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Anthrocon

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Anthrocon
Anthrocon's official logo
StatusActive
GenreFurry
Venue
Location(s)Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1997
Most recent2023
Attendance13,644 in 2023
Organized byAnthrocon, Inc.
Filing status501(c)(7)
Websitewww.anthrocon.org

Anthrocon (abbreviated AC) is an annual furry convention that takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, each June or July. It caters to furries, which are fans of fictional anthropomorphic animal characters in art and literature. The convention was first held in 1997 in Albany, New York, and moved multiple times before settling at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.[1] Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2006, the convention has drawn millions in financing to the local economy.[2][3][page needed]

As of December 2023, the 2023 iteration drew an attendance of 13,644 attendees, making it the second largest furry convention in the world by attendance.[2][4]

Background and history

Anthrocon was founded in 1997 as Albany Anthrocon (AAC) in New York state, with a membership of about 500. The convention was renamed to 'Anthrocon' and moved to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in 1999 and 2000; then to a larger hotel, the Adam's Mark, on the outskirts of Philadelphia in 2001. Attendance grew each year, Anthrocon becoming the largest furry convention in 2001 with an attendance of 1,457. In 2004 it had climbed to 2,404 attendees in its final year at the Adam's Mark.[5]: 18 

Due to the unforeseen sale of the Adam's Mark Hotel in November 2004, Anthrocon chose the Wyndham Franklin Plaza in Philadelphia as the site for its 2005 convention. Attendance that year dropped to 2,373. In June 2005, a contract with the Westin Convention Center Hotel in Pittsburgh was signed, and Anthrocon was scheduled to be held at the adjoining David L. Lawrence Convention Center between June 15 and 18, 2006. Despite concerns that the move to Pittsburgh would decrease attendance, it rose to 2,489, enough to ensure the future of the convention in Pittsburgh.[5]: 22 

In 2007 Anthrocon was featured in the Guinness World Records (2008 Edition) as the "largest furry fan club" in the world. In 2008, Anthrocon became the first furry convention to have an attendance exceeding 3,000 members, the official count reaching 3,390.[6] In 2009, attendance rose 11% to 3,776, and the Fursuit Parade count jumped to 640—a 41% increase.[5]: 18 [7][8] Anthrocon 2009 brought approximately $3 million to the Pittsburgh economy.[9]

Anthrocon 2010 had an attendance of 4,238, the first furry convention to exceed 4,000 members; and by 2012 saw 5,179 attendees, with a Fursuit Parade exceeding 1,000. The admission price was also set overall at $60 for a four-day pass, though pre-registered attendees paid $50.[10] In 2013, Anthrocon contracted roomspace with seven of Pittsburgh's ten downtown hotels.[citation needed]

In 2017, Anthrocon lost the title of "World's most attended furry convention", as Midwest FurFest in Rosemont, Illinois, claimed the title with an attendance of over 8,700.[11]

The chairman of the convention since 1999, Samuel Conway oversees the operations of Anthrocon with the assistance of convention staff and volunteers who donate their time and energy throughout the weekend to assist the multitude of small tasks which arise. Since 1997, Anthrocon has raised more than $200,000 for animal-related charities.[1]

Fernando's Café

Since the convention's presence in Pittsburgh, Fernando's Café, a fast food restaurant located near Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, is one of several restaurants that cater to furries during Anthrocon weekend.[12] However, in 2012, Fernando DeCarvalho, the owner of the restaurant, called Conway informing him that he had gone into debt as a result of the Great Recession. In response, Conway initiated a fundraising campaign which resulted in the restaurant receiving $20,000, a move HuffPost reports would "alleviate some of [DeCarvalho's] debt and allow him to keep his doors open long enough for one last Anthrocon."[12]

Typical programming and events

There are areas open most of the day to accommodate sales by Dealers and Artists as well as an area to congregate and socialize.

Anthrocon provides a number of specialized 'tracks' of programming with similar furry based themes and scheduled 'events'.[13][14]

The programming tracks involve discussions and work groups focused on the application of furry in Art, Comedy and Improv, Computer Gaming, Costuming (Fursuits), Music, Puppetry, Role-Playing (both gaming and real-life), and Writing.

Scheduled events that take place have included a Charity Auction, Masquerade, Fursuit Parade, nightly dances, Art Show Auctions, and special presentations by Uncle Kage and "2 the Ranting Gryphon".[15][better source needed]

Every year the convention has several Guests of Honor, who are prominent individuals who are compensated for their attendance and travel expenses. Past Guests of Honor at Anthrocon have included Rob Paulsen and Mark Evanier.[16][17]

Anthrocon by year

This table includes the locations of each convention as well as attendance figures, charity donations, convention themes, and guests of honor by year.[5]: 18 

