Fursona

{{Short description|Personalized animal character created by the furry fandom}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{redirect|Fursonas|the 2016 documentary film|Fursonas (film)}} {{multiple image | image1 = Who is the Cutest?.jpg | alt1 = An image of people in fursuits | caption1 = Three people dressed in fursuits, representative of their respective fursonas | total_width = 250px }} A '''fursona''' (a portmanteau of "furry" and "persona") is a personally claimed persona resembling an anthropomorphic figure (usually an animal) adopted by a member of the furry fandom.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Words We're Watching: 'Furry' and 'Fursona'|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/history-of-furry-and-fursona|access-date=2021-06-30|website=Merriam-Webster|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Definition of FURSONA |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fursona |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> Fursonas can provide numerous roles for the creator, such as improving self-esteem, creativity, and helping them to achieve their character's ideal traits in real life. A majority of fandom members have at least one fursona,<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Maase |first=Jakob |date=2015-07-01 |title=Keeping the Magic: Fursona Identity and Performance in the Furry Fandom |url=https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1512 |journal=Masters Theses & Specialist Projects}}</ref><ref name="Gerbasi2016">{{Cite book |last1=Plante |first1=Courtney N. |url=https://www.furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fur-Science-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf |title=FurScience! A summary of five years of research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project |last2=Reysen |first2=Stephen |last3=Roberts |first3=Sharon E. |last4=Gerbasi |first4=Kathleen C. |publisher=FurScience |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-9976288-0-7 |location=Waterloo, Ontario |pages=6, 34, 50–74 |access-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424000612/https://sites.google.com/site/anthropomorphicresearch/home/publications |archive-date=April 24, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> with the International Anthropomorphic Research Project estimating that the average furry has between two and three fursonas over the course of their life.<ref>{{Cite web|title=International Furry Survey: Summer 2011|url=https://furscience.com/research-findings/appendix-1-previous-research/international-summer-2011/|access-date=2021-11-20|website=FurScience|language=en-US}}</ref>

Some individuals' fursonas are acted out primarily online,<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Dunn |first=Jake |date=2019-01-01 |title=Self as Gem, Fursona as Facet(s): Constructions and Performances of Self in Furry Fandom |url=https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/anth_awards/5 |journal=Award Winning Anthropology Papers |pages=17}}</ref>{{rp|page=25}} but also at furry conventions and in other public spaces. Acting out one's fursona in person may involve wearing a fursuit, a physical representation of a fursona, or pieces thereof, depending on the activity.<ref name="Gerbasi2016">{{Cite book |last1=Plante |first1=Courtney N. |url=https://www.furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fur-Science-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf |title=FurScience! A summary of five years of research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project |last2=Reysen |first2=Stephen |last3=Roberts |first3=Sharon E. |last4=Gerbasi |first4=Kathleen C. |publisher=FurScience |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-9976288-0-7 |location=Waterloo, Ontario |pages=6, 34, 50–74 |access-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424000612/https://sites.google.com/site/anthropomorphicresearch/home/publications |archive-date=April 24, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Maase |first=Jakob |date=2015-07-01 |title=Keeping the Magic: Fursona Identity and Performance in the Furry Fandom |url=https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1512 |journal=Masters Theses & Specialist Projects}}</ref> Another small minority express a desire to become, or already see themselves as, belonging to their fursona species. These people may additionally identify as therians or otherkin.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bronner |first1=Simon J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SoCeCwAAQBAJ&dq=fursona+species&pg=PA274 |title=Youth Cultures in America [2 volumes] |last2=Clark |first2=Cindy Dell |date=2016-03-21 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3392-2 |pages=274 |language=en}}</ref>

== History and etymology == {{Main|Furry fandom#History}} The term "fursona" is a portmanteau of the words "furry" and "persona".<ref name=":0" /> The first known use of the word was in 1997.<ref name=":6" />

