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Inside the weird and wild world of 'furry' culture
Words: Rhylea Millar  
Words: Rhylea Millar  
 may baffle outsiders but it's a subculture where many have found their community, including in Toowoomba.Here, local furries Taz and Sarah answer the questions you're too afraid to ask.
Furry fandom
Furry fandom is a fantasy subculture dedicated to anthropomorphics. Most people discover it online,  through forums or cosplay conventions.
WHAT ARE FURRIES?
People adopt the identity of a fictional character or animal. While it has been linked to sexual fetishes, Taz said for most, it was a hobby similar to artists who perform roles in theatre productions or sporting mascots.
VIDEO HERE
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TAZ *
TAZ *
Some furries are part of an after-dark community who identify with the sexual side of it, but I don't judge them because they are consenting adults and they don't represent us as a whole because a lot of us don't participate in or enjoy that content.
Furries spend between $1000 – $10,000 for a full fur suit, and custom-design their characters. Taz created his character, Shnuu on a digital art program before commissioning its construction with a furry artist.
costLY COSTUMES
Toowoomba furries hold regular meet-ups.
The social side
Sarah said being a furry had been life-changing as it had pushed her out of her comfort zone, helped her to make new friends and provided a non-judgemental and safe space to be herself.
Taz, 36, who is transgender and neurodivergent, says embodying his character helped reduce the pressure he felt to meet social expectations. "It's so liberating to be able to create a character with qualities you want to project or see in the world," he said.
SENSE OF FREEDOM
Taz's character is named Shnuu, a "snuggle monster ... who lives on hugs." 
It's (mannerisms) are flamboyantly cute with lots of little hand movements, but he doesn't talk proper English because he's kind of like an alien. 
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Taz* 
Taz* 
Sarah's character Spotty is inspired by a toy she loved as a child. She says 90 per cent of the community "just do it to have fun and it's nice to step away from real life sometimes".  
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Sarah* 
Sarah* 
Cosplayers don't seem to get judged as much as us and there are furries and people who give us a bad name, so it's sad to not get the representation we deserve.
 SAFE SPACE FOR ALL
Sarah said while the group started with about 10 members, she believed there were more furries in the region. The Toowoomba group is family-friendly and a safe space for all, Taz added.
produced by gillian mcnally
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Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/web-stories/free/the-chronicle-toowoomba/inside-the-weird-and-wild-world-of-furry-culture