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Furry Planet: A World Gone Wild: Includes History, Costumes, and Conventions
From a veteran fur comes an immersive entry into the world of furry fandom, with an inside look at an amazing subculture, the timeless human instinct to identify with animals, and color images of furry costumes, art, and conventions. Furs are the creative subculture of people who identify with animals. You can find them at furry conventions, furfests, around the world—tens of thousands of people donning their most elaborate fursuit. In costume, at conventions, with friends or alone, furries unleash the animal within, letting their inner beasts roar and their inner cats purr, aware of the power—and joy—to be found in bringing forward one’s animal side and encouraging others to do the same. In Furry Planet , long-time furry Joe Strike dives deep into this compelling subculture to share its appeal and rewards. Strike and a wealth of interviewees trace the history of the subculture and its various iterations today, in the process covering conventions, media, art, storytelling, community resources, costume creation, and advice for newcomers, and addressing stigmas and misconceptions head on. An unprecedented in-depth guide, Furry Planet is sure to inform and delight the ever-growing furry fandom and anyone who has ever been curious about it. Inside you’ll
336 pages, Hardcover
Published August 29, 2023
6 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 13, 2024
I borrowed this book to understand the psychology behind this subculture. I got bits and pieces of that but this is mostly a scattered history of “furries.”
It’s a classic case of “this could’ve been at least 100 pages shorter.” You know how authors will say “but this would go beyond the scope of this book?” Well that phrase is not in this author’s vocabulary. He includes just about ANYTHING related to anthropomorphized animals.
Example: C.S. Lewis and Tolkien once dressed up as polar bears at a party (which wasn’t a costume party). The author loosely considers this “furry history.” Yikes.
Example 2: A section on Ylvis’ What Does the Fox Say? though the author admits that Ylvis had never heard of furries when they recorded the song.
Nevertheless these ridiculous inclusions did play a part in helping me understand what’s behind the furry fascination. Many of us grew up watching movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book with no life-altering confusion as to whether we were really a lion, bear, or tiger. The vast majority of people who end up identifying as furries saw some sort of anthropomorphized representation of an animal in a cartoon and identified with it on a deep level. They often prefer putting on an animal identity to their human identity.
Most people who call themselves “furs” do not dress up. Most understand that they are humans. But there’s definitely a concerning number who either split their identities between human and animal or believe they are an animal altogether. One person was quoted as saying “our bodies are what we say they are.”
And that’s exactly why I don’t buy the authors claim that furry culture isn’t necessarily related to sexuality and perversion. LGBT+ culture was mentioned too many times for that to be believable; he refutes himself. One furry was quoted as outright admitting that furry culture is one of the many identities that the + in LGBT+ covers. . . and this author creeped me out too many times describing how he ogles at furry costumes and cartoons with exaggerated female body shapes. Gross.
The bottom line is (sexual perversion aside) the majority of people who identify as furries do so to find community. They often feel misplaced in society, outcasts who may have body dysmorphia or just don’t do well in social settings. Putting on a costume or embracing an animal avatar is one way these people escape that shame and disassociate. And I can sympathize with that desire for community. We all need community. But the love of the Triune God, fellowship with the saints, and embracing the image of God we are made in is far better than this.
It’s a classic case of “this could’ve been at least 100 pages shorter.” You know how authors will say “but this would go beyond the scope of this book?” Well that phrase is not in this author’s vocabulary. He includes just about ANYTHING related to anthropomorphized animals.
Example: C.S. Lewis and Tolkien once dressed up as polar bears at a party (which wasn’t a costume party). The author loosely considers this “furry history.” Yikes.
Example 2: A section on Ylvis’ What Does the Fox Say? though the author admits that Ylvis had never heard of furries when they recorded the song.
Nevertheless these ridiculous inclusions did play a part in helping me understand what’s behind the furry fascination. Many of us grew up watching movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book with no life-altering confusion as to whether we were really a lion, bear, or tiger. The vast majority of people who end up identifying as furries saw some sort of anthropomorphized representation of an animal in a cartoon and identified with it on a deep level. They often prefer putting on an animal identity to their human identity.
Most people who call themselves “furs” do not dress up. Most understand that they are humans. But there’s definitely a concerning number who either split their identities between human and animal or believe they are an animal altogether. One person was quoted as saying “our bodies are what we say they are.”
And that’s exactly why I don’t buy the authors claim that furry culture isn’t necessarily related to sexuality and perversion. LGBT+ culture was mentioned too many times for that to be believable; he refutes himself. One furry was quoted as outright admitting that furry culture is one of the many identities that the + in LGBT+ covers. . . and this author creeped me out too many times describing how he ogles at furry costumes and cartoons with exaggerated female body shapes. Gross.
The bottom line is (sexual perversion aside) the majority of people who identify as furries do so to find community. They often feel misplaced in society, outcasts who may have body dysmorphia or just don’t do well in social settings. Putting on a costume or embracing an animal avatar is one way these people escape that shame and disassociate. And I can sympathize with that desire for community. We all need community. But the love of the Triune God, fellowship with the saints, and embracing the image of God we are made in is far better than this.
July 25, 2024
An interesting look at how the furry community spread across the world and some more modern features of the global community. Focuses a lot on how furries appear in different media - from furry and non-furry artists alike - but sometimes feels a bit disjointed and without a through-line tying the different chapters or overall book together. Also feels like it lacks in describing the overall history of the furry fandom, but I imagine that's because it's covered in the author's previous book so I won't hold it against this book. Will read Furry Nation as well to see if it provides a fuller picture of the fandom.
October 10, 2023
Finally a true insider's guide to furry fandom, complete with tons of info and interviews, as well as a dive into furry's history, art, costumes, conventions, community, purpose, and so much more, why furs are devoted.. For all fans and those intrigued, this is the only authoritative guide.
June 17, 2024
My eyes were opened a portion of society that I didn't even know was out there. Joe made the "furries" relatable and interesting.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews