According to fandom historian
Fred Patten, the concept of
furry originated at a
science fiction convention in 1980,
[5] when a character drawing from Steve Gallacci's
Albedo Anthropomorphics started a discussion of anthropomorphic characters in science fiction novels. This led to the formation of a discussion group that met at
science fiction conventions and
comics conventions.
The specific term
furry fandom was being used in
fanzines as early as 1983, and had become the standard name for the genre by the mid-1990s, when it was defined as "the organized appreciation and dissemination of art and prose regarding 'Furries', or fictional
mammalian anthropomorphic characters".
[6] However, fans consider the origins of furry fandom to be much earlier, with fictional works such as
Kimba, The White Lion released in 1965,
Richard Adams' novel
Watership Down, published in 1972 (and its
1978 film adaptation), as well as
Disney's Robin Hood as oft-cited examples.
[5] Internet newsgroup discussion in the 1990s created some separation between fans of "
funny animal" characters and furry characters, meant to avoid the baggage that was associated with the term "furry".
[7]
During the 1980s, furry fans began to publish fanzines, developing a diverse social group that eventually began to schedule social gatherings. By 1989, there was sufficient interest to stage the first furry convention.
[8] It was called Confurence 0, and was held at the Holiday Inn Bristol Plaza in Costa Mesa, California.
[9] The next decade, the internet became accessible to the general population and became the most popular means for furry fans to socialize.
[10] The
newsgroup alt.fan.furry was created in November 1990, and virtual environments such as
MUCKs also became popular places on the internet for fans to meet and communicate.
[11]
