Plushies and Furries and You, Oh My
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
If there are three things we love here at Twirlit, they are: obscure holidays, dressing up, and weird (we use “weird” as a term of endearment) kinks. There’s a bunch of other stuff we love too, but in this article, we’ll be focusing on the aforementioned three.
So, in honor of both Plush Animal Lovers’ Day and Halloween (the best “dressing up” holiday since Wear Something Gaudy Day), we thought we’d give you the dirty details on two groups of people whose weird kinks would make them right at home on either day.
Plushies Do It Softly
Photo credit: Harry Benson / Vanity Fair
A “plushie” is a person for whom Plush Animal Lovers’ Day holds an entirely different meaning. You guessed it: plushies, more accurately known as plushophiles, are people who are sexually attracted to stuffed animals. Plushies often collect stuffed animals for display and / or “use,” if you know what we’re saying. This type of use can be facilitated by the addition of a “strategically placed opening” or “appendage,” though not all plushies modify their plush animals in this way.
Although it’s possible for a plushie to also be a furry, the two aren’t necessarily related.
Don’t Ruffle the Furries
Photo credit: Dmuth, Flickr
Unlike the plushie community, which is almost exclusively made up of people who are aroused by stuffed animals, the furry community is a broad subculture encompassing many different types of people. The one thing they have in common is an interest in anthropomorphic animals (meaning animals that have human qualities).
Some furries are aroused by anthropomorphic animals – the glut of furry porn (no, I’m not linking to that) on the Internet is a testament to that. However, many of them aren’t.
Unfortunately, the media (damn you, CSI) has focused heavily on the sexual aspect of the lifestyle, depicting furries as “sexual deviants” who use furry conventions and meetups as an excuse to get it on. This isn’t always true. At least one study has shown a significant number of furries are more interested in the sense of belonging, the escape from the mundane and the increased self-esteem furry fandom provides them than they are in getting it on in a giant wolf suit.
So, while not all furries are turned on by anthropomorphic animals (and it’s important to make that distinction), those who are aroused by them aren’t perverts who should be avoided at all costs. Both furries and plushies have an uncommon but ultimately harmless kink.
Now, the Million-Dollar Question
If you’re out celebrating Halloween, or perhaps next year’s Plush Animal Lovers’ Day, and you meet a charming and witty giant wolf or a cute guy who seems really into his stuffed animals, what will you do? Will you go for it? Let us know in the comments.
