/lit/ - Literature

>>15312473
The movement originated earlier and had many influences including underground explicit comics, Kimba the White Lion, Watership Down and Disney's animated Robin Hood, but sci-fi conventions hosted early discussion groups.
>Allegorical novels, including works of both science fiction and fantasy, and cartoons featuring anthropomorphic animals are often cited as the earliest inspiration for the fandom.[7
>According to fandom historian Fred Patten, the concept of furry originated at a science fiction convention in 1980,[7] when a character drawing from Steve Gallacci's Albedo Anthropomorphics started a discussion of anthropomorphic characters in science fiction novels. This led to the formation of a discussion group that met at science fiction conventions and comics conventions.
>The large furry presence at the BayCon science fiction conventions 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.[2]
Wikipedia is a reputable enough source for the academic discourse we have here. From the articles on Furry Fandom and ConFurence. Now for a real surreal experience you can track down footage from that first convention.