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Tips on Picking a Fursona

11/7/2022

Hey, Papa Bear,

Please can you give any advice on how to actually go about making a fursona? I'm new to the furry fandom.

Harry

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Hi, Harry,

Welcome to the fandom, and thanks for your question.

As with fursuits, many furries believe they must have a fursona to be in the fandom, so the first thing I wish to make clear is that you do not need a fursona to enjoy being a furry. Fursonas started out, obviously enough, when furries started role-playing games (online and board MPG, typically) and doing IRC chats, so it was natural to create a furry character, give it a name, personality, and so on to interact with other furries. And, naturally as well, the fursona leaped out of the gaming world into the in-person of cons and meets.

There are no rules to developing a fursona, except please do not steal other people's characters. That's just not cool. Period. Another rule is don't just take a character from a movie or TV show and say, like, "I'm Donatello from TMNT" or "I'm Humphrey from Alpha and Omega." So awfully boring and also risks copyright violations, although not likely anyone will put you in jail for it (once saw Brer Fox at a furcon, and I doubt they got in trouble).

What sets the furry fandom apart from other fandoms is that we pride ourselves on being original and also not being associated with any kind of franchise. It's the creativity and imaginative expression that draws many fervent furries into the fluffy fold.

That said, there are two approaches to creating a fursona: 1) the fursona that is a very personal expression of oneself; 2) the fursona that is just a tool for use in RPGs and the specs aren't important so long as the character is fire. This is why you get some of the more superficial furs striving to buy or make the most pawsome artwork and fursuits no matter the cost. But, often, if you ask them why they made, say, a multicolor griffin with LED eyes and animatronic wings, they'll just say it was because they wanted something that was a total snack that would make furries shout uwu! In other words, they are validation seekers, nothing more.

A lot of people, especially the ones in group 2, can't think of anything original themselves, so they go out and purchase fursonas (or copy one and make a few changes that don't hide the fact they stole the idea). And there are artists out there who will auction original species creations. Now we're getting into the whole open/closed/semi-open species thing that one should be aware of. There are certain species out there that are original creations and the artists who made them keep a tight rein on them. A "closed species" is one in which an artist will allow you to purchase the character, but you cannot change it in any way and you can't profit off the character by, say, selling artwork featuring said character. An open species is one that you are free to use (an example is the Dutch Angel Dragon created by the fursuiter Telephone) but you can't modify it so much that it is no longer recognizable as the species intended (DADs must have certain qualities, both physical and physiological) to be considered DADs. Finally, a semi-open species must be purchased like a closed species, but there are fewer restrictions on modifying them.

So much for unoriginality, stealing, and buying fursonas as short-cuts. Let's get into the funnester activity of creating your fursona.

If you're like me and the majority of furries, your fursona is a very personal part of you. Many people start off with a beloved species (for me, obviously, it's bears; my husband prefers dragons, but created a hybrid dragon-bear wizard fursona), so that is a good start. Whether it's dogs or horses or lizards or birds or mythologicals or fish, begin with a species. Have more than one fave? You might try a hybrid species, which combines two or more species. While furries are traditionally animal anthros, in more recent years I've been seeing combinations with plant species and cyborg tech (protogens and primagens are very popular, although I feel that if the fursona is all tech it loses the furry aspect and is just a robot). So, that's the first step: picking a species that you like.

Step two involves the more superficial aspects of appearance: colors, types of fur/scales/feathers, features like horns, wings, LED enhancements, types of paws, bipedal or quad, etc. etc. Also, is your fursona the kind of anthro who wears clothes or walks in the fur?

Next, occupation and time period. What does your fursona do? Are they a space pirate? A wizard? A private eye? A U.S. Marine? A simple college student? A punk rock musician from the 1970s? An exotic dancer? A furry superhero? A Mexican wrestler? A Zulu warrior? So many choices, and so many time periods to choose from.

Personality is another aspect of the fursona. Your fursona's personality doesn't have to match yours. For example, Grubbs Grizzly (my OC) is a very laid-back southerner who loves nothing better than to fish and drink beer, while I am a deadline-oriented, anxious spazz who is not a great fan of fishing. On the other paw, they can be very much like you.

Oh, and despite what some gatekeepers say, your fursona doesn't have to be the same race as you (this one furry I know was criticized because he is black and certain people were complaining his OC wasn't ghetto--sheesh) or the same sex, for that matter. And, just because your fursona is, say, female and you're male, doesn't mean you are trans (although you can be, natch). I know another furry who is a male and has a female fursona because he wanted to try to see how the other side lives and see what reactions he would get. He was straight. I find fursonas to be a marvelous tool for exploring one's own identity; kind of like how people used to experiment with sex and drugs in college (and still do, but I'm thinking back to the 70's and 60's).

Finally, you don't have to stick just with one OC. Many furries have multiple fursonas they use for different occasions or however the mood strikes them.

Bottom line here is that if you are struggling to pick an fursona for yourself, start with three things: 1) Don't limit yourself and let your imagination run wild; 2) don't listen to what people say you should make for a fursona, don't listen to gatekeepers, and never listen to someone who says, "No, you can't do that"; and 3) have FUN with it!

Hope that helps!

Hugs,
Papabear

Tips on Picking a Fursona

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