Are You A Furry?

Post by **Sleet** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:23 pm

Balto's pretty popular with furries.

Leafolawl · Post by **Leafolawl** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:53 am

I love the Balto movies~!

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:55 am

Whatever, fox and the hound was where it was at. My obsession with that movie was probably the first hint of furriness in me.

Leafolawl · Post by **Leafolawl** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:57 am

Seth wrote:fox and the hound.

I love you.

Post by **Sleet** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:17 am

That movie was so good! I liked 'em both. Sonic the Hedgehog and Star Fox were more my furry inspiration. I was a big video game fan.

Oblivious Adobo · Post by **Oblivious Adobo** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:51 am

Disney's Robin Hood was one of my favorite movies when I was little. I never really notice they were anthros till some folks brought it up a while back.

Post by **Dissension** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 5:36 am

There are so many cartoons and books with animals as the main characters in my past that a lifelong interest was pretty much guaranteed. Indeed, these images of anthropomorphic animals are so ingrained into culture it's a wonder more people don't have a strong enough affinity for them to dub themselves 'furry.'

FlintTheSquirrel · Post by **FlintTheSquirrel** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:32 am

Well a barrier for many of them is probably what Furries are seen as. However, that is probably for only a small portion of the whole.
I grew up watching shows on Boomerang, so I guess I saw a lot of Anthros growing up.

SirSlappy · Post by **SirSlappy** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 8:08 am

I grew up on disney and the animals of farthing wood so I saw a lot too. Also most of my favourite video games have anthros in them (crash bandicoot, spyro, etc).

Post by **Sleet** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:02 pm

FlintTheSquirrel wrote:Well a barrier for many of them is probably what Furries are seen as.

Flint's right. I think there are a lot more furries out there than identify as such. The image just turns them off.

SirSlappy · Post by **SirSlappy** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:18 pm

Sleet wrote:
FlintTheSquirrel wrote:Well a barrier for many of them is probably what Furries are seen as.
Flint's right. I think there are a lot more furries out there than identify as such. The image just turns them off.

I think I found out the stereotype after I discovered what furries were (never been one to pay attention to those things). It's a shame people have a herd-like ability to believe that stuff.

Post by **Dissension** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:26 pm

I was hoping to avoid denigrating people who might be furs but don't consider themselves such. It's just a word, after all. I am aware of the various stereotypes associated with our little fandom, but the darker ones are not suitable for discussion here and those are presumably the ones that drive most people away from it.

Post by **Sleet** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:33 pm

Dissension wrote:I was hoping to avoid denigrating people who might be furs but don't consider themselves such. It's just a word, after all. I am aware of the various stereotypes associated with our little fandom, but the darker ones are not suitable for discussion here and those are presumably the ones that drive most people away from it.

I don't think anyone's putting them down.

Post by **Dissension** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:34 pm

Referring to a herd mentality is hardly flattering, especially as it relates to one's opinions.

Post by **Sleet** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:38 pm

He means the negative stereotype, Diss.

The Grey Wolverine · Post by **The Grey Wolverine** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:49 pm

I think this is the first time I have ever seen Diss get flustered.

On a note, I like Balto, but like Seth said, The Fox and the Hound is where its at. Its such a sad move ;_;

Post by **Dissension** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:50 pm

Believe it or not, I do amazingly well at reading comprehension. I was trying to keep the discussion from getting carried away. Every other furry thread has been shut down for getting too creepy or argumentative. As long as we all bear in mind there are boundaries (as always), we're all cool.

KJOokami · Post by **KJOokami** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:52 pm

Yeah, I know a lot of people who disliked The Fox and the Hound because it broke Disney's usual mold of "Happy Ever After" endings, but that's actually one of the best things about it, in my opinion.

There's just something about those bittersweet endings that always gets me. I actually wanna go watch it now. XD

Post by **Sleet** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:58 pm

The Fox and the Hound was fairly accurate about how animals, pets and nature tend to work. That gave it a really organic feel.

FlintTheSquirrel · Post by **FlintTheSquirrel** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:49 pm

Dun worry Dissension, I was only speaking of the Stereotype.

Back on the subject, I think Disney is the main contributor to why Anthro is popular. If not for Disney, maybe furries would have never existed.

Post by **Sleet** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:51 pm

I think furries would've existed. There's plenty of other good anthropomorphic works out there. But that doesn't mean there wouldn't be a lot fewer furries without them.

FlintTheSquirrel · Post by **FlintTheSquirrel** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:55 pm

It is all a 'what if' senerio, the thing is, I think Disney is the main inspiration to all other Anthro works since they were one of the first ones, and defiantly the most popular when it came to making movies like that. Who knows what would have happened with a world without Disney. Maybe there could have been more, less, or none at all. Maybe something no one thought about in such a world.

SirSlappy · Post by **SirSlappy** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:58 pm

Dissension wrote:Referring to a herd mentality is hardly flattering, especially as it relates to one's opinions.

