Results for the Summer 2011 International Furry Survey led by Dr. Gerbasi and Nuka were released last month, and some are quite surprising. The study attracted 1940 participants (179 'non-furry'). 45% came from Anthrocon 2011; the rest filled out the survey online.

The same team ran an online survey last January, and a follow-up at Furry Fiesta 2011.

This survey swept in members of several related groups, most of whom saw themselves as distinct from furries. 74.4% of participants identified solely as furry, while 8.8% claimed to be therians and 4.7% otherkin. 3.6% felt they belonged to both furry and one of these groups.

Significant differences were found between furries and therians, and male and female furs.

I wasn’t as proactive as I thought I would be, and I’m pretty sure I missed a couple posted during the first of September, so apologies there. Otherwise, here was last month’s Newsbytes.

Anthrocon announced Friday night that next year's convention had been moved up a week to accommodate a mystery event, at the request of the City of Pittsburgh.

The new dates are June 14–17, 2012. Anthrocon was duly rewarded for its flexibility:

Pittsburgh has been given a very rare opportunity to host an event that they have been wanting to host for many years. The only trouble was that the proposed event (and we won't say what it is until it is officially announced) would lie in part over Anthrocon's planned weekend. [...] As much as we love our adopted home city and would do anything in our power to support them, we were hesitant to change the date of our convention after having announced it.

Pittsburgh replied with, "What if we got you another hundred hotel rooms within walking distance of the Convention Center?" — We said, "Where do we sign?"

While the event has not been announced, it has been rumoured that the NHL Entry Draft, convened annually in late June, might be coming to Pittsburgh for the first time since 1997.

Pittsburgh radio personality Jim Krenn spent some time with furries at this year's Anthrocon.

The message from 102.5 WDVE's co-host? Furries like to party. (As do the production staff)

Another year has come and gone for Anthrocon's 4,400 attendees. But what did the media make of it all?

Local stations WTAE (video, slides) and WPXI (video) gave mostly superficial coverage, while the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (photos) went into a little more depth. [Higgs Raccoon, baracudaboy, Wild`Bill`TX]

The convention was also picked up by Reuters, who posted a short piece based on organizers' statements.

In a story likely to be repeated in 2012, furries were blamed for booking out local hotels. Conversely, Anthrocon's CEO complained of a lack of hotels, telling the Post-Gazette that "when downtown hotels became fully booked in mid-May, [registration] dropped off dramatically." This helps explain this year's growth rate of 3.8%, compared to double-digit increases in prior years. (Somehow the parade count rose over 19% to 854.)

Meanwhile, 10^th St. sub mogul Cory Robinson reported two months of business in five days:

We love furries. They're just people having fun, and they don't hurt anybody.

Those who missed out on taking the survey led by Nuka and Dr. Gerbasi at Anthrocon 2011 get a second chance, as it's now available online for both furries and non-furries.

In lieu of physical prizes, online participants will be invited to a $50 Amazon.ca gift certificate drawing. Those who completed the survey already are requested not to participate.

Results from February's survey are also available, and make interesting reading.

Anthrocon is requesting submissions for this year's conbook, and is offering a sweepstakes to attract artwork, fiction, photography, and articles for the publication. This year's theme is "The Anthropomorphic Institute Of Magic".

The lucky winner gets a supersponsor membership for 2011, or an upgrade if already a member.

All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT April 23. It is not necessary to submit material to enter the sweepstakes, and there is no limit on the number of entries.

If you hoped to be in the Westin for Anthrocon 2011, you may be in for a surprise. Booking opened today at 9AM ET, and double bedrooms sold out online by 9:25AM.

Anthrocon also reports that the Courtyard hotel is completely booked for Sunday. The next closest with doubles – and also the most expensive – is the Omni William Penn. Meanwhile, the DoubleTree is cheaper but twice as far; the flood of fans initially broke their booking system. Suites at the Westin might also still be available.

Want to beat the crowds in 2012? Attend the charity auction and see if they have rooms on offer for next year. You might get a good deal and help out the ToonSeum.

Anthrocon has announced both its 2011 charity and guests of honor.

Joining attendees will be Peter S. Beagle, author and screenplay writer of The Last Unicorn, and Andy Runton, creator of Owly.

The convention's charity events will raise money for the ToonSeum, a cartoon art history museum just a block away from the convention.

SkippyFox (Vin) has launched an editable index of Anthrocon fursuit tag owners. The site comes less than a week after the 1000th and last tag was won by "^..^James" for $1600 during an intense bidding war at last weekend's charity auction, at which $5650 was raised.

First distributed at Anthrocon 2006, the tags were presented by the Dorsai Irregulars as a means to track migratory patterns. The popular items spawned several imitations; but some fursuiters felt demeaned by the dances required by certain DI and refused to participate.

As of closing ceremonies, plans had not been made for a replacement project for 2011. Dorsai representative Rene Gobeyn vowed to "get even more drunk than last time" during their traditional room party to come up with fresh ideas.

As I mentioned in a similar report a couple of years ago, I consider myself a fringefur because I don't do things that more committed furries do (writing, art, fursuiting, taking on a fursona). Mostly I just like to read furry comics; most of my favorite Webcomics are furry, and I first got into the fandom when Fantagraphics stopped publishing Critters and I had to find another source. Text stories don't appeal so much, though I loved Michael Payne's Blood Jaguar, for instance, and I don't much care for movies or TV of any sort. I've never seen Disney's Robin Hood, which I gather is something of a furry gateway drug.

So why did I go to Anthrocon at all? Well, I'll tell ya.

Anthrocon has announced their second 2010 guest of honor: children's TV director, producer and puppeteer Jim Martin.

Mr. Martin has worked in a variety of roles since the foundation of his own puppet company, the Pupplets (photos), in 1973.

He became a director on PBS' The Puzzle Place, and went on to become a Sesame Street's muppeteer and director, sharing Daytime Emmy wins for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

In recent years, he has also acted as director and supervising producer of Disney's Johnny and the Sprites, gaining further Emmy nominations.

Anthrocon's first announced guest was James Gurney, creator of Dinotopia.

Anthrocon is offering two Supersponsorship-level memberships for 2010 for "artwork, fiction, photography, and articles" in the G-to-PG-13 range.

One membership is for visual work, while another is for writings. Multiple submissions may be made in each category. All well-formatted and released entries will count for the drawing; publication preference may go to those on the theme of "Modern Stone-Age Furries."

Sponsorship drawings are a popular way to drum up con book content, while offering creative fans who can't afford the cost of sponsorship a taste of privilege.

Guns permeate American culture — and fursuiters are popular targets, getting shot in TV shows, music videos and even fan-made productions.

To foreigners, COPS is accepted as the gospel truth; visitors half-expect to see Mickey Mouse strolling into Disneyland with a .45 at his hip, or a rifle slung across his back.

But for residents, the truth is more nuanced, as two-time Anthrocon attendee David Ross found when he was banned after openly — and legally — carrying a firearm in Pennsylvania.