Furry

"Furry" is also a word for something covered in fur.
A furry is a person who is interested in or creates fictional animal characters who have human traits. This group of people make up the furry fandom. Furry characters (called fursonas, especially when referring to someone's personal furry characters) can walk on two legs or talk. Another word for a "furry character" is an anthropomorphic character, which means a character which has some human features.
Many different stories have furry characters. Fairy tales and mythology often have animal characters who talk or do other human things. Books, comics, children's books, video games, and toys can have furry characters too. Some of the most popular cartoon characters are furries: Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Disney's Robin Hood, and Scooby-Doo.
Sometimes, people draw porn of furry characters to fit their sexual interests. Quite a few people believe this represents a large part of the furry fandom, and it gains significant news attention.
Furry traits
To be a furry character, an animal needs to look or act like a human in some way. Here are some of the ways:
Talking
Showing their feelings like humans do, by smiling and frowning
Walking on two legs
Wearing clothes
Living in houses or working at jobs
It's also important to say here that there's also "feral" sections of the fandom. They focus more on the animal aspects of the character, and most feral furry characters don't talk or do many human activities.
Not all of these features have to be on a furry character for it to be a furry character. Some furry characters can be thought of as "fursonas" without walking on their hind legs or having jobs.
A character does not need to have fur to be a furry. A lizard or bird character that has these features could also be a furry, although they may also be called a "scalie" or an "avian".
Furry characters in art
Humans are good at reading human body language, but less good at reading animal body language. Art showing animals smiling or frowning like humans makes it easier for humans to know how the character is feeling.
Because humans have been around animals for a long time, humans expect certain animals to act certain ways. Art that gives humans animal traits tells people what to expect from those characters. For example, many cultures see foxes as clever, so many people will assume a fox furry character is clever.
Fairy tales and mythology
For thousands of years, people have told stories and made art with furry characters. Egyptian mythology has many gods who are part animal and part human. Roman mythology has a story about a minotaur, which is part bull and part human. The werewolf of European mythology is part wolf and part human.
Cartoons and video games
Many cartoons have furry characters. Examples include:
Looney Tunes,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Kung Fu Panda, and
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
Many video games also have furry characters. A few examples:
Jak and Daxter,
Ratchet and Clank,
Crash Bandicoot,
Sonic the Hedgehog, and
Star Fox.
Furry fandom
In the modern day, people from all around the world make up the furry fandom. Many of them meet and talk to each other the Internet, but they also meet in real life. Furry websites like FurAffinity and DeviantArt let people share pictures, stories, music, games, and animations that have furry characters.
Fursonas and role-play
Fans of furry characters sometimes make up a furry character to represent themselves. This is called a "fursona." Often, but not always, the fursona's species is that person's favorite animal. These people sometimes talk to each other while pretending to be their fursonas. This is called a "role-play," because each person is playing a role, like in a television show or stage play. Role-playing isn't exclusive to furries, but it is a big part of the community. These role-plays usually happen over instant messaging or forums, but sometimes happen in real life.
Furry conventions
People who like furry art sometimes meet to talk about their favorite characters, buy books or art, and show off their costumes. These meetings may also have music, dancing, and parties. Conventions are usually held in large hotels, so there is enough room for hundreds or even thousands of people.
The largest furry conventions are Anthrocon, Midwest FurFest, Further Confusion, RainFurrest, Furry Weekend Atlanta, and Eurofurence. Many others happen all around the world each year. Furry conventions are similar to science fiction conventions.
Fursuits and other costumes
Some people who like furry characters wear toy ears and tails for fun. Others dress up in "fursuits," which are costumes that look like furry characters. Fake fur is used to make these costumes, so they can be many different colors. Some fursuits look very much like real animals; other fursuits look like cartoon characters or legendary creatures.
A person who wears a fursuit is called a fursuiter. Fursuits may cover the person's whole body, or just part of it. A fursuit that covers the whole body is called a "full suit." A suit that covers only part of the body (usually the head, arms, and feet, plus a tail) is called a "partial suit" or "partial." With a partial suit, the rest of the body is covered by clothes to hide the person inside.
Fursuits are almost always one-of-a-kind. This is because they are often based a specific fursona and usually made one at a time. Some are made by the person who will wear them, others are made by artists who make them for money.
People usually wear fursuits for fun. Sometimes people feel less shy in a fursuit because no one can see who they are. This can make them feel more comfortable dancing, playing, hugging, meeting people, or being silly. People may also wear fursuits to be a mascot for a charity or event, usually one related to animals.
Inside a fursuit, it can be difficult to see and hear. Fursuiters often have a friend help them cross traffic or use stairs. In hot weather, fursuiters must be careful not to overheat.
Slang in the furry fandom
Like many groups, the furry fandom has its own slang. "Murr" is a word used to show you like something or find it attractive sexually. "Scritching" is gentle scratching; in the furry fandom, this is a way to show you like someone, like hugging. "Yiff" is a slang word for sex. A "fursuit" is a costume that looks like a furry character. A "fursona" is a furry character someone makes up for himself or herself, although sometimes the word is used to describe furry characters (or "furs") in general. "Anthro" is short for anthropomorphic (human-like) and can mean either a furry character (example: "an anthro bear") or the genre (example: "anthro art"). The word "snoot" is slang for snout. Furries often "boop" snoots; this means gently pushing or tapping a fursuiter's nose, usually done as part of roleplay, as a greeting, or for fun. The word "beans/bean" is ether referring to a person or paw pads.
Sexuality
Some people in the furry fandom find that attraction to furry characters or people in fursuits is an important part of their sexuality, and some do not. In one survey 37% of furries questioned answered that it was important to their sexuality, while 24% said that it was not. Other surveys say that only a small minority of people in furry fandom say that they are sexually attracted to animals. all though some say this there called "murrsuiters" and is only a very small percentage of the "furry fandom" people still think that very small percent is most of the community.