movements)". In the text accompanying the film, the artist writes:
“The relation between man and animal evokes questions about relations, power, politics and ethics, but also around identity, borders and subjectivity. What we perceive as being 'human' includes the domination of animals and 'to be like an animal' is to be deprived one's 'humanity', one's status as a subject. There is both fear of and excitement in loosing [sic] control, and of loosing one's 'Self'. To loose one's mind, to go mad, a temporary liberation from the prevailing established order of hierarchical ranks, privileges, norms and prohibitions. To become animal or 'becoming-animal' [...] can also mean a process and a method that 'replaces subjectivity', a way out that the human would never have thought of himself. "
Development and public perception of the German furry fandom
The furry phenomenon began in the USA and reached Germany on a larger scale around the mid-1990s. In contrast to the USA, there is no pronounced fanzine culture in Germany .
In December 1994, the Furry Convention “Eurofurence” was mentioned for the first time in a Usenet posting. It took place for the first time in June 1995 in Kaiser-Wilhelm-Koog and had 19 participants at that time. Since then, the event has taken place annually at different locations in Europe and has developed into the largest European furry con. In 2001 more than 200 people took part for the first time, in 2007 there were 585 and in 2010 it was 973. In 2016, over 2500 participants from 52 countries were recorded for the first time. The convention has been taking place in Berlin since 2014.
In April 1998 the first Mephit Mini Con (MMC) started as a small meeting in an apartment in Rüsselsheim . Since then, it has taken place annually with a steadily growing number of participants (most recently around 200 people). In 1999 he moved to the Falken youth home in Seeheim , and from 2002 to 2005 to the Loreley . The MMC has been taking place on the Freusburg since 2006 .
In December 2002, showed Arte telecast tracks an article on the American Furry fandom. However, the report did not mention that there are also furries in Germany. The broadcast on March 15, 2008 showed German furs at a French festival.
In May 2005, as part of the ARD telecast overhead projector , a TV report on the German Furry fandom shown for the first time.
In March 2012, the NDR reported on the scene as part of the culture journal with the title "Furry Movement: Life in Animal Costume".
In August 2012, the Furry Fandom was shown as 8th place in the RTL program Die 25 bizarre passions .
In March 2013 zdfneo reported about furries in the program Wild Germany .
In November 2015, RTL2 devoted an episode of the KLUB hobby series to the furries.
The Arte magazine Yourope from September 13, 2016 also dealt with furries and showed scenes from the Eurofurence .
In 2018, ZDF broadcast an episode of the crime series "SOKO Wismar", which addressed the furries. Furries were used as protagonists who played themselves.
Fursuits
The anthropomorphic animal costumes are the part of the furry subculture that is most likely to be perceived by the public - because they are most visually striking. This varies from simple masks, fake tails, ears etc. to elaborately designed costumes with animatronics (e.g. moving parts). The word "fursuit" translates as a fur suit or fur dress . Even so, fursuiters are only part of the furry subculture, around 15% according to an online survey.
Fursuits are mostly individually planned and built as a one-off piece (mostly by the wearer themselves or by international suit builders), as industrially manufactured costumes do not meet individual requirements. The equipment varies depending on the planned area of application, for example in terms of robustness, functions and field of vision.
In German-speaking countries, wearing the fursuits is often understood as performance art. Apart from furry conventions like the Eurofurence, fursuiters also appear in public spaces; be it as part of parades or parades, or in special campaigns (“suit walks”).
Spiritual backgrounds (the fursuiter would like to express his connection to a certain animal species or an alter ego ), role play ( LARP ) or simply the fascination with the technical challenge can also be an occasion to build and wear a fursuit . The professional relationship between furries and fursuits - e.g. B. mascots or theme parks - is of minor importance in Europe or is often even rejected.
See also
- Kemono (animals with human characteristics in Japanese art)
- Kemonomimi (characters with animal traits in Japanese manga and anime)
Web links
- Furry.de - German Furry Portal (collection of links to German communities, stories and radio stations)
- WikiFur (German Furry Wiki)
- Link catalog on the subject of furries at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eurofurence. In: WikiFur. August 29, 2011, accessed on December 6, 2012 (Eurofurence 17 (2011) with more than 1000 visitors).
- ↑ Douglas Muth: Anthrocon 2011 Wrapup! (No longer available online.) July 2, 2011, formerly in the original ; accessed on December 6, 2012 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ From the diary of an ant (scientific-fantastic animal stories). Ed. U. with a foreword by Michael Szameit, Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1985.
- ↑ Amadhia Albee: The Experimental Short Film, Kaze - Ghost Warrior. kazeghostwarrior.com, accessed October 15, 2014 .
- ↑ Annika Larsson: ANIMAL (in 14 movements). annikalarsson.com, accessed October 15, 2014 .
- ↑ Annika Larsson: accompanying text film: ANIMAL (in 14 movements). annikalarsson.com, accessed October 15, 2014 .
- ↑ Eurofurence. In: WikiFur. November 2, 2007, accessed December 6, 2012 .
- ↑ Eurofurence. In: WikiFur. September 23, 2010, accessed December 6, 2012 .
- ↑ Furry Movement: Life in Animal Costume | Culture journal | NDR. NDR, ARD, March 13, 2012, accessed April 15, 2016 .
- ↑ Yourope broadcast of September 13, 2016. (No longer available online.) ARTE, September 13, 2016, archived from the original on September 18, 2016 ; accessed on September 18, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Furry Poll Results. In: Klisoura.com. Retrieved December 6, 2012 .
