Anthrocon
| Anthrocon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Subject | Furry |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | Ongoing |
| First iteration | 3-6 July, 1997 (as Albany AnthroCon) |
| Organizers | Anthrocon, Inc. |
| Photos, videos, reports: Anthrocon resources | |
Anthrocon is the world's largest furry convention, with an attendance of 5179 in 2012. It is held each summer in Pennsylvania.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The convention was founded in 1997 as Albany AnthroCon, itself an offshoot of the Furry Halloween parties held by Aloyen Youngblood; when attendance pushed triple digits, he decided to book a hotel, and organized it as a convention in 1997 with the aid of local friends Points, Rigel and others. In its first year, it had approximately 500 attendees.
In late 1998-9 the chairmanship of the convention was transferred to Dr. Samuel Conway by Points, and they formally organized the group as Anthrocon Inc., renamed the convention simply "Anthrocon", and relocated it to Pennsylvania. Its first venue was the Hilton of Valley Forge, PA (1999 and 2000). Due to rapidly increasing membership numbers it was forced to relocate to the larger Adams Mark Hotel of Philadelphia, PA in 2001- when it became the largest furry convention ever held, with 1,457 attendees.
Attendance continued to grow: by 2004 it was 2,406. Attendance in 2005 dropped slightly to 2,373, due in part to higher parking fees, a different and unfamiliar hotel (the Wyndham Franklin Plaza in downtown Philadelphia), and possibly due to Hurricane Dennis's effect on the southern United States which closed many airports and prevented people from traveling.
Attendance again began to increase in 2006 with the move to Pittsburgh, PA and the David Lawrence Convention Center, reaching 2,489. In 2008 total attendance topped three thousand at 3,390, and in 2010 exceeded four thousand with 4,238 attendees and four official convention hotels. Growth for the convention has historically averaged 14% a year.
Since 1997, the Anthrocon Charity Auction has donated more than $86,000 to animal-related charities.
Security for the convention has been provided by the Dorsai Irregulars since 2002.
[edit] Current location and timeslot
Due to the unforeseen sale and closure of the Adam's Mark Hotel in November 2004, Anthrocon chose the Wyndham Franklin Plaza in Philadelphia as the site for its 2005 convention. In 2005, Anthrocon announced that they would be moving to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the 2006 convention. Because of scheduling conflicts, the convention had to temporarily leave its normal July timeslot and was held June 15-18 in 2006. The 2007 convention was held July 5-8 at the same location.
A 2007 move to Pittsburgh was actually envisioned by Anthrocon's Board of Directors before the sale of the Adam's Mark Hotel took place, due to Anthrocon's increasing attendance. Anthrocon began soliciting people's opinions about moving to Pittsburgh in October 2004. At the time, the convention was already too big for any affordable hotel in Philadelphia, and the Adam's Mark had the most convention space of any hotel of its size in the city before its demolition. The closing of the Adam's Mark simply moved those plans up a year.
While some were opposed to the move, most were supportive of it. Many attendees who supported the move lived so far away from Pennsylvania that the move made little difference to the trip there.
[edit] Current leadership
The chairman of the convention, Dr. Samuel Conway (nicknamed "Kagemushi" or "Uncle Kage" among attendees), oversees the operations of the Anthrocon with the help of staff and a number of volunteers who donate their time and energy throughout the weekend to assist the multitude of small tasks which arise.
The rest of the Board of Directors includes:
- Robert "Chiaroscuro" Armstrong - Registration
- Kenneth "Gen. Talon" Baker - Audio Visual
- John "K.P." Cole - Programming, Masquerade
- Brian "Rigel" Harris - Charity
- Karl "Xydexx" Jorgensen - Publications
- Peter "PeterCat" Kappesser - Art show
- Phaedra "Wyldekyttin" Meyer - Dealers' Room
- Douglas "Giza" Muth - Operations, Website, Sysadmin
- George "Tigerwolf" Nemeyer - Internet Room
[edit] Guests of Honor
Past Guests of Honor have included:
- artists Daphne Lage and Watts Martin (1997)
- artists Jeffrey A. Carver and Jim Groat (1998)
- author S. Andrew Swann and artist Vicky Wyman (1999)
- artist Sara "Caribou" Palmer and author Paul Kidd (2000)
- comic-book artist Dan DeCarlo (creator of Josie and the Pussycats) and syndicated cartoonist Bill Holbrook (2001)
- artist Heather Bruton and author Lisanne Norman (of The Sholan Alliance Series) (2002)
- artists Guy Gilchrist and Mark E. Rogers (2003)
- artists Michel Gagné and Stan Sakai (creator of Usagi Yojimbo) (2004)
- Timothy Albee ("Kaze: Ghost Warrior") and Peter Laird, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2005)
- fantasy author Diane Duane, Writer/animator/cartoonist/artist Scott Shaw!], and (as a "Special Guest") Filk musician Tom Smith (2006)
- Television/animation writer Mark Evanier, comic artist Carolyn Kelly (of syndicated comic strip "Pogo") and voice actor Rob Paulsen ("Animaniacs", "Pinky and the Brain", "Gummi Bears" & "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") (2007)
- Animator and Disney Legend Floyd Norman (2008)
- Character Designer and Storyboard Artist Ben Balistreri ("Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends", "Seaweed the Pelican"), Creator/Producer Bob Boyle ("Wow Wow Wubbzy" and "Yin Yang Yo!") and Cartoonist and Artist Joe Harris (creator of Underdog and the Trix Rabbit) (2009)
- author James Gurney (Dinotopia book series); and puppeteer/director Jim Martin (Sesame Street) (2010)
- artist Andy Runton (Owly) and author Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) (2011)
- Creative Director/Art Director/freelance illustrator Dev Madan, animator and comic artist Mike Kazaleh, Fursuiter/Acrobat from Japan Sardyuon (2012)
[edit] Typical programming
- Opening and Closing Ceremonies
- Dealers Room
- Art Shows (General and Mature)
- Art Show Auctions
- Artists' Alley
- Stand-up Comedy
- Masquerade
- Charity Auction
- Internet Room
- "The Zoo"
- Supersponsor Lounge
- Supersponsor Luncheon
- Fursuit Dance
- 80's Dance
- Furry Rave
- DJ Rigel's Dance
- Capsule Lounge
- Fursuit Parade
- Role-playing Games
- Dance Dance Revolution Tournament
- Special-interest Groups
- "Story Hour"
- Art Demonstration
- Puppetry Instruction
[edit] Themes
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[edit] Charities
Every year, Anthrocon chooses a local charity that is animal related to be the beneficiary of its charity auction.
