Imagine two worlds. One is the world of “furries,” people who are fascinated by anthropomorphism—that is, creatures with both human and animal characteristics—and, collect and create anthropomorphic art, and don various types of animal costumes as part of their enthusiasm. The other world is that of consenting, sexual adults who aren’t afraid to experiment. So, what happens when the two worlds collide? Well, as with any collision, there probably will be some fireworks. There will most certainly be confusion, especially on the part of those not around to see what really happened. And there will be dramatic, sensational media attention. Such is the intersection of furries and sex. Many see it as animal costumes being introduced into the realm of sexual experimentation and fetishism. But, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that sexual experimentation has found its way into the realm of living anthropomorphic fantasy.

While the origin of anthropomorphism and mankind’s fascination with it may be impossible to place (classical Greek and Egyptian mythology are littered with them), the furry community as it exists today probably started in the mid-80s, when enthusiasts in California began meeting and holding organized functions. With the inception of the Internet in the mid-90s, furry fandom participation skyrocketed, using the Internet as its primary platform of interaction and networking. There are currently hundreds of furry websites, webrings and newsgroups, including those for the various annual furry conventions that take place throughout the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe.

To understand the furry subculture and its sexual elements, it is essential to first familiarize yourself with the self-describing terminology they use. A “furry” in its most basic sense is a fictional, anthropomorphic character, containing both animal and human characteristics. For example, Roger Rabbit, Tony the Tiger, and the 80s cartoon Thundercats would all qualify as furries. And contrary to the name, a character doesn’t have to have fur to be considered a furry—the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are among famous furries. However, “furry” is also frequently used to describe members of “furry fandom,” the community of people who are drawn to these anthropomorphic creatures and the surrounding fantasy world. It’s easy to see where the confusion might begin—not only does “furry” refer to the focal subject matter (both with and without fur), but also the participants themselves.

A major element of furry fandom is the costumes—donning animal facades and creating imaginary personas (sometimes called “fursonas”) which, in addition to being realized in the flesh and fur, are often used for online role playing. Some people choose to wear a “fursuit,” a full-body animal suit similar to that of a sports mascot, while others opt only for certain animal features for their alter ego, such as a tail and ears. Furries often attend furry conventions and events, where they can show off their anthropomorphic costumes and characters and meet other furries.

While sexual furries are a minority within furry fandom, their unconventional sexual ties inevitably make them the most controversial, and consequently most focused upon, aspect of the furry subculture. Even within the furry community, it would seem that a certain degree of controversy exists between the family-friendly and the sexually-inclined, who are often referred to as “furverts” (a combination of “furry” and “pervert”) or “yiffy” furries. It’s important to emphasize that not every furry fan participates in sexual activity as part of their furry lifestyle. Put a group of 2,500 people together (the number that attended the 2006 AnthroCon convention, the largest in the U.S.) and you’re bound to get a diverse collection of interests and personal preferences, including those related to sex. In fact, largely due to the amount of media attention in recent years that has focused solely on sexual furries and its links to various fetishises, “clean” furries often take care to distinguish themselves from yiffy furries. The LA Alternative ran a feature piece in 2003 entitled “My Life as a Furry,” which elaborates upon the complicated relationship between furry fandom and sex.

As is true for the entire world of furry fandom, much of the sexual side of furries revolves around art. In the case of furverts, the art takes an erotic turn, sexualizing the characters and scenes depicted to any degree of lewdness, from merely featuring erotic genitalia to much more provocative acts—not unlike the adult section of an otherwise general newsstand or video store. If the yiffy furry creates a fursona, this character may be sexual as well, in virtual role playing, in live action or in a fursuit. While it may be difficult to imagine performing sex while wearing a full-body fursuit, for the serious furverts and fursuiters, that is a part of it. More commonly alluded to is furries rubbing against one another or a sort of dry humping in fursuits, sometimes called “yiffing.”

The yiffies who choose to take their sexual pleasures in fursuits bridge an interesting gap between furries and “plushies.” Plushies, in the basic sense, are plush stuffed animals and also people who use them in their sexual endeavors (short for “plushophiles”). Because both sexual fursuiters and plushophiles involve erotic stimulation by means of fur, the two are often linked with each other. In practice, plushie sex generally involves masturbating with the stuffed animal, either by rubbing it against oneself or by creating a “strategically placed hole” or “strategically placed appendage.” The primary difference between sexual furries and plushies is that part of the enjoyment for furries is actually being their faux-animal personas, whereas plushies simply enjoy being with the animal toys. But where the sexuality of the everyday sexually inclined furry (particularly those not in full fursuits) may be considered simply a normal aspect of an otherwise eccentric lifestyle, plushie sex is almost always discussed in a fetishist context. And while sexual fursuiters are not exclusively fetishist, they do present a logical intersection where furry fandom meets fetish.

The fetish link plays a significant role in the controversial perception of furries as a whole, but probably even more influential is the various media and pop culture portrayals of furries as being entirely centered on sexual deviance. A Vanity Fair article in 2001 presented a portrait of furry fandom entitled “Pleasures of the Fur.” While detailed, the article’s tone and focus on the sexual element of the fandom and the conventions prompted criticism from the furry community. Even more shocking—to both the general public and furries alike—was a 2001 MTV Sex2k documentary “Furries and Plushies,” which focuses specifically on fursuit and plushie sex, including fursuit dry-humping orgies referred to as a “fur piles,” in which participants “spooge” on each other’s fur. In various furry message board strings discussing these media vehicles, the criticism isn’t so much focused on denying the existence of those practices, but expresses disappointment that the features chose to emphasize only that particular side of furry fandom.

The ultimate agenda of each of these media features coincides with much of the general public’s view of furry fandom as being just plain weird, regardless of its sexual nature. Indeed it is probably difficult for a non-furry to understand the appeal or take furry fandom seriously. Then again, that separation remains true for any fetish—it is only practiced by a select group of people; and the simple fact that furry sex is unconventional and not understood by most designates it at the very least “kinky.” But furries may also gain public notoriety due to subtle connections to more shocking fetishes. Some find it shocking that anything involving children’s cartoons could also involve sex. Not to mention that because furries involve animals (albeit fictional), questions are often raised about possible links to bestiality.

But what many people may not recognize is that even the most mainstream sexuality is permeated with subtle (and even not-so-subtle) animal references. Think how often an attractive person might be complimented as a “stud” or a “foxy lady,” or someone who is good in bed dubbed an “animal/tomcat in the sack.” Couples all over the world do it “doggie style,” and fur on handcuffs is most likely less shocking than metal ones on criminals. Ever notice that a certain negligee is called a “teddy?” Plenty of sexy costumes have animal themes, and people talk about following their “animal instincts” when it comes to sex. Furries, both yiffy and clean, simply follow their animal instincts in a slightly different direction.

Even without the tension, confusion and controversy between furverts and clean furries, and between all furries and non-furries, there remains a powerful image of adult sexuality in mainstream culture that contains an overt animal reference; an image so widespread and successful that it has spawned an entire empire, and a universal symbol of what so-called “normal” straight men are meant to find sexy; a symbol whose distinctiveness lies in a signature pair of bunny ears and a perfect little cottontail—the Playboy bunny.

Who knew so many people were turned on by anthropomorphism?