According to Fred Patten, it was common for attendants to use their real names or nicknames at ConFurence (world's first furry convention) in 1989. Around the early 1990s, new attendants to the convention adopted personas for roleplay; many didn't use their real names, instead using the names of their furry personas.{{Sfn|Patten|2017|p=9-10}} Fursonas later became commonplace in the fandom by the mid-1990s.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Silverman |first=Ben |title=Fursonas: Furries, Community, and Identity Online |date=May 2020 |degree=MSc |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |url=https://cms.mit.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/477814762-Ben-Silverman-Fursonas-Furries-Community-and-Identity-Online.pdf}} p. 18</ref>

== Roles of fursonas == Fursonas can provide numerous roles for the creator, whether it be idealized versions of their adopter, fleshed out roleplay characters, or digital mascots.<ref name=":22"/> Typically, furries who view the fandom more as a hobby than a lifestyle use them more as characters than self representations.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=58}}

== Fursona species == Despite what the name would suggest, fursonas are not restricted to furred animals and may be any animal species,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Zainudden|first=Dzachary|date=2021-01-03|title=My fursona and me: a tail of identity|url=https://the-gist.org/2021/01/my-fursona-and-me-a-tail-of-identity/|access-date=2021-07-17|website=The Glasgow Insight into Science and Technology|language=en-GB}}</ref> whether it be real, mythological, fictional, extinct, or hybrid creatures.<ref name=":4" />

According to the Anthropomorphic Research Project, among the most common fursona species are wolves, foxes, dogs, red pandas, mustelids, marsupials, big cats, and dragons;<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Austin |first=Jessica Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbQ8EAAAQBAJ&dq=Fursona&pg=PA58 |title=Fan Identities in the Furry Fandom |date=2021-08-26 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-5013-7542-2 |pages= |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Gerbasi2016" /> less common examples for fursonas include rodents, rabbits, reptiles, birds, cows, goats, cetaceans, bugs, and horses;<ref name="Gerbasi2016" /> furries most rarely use non-human primates as the basis for their fursona.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=1}}

=== Open species === In the furry fandom, "open species" refer to fictional species that are freely available for anyone to use in creating their own characters.<ref name=":02" /> The term is used in contrast with "closed species", indicating that a character design can only be used or created with the species owner's permission.<ref name=":2" />

==== Protogens ==== alt=Image of a fursuit|209x209px|An example of a protogen fursuit|thumb|right Protogens are a "cyborg alien race" created in the late 2010s.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Strike |first=Joe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUmzEAAAQBAJ&dq=furry+protogen&pg=PT53 |title=Furry Planet: A World Gone Wild |date=2023-08-29 |publisher=Apollo Publishers |isbn=978-1-954641-11-2 |language=}}</ref> Protogens are a popular species in the fandom; it is estimated 2% of furries have a protogen fursona.{{Sfn|Plante|Reysen|Adams|Roberts|2023|pp=180-181}} Many members of the fandom have created fursuits based the species with LED lights able to create facial expressions and mouths that sync up with the fursuiter's voice.<ref name=":02" />

==== Sergals ==== alt=Image of fursuits|left|thumb|217x217px|A group of sergal fursuiters at a convention Sergals are a fictional species of animal,<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Calvin|first=Liu|title=Alternative Identity Mediation Across Space and Performance |date=2017|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pw3q5g1|publisher=UC Irvine}}</ref> described as a cross between a rabbit, shark, and a wolf.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Dickson|first1=E. J.|date=2020-01-06|title=Will Furries Ever Go Mainstream?|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/furries-midwest-furfest-mainstream-932924/|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2021-11-15}}</ref> As an original species, they are sometimes denigrated by other furries for being seen as trendy.{{Sfn|Plante|Reysen|Adams|Roberts|2023|p=323}}

==== Dutch angel dragons ==== [[File:An illuminated Dutch angel dragon fursuit.jpg|alt=Image of a fursuit|thumb|213x213px|left|Fursuit of a Dutch angel dragon at Midwest Furfest 2018]] Dutch angel dragons (sometimes abbreviated as DADs) are species of winged dragons covered in fur who act as guardian angels.<ref name=":02" /> Dutch angel dragons have no gender or sex.{{Sfn|Plante|Reysen|Adams|Roberts|2023|p=323}} The name is not related with the country of the Netherlands; rather, the name came from the creator's horse, named Dutch.<ref name=":02" /> They are popular species in the fandom, with fursuits and thousands of art pieces on Fur Affinity.<ref name=":02" /> Despite their popularity, a minority group of members of the fandom disapprove Dutch angel dragons' usage as a fursona due to them being viewed as trendy, similar to sergals.{{Sfn|Plante|Reysen|Adams|Roberts|2023|pp=322–323}}