- 2012: Hello Bully – $20,656
- 2011: Toonseum – $11,522
- 2010: Fayette Friends of Animals – $12,849
- 2009: Animal Rescue League Wildlife Rehabilitation Center – $8,992
- 2008: Pittsburgh Parrot Rescue – $13,154
- 2007: Animal Friends – $7,608
- 2006: Western Pennsylvania National Wild Animal Orphanage - $8,407
- 2005: Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue - $6,470
- 2004: Forgotten Felines & Fidos - $7,200
- 2003: Support Our Shelters - $8,348
- 2002: Canine Partners for Life - $13,280
- 2001: Reins of Life - $7,273
- 2000: National Greyhound Adoption Program - $6,500
- 1999: Great Valley Nature Center - $3,600
- 1998: Whiskers - $3,092
- 1997: Therapy Dogs - $2,200
The choice of Toonseum was made with consultation of the furry community via a LiveJournal post by Rigel. It has so far been the only (fandom-approved) exception to the "animal related" charity rule.
[edit] Attendance
Each yeah Anthrocon sees an average 17.3% increase in attendees with a bigger increase of the number of fursuiters in the fursuit parade with an average of 34.6%. Fursuiters typically make up 15-20% of the attendance.
| Convention year | Attendance | Percentage change | Fursuiters in fursuit parade | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany AnthroCon 1997 | 500* | - | Unknownº | - |
| Albany AnthroCon 1998 | 600* | 20% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 1999 | 845 | 40.8% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 2000 | 1,128 | 33.4% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 2001 | 1,457 | 29.2% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 2002 | 1,648 | 13.1% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 2003 | 1,949 | 18.2% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 2004 | 2,404 | 23.3% | "" "" | - |
| Anthrocon 2005 | 2,370 | -1.4% | 140 | - |
| Anthrocon 2006 | 2,489 | 5% | 191 | 36.4% |
| Anthrocon 2007 | 2,849 | 14.5% | 353 | 84.8% |
| Anthrocon 2008 | 3,390 | 19% | 453 | 28.3% |
| Anthrocon 2009 | 3,776 | 11.4% | 640 | 41.3% |
| Anthrocon 2010 | 4,238 | 12.2% | 713 | 11.4% |
| Anthrocon 2011 | 4,400 | 3.8% | 854 | 19.8% |
| Anthrocon 2012 | 5,179 | 17.7% | 1,044 | 22.2% |
.*Estimated
ºUntil 2005 Anthrocon did not keep records on the number of fursuiters in the fursuit parade.
[edit] Incorporation and trademarks
Anthrocon, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit organization on 25 June 1998 and registered as a 501(c)(7) social and recreation club in the state of Pennsylvania (entity 2823650). This classification differs from the 501(c)(3) status of Midwest Furry Fandom and Anthropomorphic Arts and Education - most notably, donations are not tax-deductible to their donors, but in return the company has more flexibility about its operations, and more leeway to restrict access to non-members (in fact, it is expected to, as otherwise it is not a club).
Applications to register the word "Anthrocon" and the 'Anthrocon paw' as US trademarks were filed on 18 September and 12 November 2006, respectively. According to these filings, the word "Anthrocon" was first used on 1 February 1997, while the paw logo was used from 30 June 1998.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Anthrocon discussion boards - monitored by convention staff
- Official Anthrocon Community - monitored by convention staff
- (Unofficial) Anthrocon community on LiveJournal
- Anthrocon group on Facebook
- Big Blue Fox Media Unofficial Convention Videos
- Photos, videos, reports: Anthrocon resources
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Some of this page is derived from Wikipedia. The original article was at Anthrocon. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WikiFur, the text of Wikipedia is available under CC-BY-SA and the GFDL. |
