Meredith Carson’s brand-new, pink-and-black dog costume has been gathering dust in her closet for over two years. But this weekend, she finally has an excuse to become her canine character for the first time: Anthrocon is back, in full, furry force.
After two virtual years, Pittsburgh’s convention of “furries” — enthusiasts of all things anthropomorphic, from animation to literature — is returning to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center from Thursday through Sunday.
Organizers expect more than 10,000 furries to attend, a new record for the event.
“It broke our hearts to have canceled for the past two years, because, to be blunt, we miss everyone. And we are really looking forward to getting back,” said Samuel Conway, chairman of Anthrocon. The convention will ask attendees to mask indoors and social distance when possible, but otherwise, it will be a no-holds-barred, furry reunion for the ages.
This year’s “Aesop’s Fables”-themed convention has a packed lineup of events, including nightly dances (look out for DJ Swedish Dog Mafia), educational workshops on animation and fanfiction writing, and of course, the famed fursuit parade, during which 2,000-plus furries in head-to-toe animal suits will wind through the Cultural District.
New this year, the parade — which starts at 2 p.m. Saturday — will end at Penn Avenue between Ninth and 11th avenues, where a block party will be held, weather permitting. The stretch of road will be closed to cars from noon to 9 p.m., giving furries and nonfurs alike ample opportunity to socialize and take photos.
This year’s attendees are veteran furs and first-timers, hailing from every continent but Antarctica. But one thing they have in common: They can’t wait to hug their furry friends in person.
“I have not been in a while, and it was a bummer. I didn’t do virtual,” said Carson, who last attended Anthrocon in 2018. “So I’m really excited for this year. It’s a fun time. I’m so excited.”
This weekend, Carson will no longer be a dental worker from Columbus, Ohio: she will be “Kenzie,” an Australian Koolie. “Kenzie is more of my sassy party girl side,” said Carson, holding up a giant dog’s head with pink-tufted ears. The full-body fursuit took a year and a half to make, and is complete with hand-sewn spots and black-light-sensitive patches. “It’s really awesome for me to get to explore that with her.”
Carson has been part of the fandom since 2016, when she was searching for a creative outlet as a way to cope with her grandfather’s death. From there, she “dove” headfirst into the furry community, and has since attended several conventions, including two Anthrocons. She even met her “other half” — whose character is a hyena — through the fandom.
“I never imagined that dressing up as a giant animal would bring me somebody that I would love forever,” she laughed.
Bailey Brennen, a Carnegie Mellon graduate who lives in Pittsburgh, has been part of the fandom since she read the Warriors novels, a book series about a clan of cats, at age 11. She will be attending Anthrocon as a “deer-skunk-octopus” named “Val,” a hybrid animal suit that took her 100 hours to design and sew. Though she participated in an informal group of furries at CMU, she hasn’t been able to wear her full suit publicly in a long time.
“I’m just excited to get back into it,” she said. “I’ve really been missing it.”
Others have fallen in love with the furry community more recently. The Brodericks, a self-proclaimed “family of furries” living near Chicago, Ill., will be attending their first Anthrocon this weekend.
Their interest started in 2019, when Andrew Broderick accompanied his daughter, Savannah, to the Midwest FurFest, another furry convention held in Chicago, and ended up falling in love with the fandom himself.
“When my husband came home with a tail, I wondered what the heck was going on,” said his wife, Theresa Broderick.
Fast forward a few years, and the whole family has adopted “fursonas,” which they’re excited to show off at their first-ever Anthrocon. This weekend, Savannah will be a kangaroo named “Bubbles,” Theresa will be a “sparkledog” named “Amethyst,” Andrew will be a protogen — a computer-animal hybrid species — named “Jayden,” and Carver, their son, will be a dragon named “Aiden Moonclaw.” Each of them will sport at least a partial costume, with most parts painstakingly crafted over months by Andrew himself.
Savannah Broderick, who said she has mild autism, feels more confident when she transforms into “Bubbles.”
“She’s everything that I want to be,” she said, holding up a pink kangaroo head with a purple nose and heart-shaped eyes. “She's social, she's playful, she's bouncy. She knows what to say and what to do.”
According to Theresa, the family is a “neurodivergent household,” and has found a uniquely accepting community within the furry niche.
“There are some of us that felt like we were out of the loop the whole time. And then when you walk in the door you feel like: these are my people.”
The convention, which was founded in 1997 and has called Pittsburgh home since 2006, also has a charitable arm, choosing an organization to raise money for each year. This year, it’s Wildlife Works, Inc., a Youngwood-based nonprofit that rehabilitates injured or ill wildlife and releases them back into the wild. Anthrocon has raised more than $418,000 for various charities over the years.
Anthrocon has also been a boon to the local economy in past years, contributing an estimated $71 million to the local economy since 2006, according to Visit Pittsburgh.
“We’re a city that welcomes all, we support and embrace creativity, and know that this event has a tremendously positive impact on all of our downtown small businesses,” said Richard Hooper, vice president of marketing and communications for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
So if you’re Downtown this weekend, don’t be afraid to say hi to the furries, or maybe even give them a high-paw.
“Come and find me!” said Carson. “I’m more than happy to give hugs.”
Maliya Ellis: mellis@post-gazette.com or on Twitter @EllisMaliya
First Published: June 28, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: June 30, 2022, 10:08 a.m.
