Living in the future: unanticipated outcomes

[gerisullivan]

Back before I became involved in fandom, there was Vootie, the funny animal apa started by retooned and Reed Waller. About a year after I started getting active, Vootie ended and Marc Schirmeister started Rowrbrazzle. The WikiFur reference for Vootie says the transition between the two apas is "traditionally considered to be when funny animal fandom became furry fandom." Back then, the difference wasn't nearly as apparent as it is today, as it is this weekend at Further Confusion.

This isn't to be confused with Cryptic ConFusion, which was also this weekend. ConFusion, the sf convention in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area, predates Further Confusion, the furry convention, by a solid 25 years.

But only at Further Confusion were you likely to find a parade of well over 400 furry fans, each in full fur-suit regalia. The link is to kevin_standlee's post about the parade video he shot on the spur of the moment. The parade certainly was a sight to behold.

I certainly didn't fathom anything like it back when I was first getting to know Ken, Reed, and other funny animal cartoonists. Not even when I heard about the split between those who thought sex in funny animal cartoons was fine and those who didn't want it in their apa.

I'm not sure I can fathom it now, even after watching both parts of Kevin's video. 'Cause, y'know? That's a lot of fur....

Fandom certainly is a strange and wonderfully weird place.

Comments

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it. And thank you for reminding me that Detroit's big general-SF con was called ConFusion. One of the people we talked to this weekend was a youngish fan from Toledo, Ohio, who didn't even know there were other genre conventions -- FurCon was all he'd ever heard of. He wanted to know if there were other conventions near where he lives, and the first thing that came to mind was MarCon in Columbus (naturally, since I was their FGoH last year), but he said that was "too far away." (I found that puzzling considering that he'd come clear out to California, but go figure.) And I knew of a convention in the Detroit area, but blanked on it's name -- probably because it was shared with the convention I was attending at the time!

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

My computer doesn't do video, but it's easy to imagine what Kevin's was like. I've attended maybe half-a-dozen of the very earliest Furry Cons -- they were practically local (in Orange County) and had members or GoHs I wanted to visit with -- and had mixed feelings about them. In some ways they seemed Alien and a bit uncomfortable, but in others they were loaded with nostalgia for my earliest Fan conventions & contacts (in the late '50s & early '60s). Somehow Real/Our Fandom doesn't seem to have nearly that much Enthusiasm or ambient Energy any more -- and I think it really doesn't, in addition to _me_ not having much of those qualities.

[madtruk.livejournal.com]

In very odd confluence, Vootie is what certain characters in First Comics (uh originally Capitol City Comics) Nexus said instead of something like "Yippee!".

I don't doubt that Mike Baron and/or Steve Rude may be/have been/are fans, as some of their characters are furry animal aliens and Nexus, while not to the nearly to the level of Reed's work, ain't for kids (unless they love Shakespeare).

mad 'comic tidbits' truk

[retooned.livejournal.com]

Geri-

The furry fandom evolved very early on. The start may have been fans who drew or wrote stories with sf or fantasy humanoid critters -- but many of the early-adopters liked role-playing or identifying with personalized characters. That was where furry fandom had its fastest growth.

There were people role-playing furry characters on dedicated internet bulletin boards by the late 80s. Making a mascot-style costume and playing their character (for 20 minutes at a time) is a 3D extension of the role-play. (It helped that the LA metro area was a center for furry cons and a center for theme park mascots.)

I believe that's the center for furry fandom now: People who have at least a token identification with a personal furry avatar. That shared interest is where the energy is centered. The role-play is usually only seen in role-play appropriate settings - their character is much more like a more elaborate use of a web ID mixed with maybe an SCA persona. There is usually a distinct image and character background, like what is done for the characters in a Disney animated film.

There are a many artists & writers in the furry community. Some have avatars, others don't. The furry community can be a source of steady commissions for avatar portraits and other religious paintings. 8)

The furry community is 'unusual', just like sf fandom was in the 60s. The Carnival-for-a-weekend function of the furry conventions is still very important for the furry fans.

"Vootie!"

[retooned.livejournal.com]

Madtruk--

The cartoonists' apa & 'Nexus' may have gotten their "Vootie!" from the same source: A 'Mad' magazine parody of a 1950s morning TV show being taken over & trashed by a guest 'cute' chimpanzee. "Vootie!" was a final triumphant interjection by the chimp.

"Vootie!" goes back farther than that, to 1940s novelty jazz. A musician, Slim Gaillard, used "Vout" & "Vootie" as part of a scat language in his performances. Maybe it's original with him, maybe it's from street sources. He did a song called "Puerto Vootie".