=== Closed species === Closed species in the furry fandom indicate that only a restricted amount of people are allowed to create characters of that species.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/153207931.pdf|title=Bringing out the animal in me: An examination of art and the individual within the Furry subculture|last=Guerrier|first=Jacqueline Daniell|date=2014|website=Honors College at JMU Scholarly Commons}}</ref> Since the species is owned by a creator (usually an artist), they decide who creates a fursona of that species and how they do so. Certain traits, lore, and colors are limited to the species' requirements; the species can be obtained several ways, usually through auctions and character purchases.<ref>[https://furryhandbook.wordpress.com/2017/07/18/closed-v-open-species/ "Closed Species v Open Species"] ''Furryhandbook''. Retrieved 10 May 2026.</ref>

=== Real-life species === Most furries opt for real-life animal species as the basis for their characters. The most popular of which are wolves, foxes, dogs, and large cats, though any other species can be chosen as well. Uncommon fursonas include rabbits, horses, reptiles, avians, bears, deer, and aquatic creatures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=3.1 Species Popularity |url=https://furscience.com/research-findings/fursonas/3-1-species-popularity/ |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Furscience |language=en-US}}</ref>

The reasons behind a fursona's species vary, the most common is having shared characteristics, while internal connections, admired traits, and aesthetic preferences are also common reasons. Rarely, some will choose their fursona's species based on spiritual reasons, sharing a physical resemblance with the animal, or from the belief that they were that species in a past life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=3.3 Reason for Species Choice |url=https://furscience.com/research-findings/fursonas/3-3-reason-for-species-choice/ |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Furscience |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Statistics ===

==== 2016 ====  {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" |+ class="nowrap" |Popular Fursona species<ref name="Gerbasi2016" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}} ! scope="col" |Species ! scope="col" |Percentage ! scope="col" |Species ! scope="col" |Percentage |- |'''Hybrid''' |14.6 |'''Avian''' |1.5 |- |'''Wolf''' |14.3 |'''Bear''' |1.4 |- |'''Fox''' |10.6 |'''Horse''' |1.4 |- |'''Dog''' |9.0 |'''Aquatic''' |1.2 |- |'''Big Cat''' |8.4 |'''Hyena''' |1.0 |- |'''Dragon''' |7.6 |'''Skunk''' |0.9 |- |'''Mythical''' |4.1 |'''Marsupial''' |0.7 |- |'''Cat''' |4.1 |'''Dinosaur''' |0.7 |- |'''Other''' |3.1 |'''Deer''' |0.6 |- |'''Rodent''' |3.0 |'''Feline''' |0.6 |- |'''Rabbit''' |2.2 |'''Squirrel''' |0.4 |- |'''Raccoon''' |1.9 |'''Ferret''' |0.4 |- |'''Reptile''' |1.7 |'''Canine''' |0.3 |- |'''Otter''' |1.7 |'''Insect''' |0.1 |}

