The Brief: The furry fandom is a subculture built around an interest in anthropomorphized animals.

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DEEP DIVE

Members of the furry fandom are known as furries. A fursuit is a mascot-like costume worn by some furries. A furry’s fursona is the animal that represents them. These furry avatars have specific names and traits that reflect what that particular furry embodies. Some furries dress in a fursuit that represents their fursona but it a fursuit is not a necessity for someone to have a fursona and participate in the furry fandom. It is a common practice for furries to wear a partial fursuit such as a tail or pair of ears.

Some furries engage in furry-based sexual activities such as watching furry porn or yiffing: having sex with other furries. A sexual aspect of furry culture does exist but it is not an essential part of the fandom.

Overall, the furry fandom is a multifaceted community of people who are fans of the intersections of humanity and animality. A number of furry conventions take place every year, the largest of which is the Midwest FurFest. The furry subculture thrives online through social media and forums such as the furry Reddit page, which has over 60,000 subscribers.