Year Dates Location Attendance[5]: 18  Charity
Donation[5]: 18 		 Charity[5]: 18  Theme[5]: 18  Guests of Honor[5]: 18 
1997 July 4–6 Albany, New York 500 est $2,200 Therapy Dogs/K9 Friends An East Coast Furry Con
  • artist Daphne Lage
  • author Watts Martin[5]: 18 
1998 July 3–5 600 est $3,092 Whiskers Here Be Dragons
  • artist Jim Groat
  • author Jeffrey A. Carver
1999 July 2–4 Valley Forge, Pennsylvania 804 $3,600 Great Valley Nature Center The Furry Revolution
  • artist Vicky Wyman
  • author S. Andrew Swann
2000 June 30- July 2 1,128 $6,534 The National Greyhound Adoption Program Furries of Myth and Legend
  • artist Sara "Caribou" Palmer
  • author Paul Kidd
2001 July 27–29 Philadelphia 1,457 $7,237 Reins of Life Furries in Flight
2002 July 11–14 1,648 $13,280 Canine Partners for Life Invention
2003 July 17–20 1,949 $8,348 Support Our Shelters Creatures of the Night
  • artist Guy Gilchrist
  • artist Mark E. Rogers
2004 July 8–11 2,404 $7,200 Forgotten Felines & Fidos (FFF) Summer Games
2005 July 7–10 2,370 $6,470 Greater Philadelphia Search & Rescue Heroes
2006 June 15–18 Pittsburgh, PA 2,489 $8,407 Western Pennsylvania National Wild Animal Making History
2007 July 5–8 2,849 $7,608 Animal Friends Looking to the Future
2008 June 26–29 3,390 $13,154 Pittsburgh Parrot Rescue It's a jungle out there!
2009 July 2–5 3,776 $8,993 Animal Rescue League Wildlife Rehabilitation OMG Aliens!
2010 June 24–27 4,238 $12,849 Fayette Friends of Animals Modern Stone-Age Furries
2011 June 23–26 4,400[18] $11,522[19] ToonSeum The Anthropomorphic Institute of Magic
2012 June 14–17 5,179 $20,656 Hello Bully A Midsummer Night's Dream
  • Comic Artist, Animator, Director, TV Repairman Mike Kazaleh
  • Comic Artist and Video Game Art Director Dev Madan of Sly Cooper fame.
2013 July 4–7 5,577 $31,255 Equine Angels Rescue The Fast and the Furrious
2014 July 3–6 5,861 $32,372 The National Aviary Secret Societies
2015[20] July 9–12 6,389 $35,910 The Western PA Humane Society Viking Invasion!
2016 June 30- July 3 7,310 $30,880[21] Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium Roaring Twenty
2017 June 29- July 2 7,544[23] $37,598 Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary Take Me Out To The Ballgame
2018 July 5–8 8,407 $42,051 South Hills Pet Rescue Movie Monsters
2019 July 4–7 9,358 $46,440 PEARL Parrot Rescue Surf Pacific[24]
2020 Cancelled[25]
(originally July 2–5)		 — — — — —
2021 Cancelled[26]
(originally July 1–4)		 — — — — —
2022 June 30- July 3 9,702 $41,553 Wildlife Works Inc. Aesop's Fables
  • comic creator Susan Rankin[27]
  • Animator Kévin "Kéké" Gemin
  • Acrobat Sardyuon
2023 June 29 - July 2 13,644 Rabbit Wranglers Anthropolis: Our Furry City

References

  1. ^ a b "Anthrocon History". Anthrocon. March 29, 2006. Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Ellis, Maliya (June 30, 2022). "Anthrocon is back in Pittsburgh – and here come the furries". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  3. ^ Dale, Joshua Paul; Goggin, Joyce; Leyda, Julia; McIntyre, Anthony P.; Negra, Diane (December 8, 2016). The Aesthetics and Affects of Cuteness. Routledge. ISBN 9781317331308.
  4. ^ Farrell, Riley (August 2, 2022). "When mixing faith with furries, things can get hairy". Religion News Service. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pattern, Fred (January 3, 2017). Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9781476663814.
  6. ^ Guinness World Records 2008. Guinness. August 7, 2007. p. 222. ISBN 978-1904994190. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ John Cole (July 7, 2009). "Anthrocon 2009 – A Final Look Back". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2017 – via LiveJournal.
  8. ^ Karl Jorgensen (July 6, 2000). "A Bunch Of Anthrocon News Coverage In One Convenient Post!". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2017 – via LiveJournal.
  9. ^ Brandolph, Adam (June 28, 2008). "Furry Convention $3 Million Cash Cow for City Businesses". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  10. ^ Notopoulos, Katie (June 20, 2012). "Are Furries Really So Bad?". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  11. ^ Purdom, Clayton (February 22, 2018). "How will you react when a loved one tells you they are a furry?". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Anthrocon Furries Aid Fernando's Cafe in Pittsburgh". Huffington Post. June 17, 2012. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  13. ^ "Events" (PDF). Anthrocon. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  14. ^ "Our 2017 Schedule". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  15. ^ "News". Ranting Gryphon Studios. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016. 2012 Touring Information - June 14–17: Anthrocon, Pittsburgh, PA
  16. ^ Uncle Kage (August 19, 2006). "Anthrocon's first guest of honor named". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2017 – via LiveJournal.
  17. ^ Uncle Kage (November 12, 2006). "Anthrocon's 2007 Guests of Honor announced". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  18. ^ @anthrocon (June 26, 2011). "Anthrocon 2011 attendance: 4400 attendees. #AC2011" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Brian Harris (June 28, 2011). "Anthrocon 2011 Charity Event Followup". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2011 – via LiveJournal.
  20. ^ Garcia, Deanna. "The Furries Have Landed – And Pittsburgh Is Giving Them A Bear Hug". NPR.org. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  21. ^ "Anthrocon 2016 Wrapup! | Anthrocon 2016: Roaring Twenty!". Anthrocon. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  22. ^ Kennell, Lexi. "Getting into character: Navigating Anthrocon 2016". The Pitt News. No. 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Bongardino, Anna. "GALLERY: Anthrocon 2017". The Pitt News. No. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "Furries set to break Pittsburgh attendance record". WTAE. July 6, 2019. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "Anthrocon, the furries convention in Pittsburgh, is officially canceled for 2020". WTAE. April 27, 2020. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  26. ^ Sykes, Katelyn (March 22, 2021). "Pittsburgh economy out millions because of canceled events". WTAE. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  27. ^ @anthrocon (December 31, 2019). "We're pleased to welcome Sue Deer; creator of "A Doemain of our Own" and winner of the Ursa Major award as our 2020 Guest of Honor!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
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