ConFurence was the first exclusively
furry convention
A furry convention (also furry con or fur con) is a formal gathering of members of the furry fandom — people who are interested in the concept of fictional non-human animal characters with human characteristics. These conventions provide a ...
, held annually in southern California from 1989 to 2003. The large furry presence at the
BayCon science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expre ...
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.
According to
Joe Strike, ConFurence had a more adult vibe than today’s furry conventions.
History
After trying the Red Lion hotel, Confurence 0 was held at the Holiday Inn Bristol Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, on January 21 to 22, 1989.
While attendance for this first serious attempt to create a "
funny animal
Talking animals are a common element in mythology and folk tales, children's literature, and modern comic books and animated cartoons. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities (such as bipedal walkin ...
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.
In 1997
Kare 11 reported adult oriented events going on at the convention. 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 Man Show
''The Man Show'' is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central that aired from 1999 to 2004. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison. The pilot w ...
'' 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 2018 there are dozens 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 (commonly abbreviated EF) is a furry convention held in changing places in Europe every year (in Berlin, Germany since 2014 and will remain there for the time being). It was originally started in 1995 as a private gathering by nin ...
.
References
External links
ConFurence.com(Now Confurence archive last updated 2017)
{{furry fandom
Defunct furry conventions
Recurring events established in 1989
Recurring events disestablished in 2003