When I talked about herd mentality I meant us as a species not a specific group of people. And I know not to talk about that stuff in too much detail. I know how easily fights can happen on the internet.

On topic though, without Disney (or equivalent) there would be a little less furries around, but people would still be interested in anthropomorphic animals. That stuff has been around for quite a while.

KJOokami · Post by **KJOokami** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:51 pm

Agreed. While Disney was certainly a pioneer in anthropomorphic animation work, I daresay someone would've come along and done it eventually. Whether or not Disney was the catalyst for the popularity of anthropomorphism of animals in our current society is debatable, but they've certainly played their part in making the subject more widespread than it would have been otherwise.

Liam · Post by **Liam** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:24 am

And now they passed the torch to Pixar (albeit involuntarily).

Sun Apr 08, 2012 6:11 pm

sure it was involuntarily? Disney does own Pixar, you know. Technically, they recruited the people who took the torch from them to run for their team.

KJOokami · Post by **KJOokami** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:16 pm

Disney owns Pixar's shares in the stock market, but before that happened, the higher-ups in Pixar made absolutely sure that the company itself was to remain an entirely separate entity from Disney. They're still based in the same spot in California where they've always been with a big 'PIXAR' sign out front.

The two companies have been at odds for quite a few years now.

Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:32 pm

Ifrom what I see on wikipedia, it sems like they more bought the people working at Pixar, leaving the company in their control. the Pixar president became president of Disney Animation Studios, while John Lasseter became Chief Creative Officer.

basically, I guess they said "could you guys run some of our stuff too?" and Pixar obliged.

so they didn't so much recruit the new torch bearers as they said "hey, you can hold the torch for us too."
my metaphor's fallen apart.

KJOokami · Post by **KJOokami** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:43 pm

Also from the Pixar Wikipedia:

Wikeepeedeeuh wrote:Lasseter and Catmull's oversight of both the Disney and Pixar studios did not mean that the two studios were merging, however. In fact, additional conditions were laid out as part of the deal to ensure that Pixar remained a separate entity, a concern that analysts had expressed about the Disney deal.

Some of the guys from Pixar have taken spots in the Disney corporation, but they are still very much separated companies.

Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:55 pm

that's what I meant. The people who run Pixar now work for Disney, but Pixar is still their company that runs independently.

KJOokami · Post by **KJOokami** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:32 pm

Oh... mah bad. ^^;

Nyaliva · Post by **Nyaliva** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 11:47 pm

Leafolawl wrote:
Seth wrote:fox and the hound.
I love you.

As do I.
I liked Balto but The Fox and the Hound was always my more favourite movie as a kid. Still makes me cry when Tod has to leave...

About the current discussion topic, I agree Disney has an influence on kids becoming furries but yeah, they'd probably become furries without Disney. What I find annoying is that Disney is the only real outlet for mainstream anthro media, and it's intended more for children. I wouldn't mind if there were some more anthro TV shows intended more for older teens and adults (although I don't mean like that, leading to...).

As to my furryism: ehhhhhh...
I consider myself an anthropomorphic enthusiast, I like anthro comics because they usually look generally better than non-anthro ones, if they were in book form it probably wouldn't matter if they were human or anthro. Also anthro comics with "adult content" aren't really my cup of tea, I prefer things like Housepets! or Slightly Damned where there are teen/adult issues without resorting directly to sex. Also I don't wish to become an anthro animal...yet. Seriously, with how much anthro I read I'm starting to wonder if I should be choosing my species soon. Ideas?

Post by **Dissension** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 12:22 am

Since discussion of sex is kinda verboten anyway, we don't have to worry about that kind of thing here. = P

The basic definition of a fur is one who enjoys anthropomorphic depictions of animals; that is, depictions of animals with human traits, including (but not limited to) speech, sapience, bipedal stance, et cetera. Whether you enjoy the work more because it contains one or more qualifying characters should be your guiding point in deciding whether to label yourself "furry."

Shirosune · Post by **Shirosune** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 1:53 am

Nyaliva wrote:Seriously, with how much anthro I read I'm starting to wonder if I should be choosing my species soon. Ideas?

*In best Darth Vader voice* Join the vulpine side, it is your destiny, we have much to offer you, such as a fluffy tail, cute pointy ears the ability to play pranks as you wish...and also cookies!

Anyway back to being at least a little serious.

Fox and the Hound is counted among my favorite movies as well but, for multiple reasons, I simply can't list it as my all-time. Loin King holds that spot, even though I associate much more with the vulpine creed. On the current topic at hand, while I'll admit Disney has had an impact in regards to the furry fandom it is also true that there are many, many more sources helping to drive it as well. From Warner Bros. to some Japanese anime to a large number of video games starring characters of the creed, there are simply so many possible exposure points that I just can't see the fandom being too much if any smaller without Disney.

