Anthrocon
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| Anthrocon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | Ongoing |
| First iteration | July 3-6, 1997 (as Albany AnthroCon)
July 1-4, 1999 (as AnthroCon) |
| Organizer(s) | Anthrocon, Inc. |
| Subject | Furry |
| Resources | Photos, videos, reports: Anthrocon resources |
Anthrocon is a furry convention held each summer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Formerly the world's largest furry convention, with an attendance of 7,544 in 2017, it was surpassed by Midwest FurFest later the same year.
Contents
History
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 to simply "Anthrocon", and relocated it to Pennsylvania. Its first venue was the Hilton Hotel of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (1999 and 2000). Due to a rapid increase in attendees, it was forced to relocate to the larger Adams Mark Hotel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2001, where it became the largest furry convention ever held, with 1,457 attendees.
Attendance continued to grow, and 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 increased again in 2006 with the move to the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 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 a total of more than $240,000 to local charities.
Security for the convention has been provided by the Dorsai Irregulars since 2002.
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.
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 - Dealers' Room, Photography
- Kenneth "Gen. Talon" Baker - Audio Visual
- John "K.P." Cole - Programming, Masquerade
- Brian "Rigel" Harris - Charity
- Karl "Xydexx" Jorgensen - Publications, Media Liaison
- Peter "PeterCat" Kappesser - Art show
- Thomas "Nicona Shadowwolf" Brewer - Registration
- Douglas "Giza" Muth - Operations, Website, Sysadmin
- George "Tigerwolf" Nemeyer - Internet Room
Guests of Honor
Past Guests of Honor have included:
- 1997 - Artists Daphne Lage and Watts Martin
- 1998 - Artists Jeffrey A. Carver and Jim Groat
- 1999 - Author S. Andrew Swann and artist Vicky Wyman
- 2000 - Artist Sara "Caribou" Palmer and author Paul Kidd (2000)
- 2001 - comic-book artist Dan DeCarlo (creator of Josie and the Pussycats), and syndicated cartoonist Bill Holbrook
- 2002 - Artist Heather Bruton and author Lisanne Norman (of the Sholan Alliance Series)
- 2003 - Artists Guy Gilchrist and Mark E. Rogers
- 2004 - Artists Michel Gagné and Stan Sakai (creator of Usagi Yojimbo)
- 2005 - Timothy Albee ("Kaze: Ghost Warrior") and Peter Laird, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- 2006 - Fantasy author Diane Duane, writer/animator/cartoonist/artist Scott Shaw!], and (as a "Special Guest") Filk musician Tom Smith
- 2007 - 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 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
- 2008 - Animator and Disney Legend Floyd Norman
- 2009 - 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)
- 2010 - Author James Gurney (Dinotopia book series), and Sesame Street puppeteer/director Jim Martin
- 2011 - Artist Andy Runton (Owly), and author Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn)
- 2012 - Creative Director/art Director/freelance illustrator Dev Madan, animator and comic artist Mike Kazaleh, and Japanese fursuiter and acrobat Sardyuon
- 2013 - Fantasy artist and novelist Larry Dixon, author Mercedes Lackey, animation producer/writer/story editor and storyboard artist Tom Minton, and Sardyuon
- 2014 - Voice actors Jim Cummings (Darkwing Duck, Winnie the Pooh, The Lion King, Baldur's Gate, Sonic the Hedgehog) and Lee Tockar (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Yakkity Yak).
- 2015 - Voice actor Kimlinh Tran and sports mascot "The San Diego Chicken"
- 2016 - Animation genius Joaquin Baldwin, voice artist Trevor Devall and illustrator/graphic designer Tracy Butler
- 2018 - Len Simon, one of the main leads on Anastasia and was promoted to Animation Director in charge of all the character animation on Bartok the Magnificent and Titan AE and Ursula Vernon, creator of the "lol wut" The Biting Pear of Salamanca and the webcomic Digger.
Typical programming
- Opening and Closing Ceremonies
- Dealers' Den
- Artists' Alley
- Art Shows (General and Mature)
- Art Show Auctions
- Charity Auction to benefit the year's charity
- Masquerade
- Stand-up Comedy
- "Uncle Kage's Story Hour"
- Fursuit Parade
- Fursuit Dance Competition
- Art-related, Costumery-related, and other artistic how-to panels, workshops, and demonstrations
- Table-top card and role-playing games
- Video Game Room and Tournaments
- Special-interest Groups
- Puppetry Instruction
- Various dances (Electronica/EDM Dances, Fursuit-friendly dances, Era-themed dances, Fandom-related DJ's)
- Musical performances
- Internet Room
- "The Zoo", a spacious general social area
Themes
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Charities
Every year, Anthrocon chooses a local animal-related charity to be the beneficiary of its charity auction.[1]
- 1997 - Therapy Dogs - $2,200
- 1998 - Whiskers -$3,092
- 1999 - Great Valley Nature Center - $3,600
- 2000 - National Greyhound Adoption Program - $6,500
- 2001 - Reins of Life - $7,273
- 2002 - Canine Partners for Life - $13,280
- 2003 - Support Our Shelters - $8,348
- 2004 - Forgotten Felines & Fidos - $7,200
- 2005 - Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue - $6,470
- 2006 - Western Pennsylvania National Wild Animal Orphanage - $8,407
- 2007 - Animal Friends - $7,608
- 2008 - Pittsburgh Parrot Rescue - $13,154
- 2009 - Animal Rescue League Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - $8,992
- 2010 - Fayette Friends of Animals -$12,849
- 2011 - Toonseum - $11,522
- 2012 - Hello Bully - $20,656
- 2013 - Equine Angels Rescue - $31,255
- 2014 - The National Aviary - $32,372
- 2015 - Western Pennsylvania Humane Society - $35,910
- 2016 - Pittsburgh Zoo - $30,880
- 2017 - Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary - $37,598
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.
Attendance
Anthrocon's attendance has increased every year, except for Anthrocon 2005 which changed venue after its original hotel was scheduled for demolition. Membership in the fursuit parade has tended to increase as well, rising to 5.9% of members in 2005 to a peak of 28.7% in 2016.
| 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 | 3,777 | 11.4% | 640 | 41.3% |
| Anthrocon 2010 | 4,238 | 12.2% | 713 | 11.4% |
| Anthrocon 2011 | 4,402 | 3.8% | 854 | 19.8% |
| Anthrocon 2012 | 5,179 | 17.7% | 1,044 | 22.2% |
| Anthrocon 2013 | 5,577 | 7.68% | 1,300 | 24.5% |
| Anthrocon 2014 | 5,861 | 5.09% | 1,326 | 2% |
| Anthrocon 2015 | 6,386 | 9.01% | 1,460 | 10.11% |
| Anthrocon 2016 | 7,310 | 14.44% | 2,100 | 43.34% |
| Anthrocon 2017 | 7,554 | 3.33% | 1,890 | -10.00% |
.*Estimated
ºUntil 2005 Anthrocon did not keep records on the number of fursuiters in the fursuit parade.
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.
See also
References
- ↑ Charity history on Anthrocon's website. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
External links
- Anthrocon official page on Facebook
- Anthrocon group on Facebook
- Anthrocon on Twitter
- 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. |
