U.S. House: Health Care DebateFurries Return To PittsburghPOSTED: 8:33 am EDT July 6,
2007 PITTSBURGH -- The fur is flying in downtown Pittsburgh.Anthrocon -- the annual Furries convention -- is being held Friday through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.It's a gathering of about 2,500 people who focus on anthropomorphics -- fictional animal characters that can assume human personalities and characteristics.Men and women from all walks of life attend the convention -- and many are seen walking around the downtown streets in their oversized animal costumes.The furries have traveled from around the world to attend the event, some from as far as Japan."I drove seven hours to get here," said furry Kauaku, of Toronto.Hoping to attract business, at least one restaurant near the convention center was advertising an "Anthrocon special" on Friday.About $2.5 million is spent in the city every year during the annual gathering, the Anthrocon chairman told WTAE's news exchange partners at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review."They definitely did come in swarms, and we did see a hit in business, because especially them coming in and everyone else got excited when they saw them coming in in their full gear, doing shots," said Twist bartender Matt Benio. "It was a good time.""Furry is technically more of a lifestyle," said furry Baby Tiger. "There's no one word of what furry is."They acknowledge that for some furries, there's a sexual aspect, but most say the adult-themed furries aren't the majority."A furry is a person online who pretends to be a humanoid animal, is the essentials of it," furry MCA Jabberwocky. "Because, hey, it's fun. We're human. We know what humans are like. Why not be something else.""Only about 10 percent of our people are in costumes," said Anthrocon chairman Dr. Samuel Conway. "Anthrocon is for artists, performers, puppeteers. We have people here who draw comics for a living, people here who do comic strips. We have professional illustrators. We have professional sports mascots."This is the second straight year that Pittsburgh has hosted the convention. Related Links: 'Furries' Descend On Golden Triangle (June 16, 2006) More Allegheny County NewsGet RSS Headlines | Breaking News Alerts Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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