Just Your Average Friday Night
There was a time when I might have done a double-take if I had seen this while walking through downtown Pittsburgh.
But Anthrocon has called Pittsburgh home for the past five or six years, so now my reaction is something akin to "WOOOOOOOOO! The furries are back!"
I've talked about this all before (more than once, even), but for the uninitiated, Anthrocon is a conference for people who are interested in animals with humanlike characteristics. It attracts artists, animators, writers, costumers, puppeteers, and lots of other people who enjoy cartoon animals and the like. Some of the past featured speakers have included Joe Harris (responsible for UNDERDOG! and the Trix rabbit), Ben Balisteri (one of the story artists for How to Train Your Dragon), Bob Boyle (Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is his fault), and Peter Beagle (author of The Last Unicorn), which is all to say, it's a legit conference. Around 4,400 people attended Anthrocon this year.
However, for some reason, all anybody ever remembers about Anthrocon is the 800 or so people who make the event very . . . uh . . . interesting. And furry.
And I *LOVE* THOSE 800 PEOPLE. They make Pittsburgh about 25609235% more awesome for one weekend every year. I mean, this?
AWESOME! (Not really all that furry, but I'll ignore that part since BIG! GIANT! SHARKS! are fun.)
So, each year I join some friends and we go hang out at Anthrocon for a few hours and marvel at all the amazingness. For the most part, the furries are some of the nicest people ever (I've encountered two who were a bit rude in person and there's one who has nothing better to do than to pepper misery all over the internet, but three out of 4400+ people? That's some pretty good odds.). We end up taking photos with them, talking to them, and generally just have a really good time hanging out.
How do you NOT have a good time with those guys around? I mean, really.
Giant panda bear? LOOOOVE!
I love all three of these, too.
I briefly spoke to Pikachu while she was dressed as Pikachu, while she was dressed as a piñata, and while she was dressed like a normal person. All three times she was absolutely adorable and sweet.
This thing is pretty sweet, too, even if it does make me twitch.
I've sewn fur fabric before. It suuuuuuucks. In fact, stitching all of those different colors together is pretty much my definition of hell. Just thinking about all the fighting with a sewing machine that it would take makes me twitch. Somebody has way more patience than I do, for sure.
Whoever put this one together is shockingly patient and talented. And a little twisted.
Everything about it was startlingly realistic, including the sounds it made. The stuff of nightmares, I tell ya'.
This one also scared me a little.
I mean, he was super nice, but there's something about a bull walking upright through a hotel lobby that squicks me out a bit.
But not as much as this.
I don't really know why, but AAAAAAH! Creepy! And fascinating. I mean, how the hell is that all put together? There was no seam between her face and neck. NONE. I may have followed her around for a few minutes trying to figure it out. I may still be clueless.
I blame this guy for my continued cluelessness.
Do you know how hard it is to stalk a furry when an Angry Bird has just walked into the room? DO YOU? It's HARD!
I think the Angry Bird might have to be my absolute favorite thing I saw. Maybe.
More tomorrow, including how I may have possibly helped a furry spread some hug love, a little reminder that anything that glows is awesomeness personified, and a whole bunch more of my favorite photographs.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Reader Comments (19)
Landshark = Awesome. The hawk/falcon would have been even better with a pigeon in its mouth. And I don't know why, but the dog/wolf-like ones creep me out.
You consistently write some of the nicest blog posts about the convention! Peter S Beagle was actually one of this year's guests (The other being Andy Runton, the creator of the adorable Owly), and getting to listen to him read from The Last Unicorn was totally one of the highlights of my year.
The creepy head is actually more of a furry version of an animegao mask: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animegao Which is... not to everyone's liking. You tend to see more of them at anime conventions, which we also have in Pittsburgh in the spring.
I was telling Steve that next year we are dropping the kids off with his mom and going to hang out downtown to people? (furry? animal?) watch. He gave me a really weird look but tentatively agreed.
I'm going to have a convention. And it's for everyone that likes to draw hippo pictures on constuction paper. It's going to be called hippocon. Everyone will come.
Wow. Do they have a date set for next year's convention? Can I meet you there? Maybe if I promise to make my own costumer? (You'll know it's me because I CAN NOT sew). There's just NO WAY I could get my husband to go and I haven't been out in the big city in about a hundred years or so...
I *may* have just spent far too long checking out all the awesome pics in your photo stream.
@The Mommy--4th of July weekend. It's already on my calendar!
Oh dear. I'm afraid they ALL freak me out. I think they are all pretty scary. I guess I don't like them for the same reason I don't like clowns. You never know who is in there. And why would an adult want to wear one. It just seems suspicious to me. ;) Though I do always enjoy your posts and photos of the furries.
My husband thinks I'm a little wierd for reading the blogs of total stranges, but when I read him this post last night, we were both crying from laughing so hard! I've been following you for a couple of months now and I love your posts! So funny and wonderful!
I work in the wrong part of the city to witness any of this. I imagine we only get the Furries on Carson Street after I've already commuted home, and they've enjoyed too much, um, birdseed and libations.
Great pics!
I'm with Kat in the above comment. I don't like clowns and these furry things are scary. I don't get it.
If the point of the post was to remember and to love on the furries (and I do!), then you really shouldn't have ended it with a sentence containing the words you and hug. I mean, really. Need an explanation, stat!
Glad you had a fun time! We love coming to Pittsburgh!
I was in the lobby when the picture on the stairs was being taken.
Have you guys through about registering for Anthrocon 2012? There's a lot more to the convention than trying to hang out int he Westin lobby.. panels, dances, and much more. We do sell day passes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as full memberships for Thursday-Sunday.
I'm the red guy in the middle of the three with the Pikachu!
Honestly, we're just happy that you guys come and have a fun time. That's what we're doing, after all. :)
Just FYI... That "Pikachu" is actually a Jolteon. Someone doesn't know their Pokémon...
Growly, the Growlithe fursuiter
@The Mommy:
You actually don't need to make a suit or wear anything other than normal clothes. The suiters love showing off and having fun, but it's not a furry dress code. There are also ears and tails for sale (along with art and many other things) in the dealer's den. It means buying at least a day pass, but I think it's well worth it.
Be careful about when you come in. Since the first year Pittburgh has treated the furries wonderfully, but this year we had to eject no less than 60(!) drunken non-attendees (locals? I dunno) between 10PM and 2AM Saturday night. If you want to take pictures, I strongly recommend daylight hours. In the evening, we're probably going to have to be much more rigorous about checking for membership badges in the convention center and main hotel.
Or you could come for dinner at The Fish Market restaurant at the Westin. Then you have a legit reason for being in the lobby, and you help support the hotel that's the primary host. Not to mention that the food is pretty good. :-)
See ya in '12!
"Sgt. Steve", Anthrocon Security.
I can't even. I just love it so much. I was terrified of costumed characters until I was like.... 18? haha. Seriously. But put me in a room like that and I would be ALL OVER IT! I loooooove it. I just love odd things like this in general.