==== 2023 ==== {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" |+ class="nowrap" |Table based on surveys between 2017–2022{{Sfn|Plante|Reysen|Adams |Roberts|2023|p=176}} !Species !Percentage !Species !Percentage !Species !Percentage !Species !Percentage !Species !Percentage |- |'''Other''' |27.8% |'''Shapeshifter''' |4.4% |'''Other Reptile''' |2.4% |'''Mouse/Rat''' |1.5% |'''Snake''' |0.9% |- |'''Wolf''' |19.1% |'''Custom''' |3.8% |'''Raccoon''' |2.4% |'''Red Panda''' |1.4% |'''Unicorn''' |0.8% |- |'''Fox''' |16% |'''Deer''' |3.4% |'''Monster''' |2.2% |'''Skunk''' |1.4% |'''Raven''' |0.7% |- |'''Hybrid''' |14.4% |'''Rabbit''' |3.2% |'''Pokemon''' |2.1% |'''Gryphon''' |1.3% |'''Owl''' |0.7% |- |'''Dragon''' |13.5% |'''Hyena''' |3% |'''Protogen''' |2.1% |'''Taur''' |1.2% |'''Crow''' |0.7% |- |'''Dog''' |12.5% |'''Lion''' |2.8% |'''Other bird''' |2.1% |'''Dinosaur''' |1.1% |'''Squirrel''' |0.6% |- |'''Domestic cat''' |7.7% |'''Bear''' |2.7% |'''Otter''' |2% |'''Shark''' |1% |'''Phoenix''' |0.6% |- |'''Other big cat''' |5.8% |'''Snow Leopard''' |2.6% |'''Horse''' |1.9% |'''Kangaroo''' |0.9% |'''Insect''' |0.6% |- |'''Mythical''' |5.3% |'''Coyote''' |2.6% |'''Goat''' |1.7% |'''Cow''' |0.9% |'''Hawk''' |0.5% |- |'''Tiger''' |4.5% |'''Werewolf''' |2.6% |'''Bat''' |1.5% |'''Ferret''' |0.9% | | |}

== Fursona creation == The creation of a fursona has been described as "one of the most universal behaviors in the furry fandom".<ref name=":5" /> One study found that furries also tend to create fursonas to distinguish themselves from each other.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Plante |first1=Courtney N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xo1JEAAAQBAJ&dq=fursona&pg=PA243 |title=CAPE: A Multidimensional Model of Fan Interest |last2=Reysen |first2=Stephen |last3=Brooks |first3=Thomas R. |last4=Chadborn |first4=Daniel |date=2021-10-19 |publisher=Stephen Reysen |isbn=978-0-9976288-2-1 |pages=243 |language=en}}</ref>

Although the inspiration varies from individual to individual, many furries describe their fursona being inspired by their favorite media or mythology. However, the majority state that their fursona was primarily internally generated.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Plante |first1=Courtney N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GtgNEAAAQBAJ&q=fursona+study |title=FurScience!: A Summary of Five Years of Research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project |last2=Reysen |first2=Stephen |last3=Roberts |first3=Sharon E. |last4=Gerbasi |first4=Kathleen C. |date=2016-06-01 |publisher=FurScience |isbn=978-0-9976288-0-7 |pages= |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|page=107}} The majority of furries also cite shared characteristic as a reason for choosing a particular species.<ref name=":1" /> These are usually archetypal traits as ascribed to the species by humans, as opposed to actual animal behaviors.<ref name=":4" />{{rp|page=3}} Some popular fursona species are particularly strongly associated with certain traits, for example, dogs being considered 'loyal' or rabbits being considered 'promiscuous'.<ref name=":1" />

Some furries state that they simply have an innate connection to their chosen species.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=62}} A small minority believes that their chosen species was a past life, is a spirit guide, or that they were supposed to be born as such. These notions overlap strongly with the experiences of otherkin and shapeshifting.<ref name=":1" />{{rp|page=|pages=112-113}}

Furries often take a long time to decide on their fursona.<ref name=":22"/>{{rp|page=73}} 25 to 50% of furries surveyed have had more than one original character over the course of their lives, and about 25% stated that they had more than one concurrently.<ref name=":1" />{{rp|page=70}} Furries with multiple fursonas usually do not see them as representing multiple selves, but facets of the same self, possibly related to how they express themselves in different social contexts.<ref name=":4" /> Additionally, the characteristics of a fursona may change over time along with its owner.<ref name=":22"/><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" /> This is usually in personality, but species may change as well.<ref name=":4" />{{rp|page=|pages=20-21}}

Just as art is central to the furry fandom in general, it also plays a critical role in the creation and representation of fursonas. Furries who are not artistic themselves may commission artwork of their fursona from other members of the fandom as part of the creation process.<ref name=":4" />