Leafolawl · Post by **Leafolawl** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:46 am

Shirosune wrote:
Nyaliva wrote:Seriously, with how much anthro I read I'm starting to wonder if I should be choosing my species soon. Ideas?
*In best Darth Vader voice* Join the vulpine side, it is your destiny, we have much to offer you, such as a fluffy tail, cute pointy ears the ability to play pranks as you wish...and also cookies!

HEY!..

Where are my cookies?!

Shirosune wrote:Anyway back to being at least a little serious.

Fox and the Hound is counted among my favorite movies as well but, for multiple reasons, I simply can't list it as my all-time. Loin King holds that spot, even though I associate much more with the vulpine creed. On the current topic at hand, while I'll admit Disney has had an impact in regards to the furry fandom it is also true that there are many, many more sources helping to drive it as well. From Warner Bros. to some Japanese anime to a large number of video games starring characters of the creed, there are simply so many possible exposure points that I just can't see the fandom being too much if any smaller without Disney.

Well, I for one have always loved animals, so the thought of talking animals has always been a good one to me, but my love of animals isn't just because of my family having pets. Disney was the only thing I'd seen with animals that seemed even remotely human till I was about twelve, and by then, I'd already had the thought of animals that could talk crammed in my head from movies like 101 Dalmatians, The Lion King, and my personal favorite movie of all time, of any genre, by any company, The Fox and the Hound.

Based on my own experience with it, I'd say we'd probably lack a few hundred, maybe a couple thousand, furries, if not for Disney.

Shirosune · Post by **Shirosune** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:09 am

Leafolawl wrote:Where are my cookies?!

*Hands plate of cookies* Just be careful you don't eat any of the explosive ones.

Leafolawl wrote:Well, I for one have always loved animals, so the thought of talking animals has always been a good one to me, but my love of animals isn't just because of my family having pets. Disney was the only thing I'd seen with animals that seemed even remotely human till I was about twelve, and by then, I'd already had the thought of animals that could talk crammed in my head from movies like 101 Dalmatians, The Lion King, and my personal favorite movie of all time, of any genre, by any company, The Fox and the Hound.

Based on my own experience with it, I'd say we'd probably lack a few hundred, maybe a couple thousand, furries, if not for Disney.

I can't really say you're wrong in that view, but I can't really say you're right either. Maybe it's a bit different for me because of the generation gap, but my first primary exposures to anthropomorphic characters came from Saturday morning cartoons and video games when I was kid. In way of the cartoons it was Thundercats and SatAM Sonic among others and in video games Sonic played another big role, there were others there as well, but I don't feel like bringing them up.

As I've said previously, Disney probably did play a role in for me as well, but I think I would have still reached the same point either way and perhaps this fact has served to slant my view on the matter in some way. At the same time as that, I am also one who finds that with the prevalence of Disney the way it currently is, that it's odd that there are not more out there that count themselves as furries.

Really, with a debate like this one we could easily end up sitting in one place chasing our proverbial tails until the end of time without reaching a solid conclusion beyond this - Regardless of the specifics of the changes, if Disney had not been around or had they chosen a different path then the one they have, the furry fandom would be greatly different for it.

Post by **Sleet** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 12:05 pm

Disney did something that's always been done, but did it extremely well. I think without Disney the size of the fandom would only be about halved.

The Grey Wolverine · Post by **The Grey Wolverine** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 1:57 pm

Nyaliva wrote: Seriously, with how much anthro I read I'm starting to wonder if I should be choosing my species soon. Ideas?

Ferret, we can be total mustelidae bros man.

GunRacer · Post by **GunRacer** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:26 pm

Sleet wrote:Disney did something that's always been done, but did it extremely well. I think without Disney the size of the fandom would only be about halved.

And (critically), Disney did the whole anthropomorphic thing in the socially-acceptable context of children's films-- a WAY bigger market segment than the outright furries. It was non-threatening, so exposure was comparatively huge. Watching lots of movies like this probably led a lot of people, yours truly included, to be interested in antopomorphic characters... we just never grew out of it like we were "supposed to."

So then, why is it socially acceptable for kids to watch furry cartoons and movies-- and for parents/older siblings to watch them with the younger kids-- but in any other circumstances it's seen as odd? I mean, if this stuff was societally verboten across the board, that would at least be consistent. As things stand there's this odd relationship: furry movies, etc. are normal/fine/okay for anyone up to say age thirteen. After that there's a "drop it and move on to other things; if you don't you're weird" attitude.

I guess the million-dollar question is, "Why the disparity?" It may not even be possible to answer.

...but it's darned fun to try. :P

Anybody?

Stay frosty.
GR

Post by **Dissension** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:47 pm

I don't see the disparity, actually. I could name at least a dozen adults whose favorite movies include one or more "anthro" ones (especially Disney's Robin Hood or The Lion King. None of them are furries. There may be a perception that all cartoons are intended for children. Indeed, many are; that doesn't stop adults from enjoying them, too.

Do you consider yourself a furry?