Started circa 1998 as the Toronto Furry Home Page and renamed to Ontario
Furries in 2008, this site, continues as one of the most popular online communities
for furries in Canada.
Currently managed by Dan Skunk, this site strives to welcome and accept the
diversity of the furry fandom and be a place where all furries can come together to
find other furries near them, share the experience of being furry with each other,
help each other, and work together to make a better community.
What are Furries?
Furries are a group of people that are fans of anthropomorphic animals (animals with
human characteristics) either in physical form or in their abilities; from animals
that are almost human in form with the addition of animal characteristics such as fur
and tails and their faces to distinguish them, to animals that are natural in form but
have the ability to think and speak as humans.
The word "furry" is used to describe an anthropomorphic animal, a fan of
anthropomorphic animals, or all furries (the plural for furry) as a group. Furries
often create fursonas (furry characters that they use to represent themselves).
Fursonas allow furries to interact with each other as furry characters; to play the
role of these characters in imaginary worlds.
What distinguishes furries from other fandoms (groups of fans) is that furries create
much of the art they enjoy themselves. Furries are not limited by what someone else
creates for them and encourage each other's creativity, imagination, and self-
expression.
Many furries have art made of their fursonas and many will create fursuits (furry
character costumes) or wear tails and ears which help identify themselves with their
fursonas and enhance their ability to interact with each other as their fursonas.
Fursuits are usually used to perform for and entertain others and some fursuiters (
those that wear fursuits) do this as a profession as well.
The internet plays a large part in the furry community. It allows furries to find each
other and share ideas, stories and artwork and it offers many different ways for
furries to interact with each other as their fursonas: from text chat all the way up
to creating full 3 dimensional worlds populated with furries of all shapes and sizes.
It also helps them meet each other in person and organize furmeets (a meeting of
furries) and conventions.
Furries hold conventions all over the world where hundreds and even thousands of
furries will gather to socialize, sell each other the art and crafts they have made,
fursuit (wear a fursuit), have stage performances to entertain each other, and have
panel discussions and workshops to help each other with their creative pursuits.
|