ConFurence
Encyclopedia
ConFurence was the first exclusively furry convention
, held annually in southern California from 1989 to 2003. The large furry presence at the BayCon
science fiction convention
s instigated Mark Merlino and Rod O'Riley to throw "furry parties" at Westercon, Baycon, and other west coast sci-fi conventions in the late 80's. This led to the test gathering in 1989, ConFurence Zero.
fandom" convention was sparse at 65 persons, it was enough to encourage the Californians to attempt a full fledged furry convention next year. Attendance was doubled to 130 for the first official ConFurence convention in January 1990, proving them right. At the height of popularity in 1998, ConFurence 9 boasted the then-largest furry convention attendance of 1250. Control of the ConFurence Group was transferred to Darrel Exline in 1999, but by 2003 attendance had dwindled to 470, due to turnover among the staff and increased competition from other regional furry conventions. The final ConFurence gathering gained notoriety when television crew from the The Man Show
appeared and attempted to interview attendees on camera.
With the demise of ConFurence, Mark Merlino and Robert Johnson Jr. teamed up to establish Califur in 2004 to continue the tradition of a furry convention in Southern California.
The name ConFurence is a registered trademark of the ConFurence Group. It is not a generic term for a furry convention, but as the original furry convention, many later cons took similar sounding names, such as the now defunct ConFurence East (originally called Furtasticon in 1994 and took the name MoreFurCon just before its dissolution in 1997), and the current Eurofurence
.
Furry convention
A furry convention is a formal gathering of members of the furry fandom — people who are interested in the concept of fictional non-human characters with human characteristics. These conventions provide a place for fans to meet, exchange ideas, transact business and engage in entertainment and...
, held annually in southern California from 1989 to 2003. The large furry presence at the BayCon
BayCon
BayCon is the San Francisco Bay Area's main science fiction and fantasy convention. It is held over Memorial Day weekend in Santa Clara, California. BayCon is a large convention topping two thousand attendees over the last several years. The convention draws many attendees from throughout...
science fiction convention
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
s instigated Mark Merlino and Rod O'Riley to throw "furry parties" at Westercon, Baycon, and other west coast sci-fi conventions in the late 80's. This led to the test gathering in 1989, ConFurence Zero.
History
While attendance for this first serious attempt to create a "funny animalFunny animal
Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals, with anthropomorphic personality traits. The characters themselves may also be called funny animals...
fandom" convention was sparse at 65 persons, it was enough to encourage the Californians to attempt a full fledged furry convention next year. Attendance was doubled to 130 for the first official ConFurence convention in January 1990, proving them right. At the height of popularity in 1998, ConFurence 9 boasted the then-largest furry convention attendance of 1250. Control of the ConFurence Group was transferred to Darrel Exline in 1999, but by 2003 attendance had dwindled to 470, due to turnover among the staff and increased competition from other regional furry conventions. The final ConFurence gathering gained notoriety when television crew from the The Man Show
The Man Show
The Man Show is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison.-Format:...
appeared and attempted to interview attendees on camera.
With the demise of ConFurence, Mark Merlino and Robert Johnson Jr. teamed up to establish Califur in 2004 to continue the tradition of a furry convention in Southern California.
Legacy
ConFurence created the mold by which other furry conventions were to follow, with the successful art show, a masquerade and an emphasis on fan-created content and Guests of Honor. As of 2006 there are over a dozen furry conventions and many more meets and gatherings all around the world, due in part to ConFurence's lead.The name ConFurence is a registered trademark of the ConFurence Group. It is not a generic term for a furry convention, but as the original furry convention, many later cons took similar sounding names, such as the now defunct ConFurence East (originally called Furtasticon in 1994 and took the name MoreFurCon just before its dissolution in 1997), and the current Eurofurence
Eurofurence
Eurofurence is a furry convention held in changing places in Europe every year. It was originally started in 1995 as a private gathering by nineteen European furry fans who met on the Internet. Attendance has been steadily rising since then, to 1066 at Eurofurence 17 , making it the largest furry...
.
External links
- ConFurence is no more, by Darrel L. Exline (archived version)
- ConFurence.com (last updated 2002)
- Anthropomorphic Fandom Convention Information Sheet by Flint Otterhall
- Yarf! A Chronology of Furry Fandom (1966–1996) by Fred PattenFred PattenFrederick Walter Patten is known for his work as a historian in the science fiction, anime, manga, and furry fandoms, where he has gained great distinction through a substantial contribution to both print and online books, magazines, and other media....
- People at WikiFur: Mark Merlino, Robert Johnson Jr., Rod O'Riley, Darrel Exline
- Events at WikiFur: ConFurence Zero, ConFurence 2003, Confurence 9