YOU TAKE MY PAW AND I'LL TAKE YOUR HAND: AN EXPLORATION OF THE FURRY COMMUNITY A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts with a Major in Anthropology in the College of Graduate Studies University of Idaho by Dustin Fleener Major Professor: Rodney Frey, Ph.D. Committee Members: Stacey Camp, Ph.D.; Ian Chambers, Ph.D.; Matthew Wappett Ph.D. Department Administrator: Mark Warner, Ph.D. MAY 2016 ii AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT THESIS This thesis of Dustin Fleener, submitted for the degree of Master of Arts with a major in Anthropology and titled "You Take My Paw and I'll Take Your Hand: An Exploration of the Furry Community," has been reviewed in final form. Permission, as indicated by the signatures and dates given below, is now granted to submit final copies to the College of Graduate Studies for approval. Major Professor ______________________________________Date_______________ Rodney Frey, Ph.D. Committee Members ______________________________________Date_______________ Stacey Camp, Ph.D. ______________________________________Date_______________ Ian Chambers, Ph.D. ______________________________________Date_______________ Matthew Wappett, Ph.D. Department Administrator ______________________________________Date_______________ Mark Warner, Ph.D. iii ABSTRACT The Furry community is a sub-culture of the Science Fiction and Fantasy fandoms whose members generally self-identify with fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. Furry community members often interact and participate in online Internet-based communities or real world conventions and other informal meetings; the former being the dominant method of interaction for the community where social interaction, role-play, art creation, and other user-created content is shared. The purpose of this case study research is to investigate how members of the furry community self-identify and interact with one another through the use of personal avatars, or 'fursonas,' construct self-identify as a member of the furry fandom, and interact with other furries in this participant culture. This research makes use of voluntary interviews conducted from members among the University of Idaho population, personal digital correspondence with furry historians and artists, and participant-observation research at a furry convention in Seattle, Washington, to provide additional academic insight and knowledge on the subculture onto the spaces created and occupied by the furry fandom. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the members of the furry community for assisting me in this exploration. I would like to thank furry artists TaniDaReal, Inkpawz, and XariaWolf for their permission to use their artwork and creations as examples in this document as well as Fred Patten, furry historian, for all his correspondence and patience. I appreciate furry community member Croc O'Dile of TigerMUCK whose poem Furry, posted to the Internet in 1995 and encountered by me in 1997, inspired the thesis title. I sincerely thank Dr. Rodney Frey, Professor of Ethnography and Anthropology at the University of Idaho, for his guidance, enthusiasm, understanding and patience while this project was completed. I also want to convey my appreciation to other University of Idaho faculty members, colleagues, and friends who have guided my personal and academic development as a non-traditional student. Thank you for your gentle encouragement, continued interest in my work, and comradery. Roll 20s. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Authorization to Submit Thesis ............................................................................................... ii Abstract ....................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... v Figures .................................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Methodology .......................................................................................................... 8 Ethics ............................................................................................................................ 8 Participants ................................................................................................................ 11 Reflexivity................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 3: Brief Overview of the Fandom ............................................................................. 23 Defining Furry ............................................................................................................ 23 History ....................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 4: Fursonas and Identity .......................................................................................... 31 Chapter 5: Furry Material Culture – Fursuits, Conbadges and Furry Art .............................. 38 Fursuits ...................................................................................................................... 38 Conbadges ................................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 6: Furry Convention Culture .................................................................................... 55 Convention Organization ........................................................................................... 55 Themes....................................................................................................................... 56 vi Artist Alley and Dealer’s Den ..................................................................................... 59 Art Show .................................................................................................................... 64 Panels ......................................................................................................................... 65 Guests of Honor ......................................................................................................... 66 Fursuit Parade ............................................................................................................ 67 Social Events, Room Parties and Dances ................................................................... 69 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 72 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 74 Appendix A: Institutional Review Board Approval ................................................................ 80 Appendix B: Institutional Review Board Year One Extension ............................................... 81 Appendix C: Institutional Review Board Year Two Extension ............................................... 82 Appendix D: National Health Institute Certification .............................................................. 83 Appendix E: Informed Consent Form Used for Interviews .................................................... 84 Appendix F: ‘Elise’ Interview .................................................................................................. 87 Appendix G: ‘Tasha’ Interview ............................................................................................... 92 Appendix H: ‘John’ Interview ............................................................................................... 109 Appendix I: ‘Eddie’ Interview ............................................................................................... 113 Appendix J: ‘Hector’ Interview ............................................................................................ 140 Appendix K: ‘Abe’ Interview ................................................................................................ 168 Appendix L: Fred Patten Correspondence ........................................................................... 221 Appendix M: Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................... 229 Appendix N: Partial List of Furry Conventions and Meets................................................... 232 vii Appendix O: Rich Chandler’s Sketchbook Etiquette ............................................................ 233 Appendix P: Lore Sjöberg’s The Geek Hierarchy Chart ........................................................ 237 Appendix Q: Text-Only Version of Fred Patten’s “Retrospective: An Illustrated Chronology of the Furry Fandom, 1966 - 1996 ...................................................................................... 238 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Gameplay Screenshot of Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb ................................. 1 Figure 2: Screenshots from Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb Opening Narration ............. 2 Figure 3: Bruce the Bat by Brian Root a.k.a. Astolpho