General Furry Questions – Furries Everywhere

In the Furry Fandom, nearly everyone will have some sort of anthropomorphized character that they create for fun, and/or personally identify with. But they aren't all created equally! These characters are typically one of two types; a fursona or an Original Character (OC). The main differences between a fursona and an OC is that someone's fursona is an avatar or "persona" used to represent themselves in the Furry Fandom. An OC can do this, but typically serves a different purpose; storytelling, role play, or simply because having a cool looking character is fun! Just about everyone in the furry fandom will have a fursona that they feel represents them in some way. A lot of furries will develop a personal connection to this character in some way shape or form; like a fluffy alter ego. Many furries will have another set of characters that they have created called OCs. These are usually characters that they think look really cool, or may be specifically designed into a fursuit to interact with others in. However, these character types don't always have to be representative of their owner. Now, some of you are probably wondering if you can have both, or even multiples of both fursonas or OCs. Lets go into that next! Can You Have More Than One Fursona? While most furries only have one fursona, about a quarter of furries in the fandom currently have two or more fursonas that they identify with and will often alternate between. The reasons why furries might choose to have multiple fursonas are as different as the people themselves. Some have fursonas that represent different aspects of themselves and their life (personal vs professional), or even to represent different aspirations that they wish to be or achieve. People will change over time, and sometimes it makes sense to have a new fursona to represent that part of your life, but how about outright replacing or making changes to your current fursona? Can You Change Your Fursona? While it is common for a furry to have only one fursona, many people decide that when they change as a person, it's time for their fursona to get a total makeover. This is usually because they feel their original fursona no longer represents who they are or what they want to be. Lets face it, you will grow as a person. Your 18 year old self will be vastly different from your 35 year old self. Time brings new goals, expectations, and events that will continue to shape you and sometimes your fursona right along with you. According to an international survey done by Fur Science, 77.3% of furries have only had 1 fursona. The remaining furries have had 2 or more fursonas with about 4% stating that they have had 4 or more different fursonas! It is perfectly acceptable to keep your fursona design the way it is and just add updates to them as the fursona grows with you. For a lot of people it feels like a natural progression in life as you learn more about what you see in both yourself and your character. Even then, starting over from scratch and creating a whole new fursona can be fun. It's all about what feels best for you. This doesn't mean you have to completely abandon your old fursona, some people still keep them around as another avatar that they use interchangeably or even as an OC. Most Popular Fursona Species If you go to any furry convention, you will see lions, tigers, and bears. Oh my! Still, if you think about it, there are certain species that you see more frequently. Some animals are just really popular fursona choices! According to several polls from various groups and an international poll from Fur Science, the 4 most popular fursona species are canines, vulpines (foxes), felines, and mythical creatures. Here is a breakdown of the top 10 most popular fursona species: 10 Most Popular Fursona Species RankSpecies1Wolf2Fox3Dog4Big Cat5Dragon6Mythical7Cat8Rodent9Rabbit10RacoonRanking based off of a 2011 International poll from FurScience But not everyone wants to be one specific animal! The majority of fursonas are actually hybrids of two or more different animals. Some people may like the facial or body features of one animal but want to add wings or feet from another creature! While the most popular features of hybrid fursonas may still include the mixture of various canines like dogs, wolfs, and foxes; some other popular combos are dragons and wolves, or cats and foxes. Really when it comes down to making your fursona it's about your personal esthetic choices and/or how you relate to specific animals. This can be a decision that takes a lot of thought for some people, but there is really no wrong way to make your own fursona. Just make sure to have fun with the creative process! Making Your Own Fursona There are plenty of simple "how-to" guides when it comes to making your own fursona, but the really good guides are from your fellow Furry YouTubers! They helpfully break down the thought process that they took when making their own fursona and provide excellent examples and inspiration to help you make yours. Tips on designing your Fursona This first video from Solar Saber does an excellent job of introducing what a fursona is and breaking down different aspects of creating and designing them. Not only that, they give thoughts on how to design your fursona if you want to eventually have a fursuit made, and where to buy a character for your fursona if you can't draw one. https://youtu.be/-xIK5NNriWw Another great video from BetaEtaDelota does a great breakdown of the thought process and note taking for designing your fursona. He also goes over how to create your own unique design without outright copying another character and where to look. https://youtu.be/hZ3BlKJwuAs Finally, if you are looking for a complete step-by-step guide that focuses on exactly what you will need to draw a simple ref sheet and how to draw your own character with programs or art supplies you should check out Pocari Roo's video below. https://youtu.be/HIc2c86fDB0 Final Thoughts Just have fun with it! We've covered the basics of fursonas and OCs here. Now all that's left to do is get that creativity flowing and make some awesome characters!