When we often reminicse about nostalgia, we often think of Disney movies, Saturday morning cartoons, and playing outside. However, we often never think about the dark side of our nostaliga. How once innocent movies, television, and video games contributed to dark sides of fandom. In paricular furries.
A furry is an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online. After having a dicussion from a friend, I decided to look further by browsing various art websites, searching for furry art, while downing a bottle of tequila to see the similarities in popular 90s media and furry art.
Let's take a wild ride to see what could have possibly contributed to what the furry fandom is today.
A/N: I know some of the media from the 80s also influenced Furry fandom, however, that is for another day.
1. Balto (1995)
Who could have easily forgotten this loveable children's film about a Wolfdog going through a snow storm to bring back antitoxin to Nome in order to save the sick children from dying? Most likely no one, considering the film 15th at the box office the following week it was released. However, it is considered a cult classic among the furry fandom.
2. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Sega's Mascot has made his influences in the furry fandom through the use of being an anthromorphic character alongside his buddies Tails, Knuckles, etc. Sonic's popularity sparked him a few games throughout the 90s, when Sega was at it's peak alongside two television shows (Sonic Underground and The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog).
3. Mighty Ducks (1996)Influenced by the Mighty Ducks films, Disney decided to jump to the idea of making it a children's cartoon, airing it on ABC. In hopes to attract children, Disney made the Ducks humanoids who leave their world of Puckworld (this really is the name of the world lmao). Their world goes under attack and the ducks head to planet earth. Disney thought this cash cow would easily bring them $$$ due to possible toy sales. However, the show only lasted one season with twenty-six episodes.
4. Road Rovers (1996)An animated show produced by Warner Bros. for the Kids WB block. The premise of the show was that Professor Shepherd was forced to exchange his experimental transdogmafier technology to General Parvo in exchange for his lost dog. However, General Parvo gives him a bomb and his labatory explodes. A year later, dogs are starting to turn into mutant monsters, Professor Shepherd luckily survived the attack, selects five dogs and turns them into "Cano-sapiens".
5. Spyro (1998)I've been covering fluffy fursonas, might as well dive into reptiles. Released in September of 1998, the game focuses on Spyro trying to save his friends from the evil Gnasty Gnorc, who casted a magic spell to encase all dragons in crystals.
6. The Lion King (1994)One of Disney's biggest films of the ninetines. This film is loosely influenced by Shakespeare's Hamlot. The story follows Kimba Simba as he goes through a journey of wanting to be king, losing his father due to a power hungry uncle, only to come back again to save his kingdom.
7. Cat's Don't Dance (1997)This cult classic inspired part of the cat fursona craze, like TLK. Cat's Don't Dance focuses on the story of a cat by the name of Danny wanting to make it big in Hollywood.
8. Furcadia (1996)Furcadia is a free to play MMOSG/MMORPG. The game is based on user-free content, in which the user creates, explores, socializes, and roleplays. The player has an option to choose from 11 free species, including both humans, insects, and anthromorphic animals. This clearly allows those who haven't figured out their furfantasy if you catch my drift.
9. Street Sharks (1994)A knock-off of the 80s classic, TMNT. Street Sharks is about crime-fighting half-man, half-sharks. Surpringly, Street Sharks managed to last three seasons. This sparked the creativity of what we see in furry artwork as being overly worked out to the point I question who can have muscles the size of Mount Everest (if you've seen furry art, you'll understand what I'm trying to point out).
10. Swat Katz (1993)Centered in the fictional city of Megakat, Chance "T-Bone" Furlong and Jake "Razor" Clawson are part of the Enforcers, a paramilitary law enforcement agency. They were discharged after disobeying orders, so they took it upon themselves to have secret idenities and SWAT KATZ was born! This show only lasted two seasons, but furries still remember and love this show dearly.
Honorable Mentions: Darkwing Duck, Spacejam (thanks Lola), Aero the Acro-bat, Biker Mice from Mars, Brutal: Paws of Fury, Bubsy, etc.
That's all folks...until next time!
Source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10ONTD, are you or someone you know a furry?