== Psychology == Jake Dunn argues that a furry's fursona cannot be separated from their own sense of self, and many furries in fact see the performance of their fursona as a way of being their 'truest' self.<ref name=":4" />

On average, furries rate their fursonas higher than themselves on all dimensions of the big five personality traits.<ref name=":1" />{{rp|page=72}} They view their fursonas as having more desirable traits than they do, and fewer undesirable traits.<ref name=":1" />{{rp|pages=72-74}} Various researchers suggest that there is an extent to which fursonas serve as idealized versions of their owners.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1" /> Projecting this idealized self can ease social tensions and reduce social anxiety.<ref name=":3" /> Dunn also argues that eventually, these idealized traits are incorporated back into the self. While he notes that the most common idealized traits given to fursonas are also considered ideal by society at large,<ref name=":4" />{{rp|pages=3-4}} S. E. Roberts et al. hypothesize that to some, fursonas serve as a safe way to explore traits that are socially ''un''desirable.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=S. E.|last2=Plante|first2=C.|last3=Gerbasi|first3=K.|last4=Reysen|first4=S.|date=2015-02-27|title=Clinical Interaction with Anthropomorphic Phenomenon: Notes for Health Professionals about Interacting with Clients Who Possess This Unusual Identity|journal=Health & Social Work|volume=40|issue=2|pages=e42–e50|doi=10.1093/hsw/hlv020|issn=0360-7283|url=https://academic.oup.com/hsw/article-abstract/40/2/e42/660814|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Furries are often highly concerned with their fursona being unique. When they deem that their fursona has been 'copied', their sense of self may be threatened.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Reysen|first1=Stephen|last2=Plante|first2=Courtney N.|last3=Roberts|first3=Sharon E.|last4=Gerbasi|first4=Kathleen C.|date=2020-01-02|title=My Animal Self: The Importance of Preserving Fantasy-Themed Identity Uniqueness|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2019.1676245|journal=Identity|volume=20|issue=1|pages=1–8|doi=10.1080/15283488.2019.1676245|s2cid=210378617|issn=1528-3488|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Furries may use their fursonas to explore their conceptualization of their gender and presentation,<ref name=":3" /> and some fursonas have a different gender, age, or sexual orientation than that of their creator.<ref name=":4" /> In a 2016 study concerning the negotiation and performance of identities by the furry community, multiple research participants emphasized the importance of costuming and fursonas in exploring one's gender identity or sexual orientation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Satinsky |first1=Emily |last2=Nicole Green |first2=Denise |date=2016-09-01 |title=Negotiating identities in the furry fandom through costuming |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307518459 |journal=Critical Studies in Men's Fashion |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=116–117 |doi=10.1386/csmf.3.2.107_1 |quote= |via=ResearchGate}}</ref> Transgender furries with a sense of gender identity and generalized identity that does not match their physical appearance or sex assigned at birth frequently possess a fursona or fursonas that present their idealized selves. Similar situations exist for those with other kinds of body dysphoria and related struggles.{{Sfn|Plante|Reysen|Adams|Roberts|2023|pp=225-226}}

== See also == * {{Annotated link|Ponysona}}

== Bibliography ==

=== Citations === <references />

=== References === * {{Cite book |last=Patten |first=Fred |author-link=Fred Patten |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6EMODgAAQBAJ |title=Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-2688-8 |publication-date=January 17, 2017}} * {{Cite book |url=https://furscience.com/publications/ |title=Furscience: A Decade of Psychological Research on the Furry Fandom |publisher=International Anthropomorphic Research Project |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-9976288-3-8 |editor-last=Plante |editor-first=Courtney N. |location=Commerce, Texas, USA |language=en |editor-last2=Reysen |editor-first2=Stephen |editor-last3=Adams |editor-first3=Camielle |editor-last4=Roberts |editor-first4=Sharon E. |editor-last5=Gerbasi |editor-first5=Kathleen C.}}

== External links == {{Wiktionary|fursona}} *[https://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Fursona Fursona] at WikiFur {{Furry fandom}} {{Fandom}}

Category:Furry fandom Category:Alter egos