Why Are Furry Sex Toys So Popular Right Now?

A little while ago, I wrote an article on the popularity and appeal of tentacle toys, and now I’m setting my sights on something a little more terrestrial. Yup, we’re talking about Furries. But first…what exactly are furries?

Furries are people with an interest in anthropomorphic animals. Many furries go so far as to dress up as an alter-ego animal version of themselves (their fur-sona) and meet up with other furries at conventions, etc.  Due to the actions of a minority of people, furries have something of a bad reputation and have even been banned from some conventions or convention spaces for being perceived as overly sexual and generally debauched. Not to mention the fact that the suits themselves don’t smell great, so I’ve been told…

This is different from pet-play, in which one partner in a BDSM relationship takes on the role of— what else?— a pet. From my understanding, pet-play is strictly a BDSM subculture, and rarely involves a costume beyond maybe some cat ears and a butt plug tail. In pet play, part of the appeal is one partner treating a human being like an animal, whereas when furries interact with each other and there’s no inherent Dom/Sub relationship.

Another thing to get out of the way: furries aren’t interested in having sex with real animals. There’s a reason fur suits are not exactly realistic, nor are they intended to be. The animals involved are all highly anthropomorphic, and the popular furry “pin-ups” are animated characters like Lola Bunny from Space Jam and Nala from the animated Lion King, not the realistically rendered CGI animals in Wicked, or someone’s actual pet dog. Bad Dragon even sells toys and SFW merchandise based on characters that bear a striking resemblance to Nick and Judy from Zootopia. I am not now, nor have I ever been a furry, but even I had a crush on both Robin Hood and Maid Marion from the 1973 Robin Hood movie.

Being a furry isn’t even necessarily a sexual fetish. As someone whose brand of neurodivergence involves heightened sensitivity to fabrics, dopamine dressing, and vivid daydreaming, I completely get the appeal of wanting to wear a fursuit that encapsulates the truest version of oneself—a self that might be different than what other people see on the outside in daily life. However, this site literally has “sex” in the name, so the sexual aspect of the furry culture is what we’re going to be taking a look at now.

Furry Sex Toys

In my article on tentacle toys, I made the assertion that toys meant to evoke domestic animals would be out of bounds. However, the Internet proved me wrong…sort of. While websites like Bad Dragon and Naughty Fox have an impressive collection of fantasy and animal-related toys, there are only a few that are realistic and meant to evoke actual domesticated animals, namely horses and dogs. Even for those sex toys, Bad Dragon products are so unrealistic in their shape and coloring that there’s no confusing them with real animals. If it weren’t for the name, I would never have guessed that Sahleen the Anthro-Feline was meant to evoke a cat. On the other hand, Naughty Fox is quick to assert that the dogs in question are anthropomorphic, not to mention fully consenting to whatever you want to do to them. The site even provides biographies for their anthropomorphic animals, as well as scenarios in which the reader has consenting sex with them. On both websites, the sex toys also come in a variety of colors, most of which are wildly unrealistic. So, there really isn’t a market for hyper-realistic products meant to simulate sex with a domesticated animal.

One thing that surprised me was the number of masturbators based on furry fantasies. I would have assumed that the bulk of furry toys would be strap-ons that would enable people to embody their fur-sona as fully as possible. However, it does make sense that an attraction to anthropomorphic animals would make someone want to possess one as well as embody one. Whether the person in question is imagining themselves to be a human or a fellow anthropomorphic dog is entirely up to them. As humans, we’re taught that animals, especially mammals, should be submissive to us, so it makes sense that a toy based on a dog or a horse would make a popular masturbator, not to mention the obvious fact that their snouts are the perfect shape for that kind of toy.

Fantastical Elements

The more realistic sex toys tend to be based on dogs and horses, animals that are seen as being highly intelligent and having close relationships with humans. When it comes to reptiles, the toys become more fantastical, featuring dragons and dinosaurs, not, say, your average alligator lizard. And don’t try to tell me that Jake the Rattlesnake is based on actual snake biology.

Since the animals are meant to be fantastical and have human-level intelligence, it feels far less morally dubious than if the toys were designed to be realistic and actually make someone feel as though they were having sex with a pet. Since there are so many children’s shows and movies featuring anthropomorphic animals, it’s no wonder that many people’s first crushes were on those walking, talking cats or foxes. I’d also imagine that the popularity of BoJack Horseman helped in that regard, since it presented sex between humans and anthropomorphic animals (and anthropomorphic animals of vastly different species) in such a way that the only discomfort came from the storytelling itself, not from imagining the mechanics of a cat and a horse…you know.

Only for Furries?

As I wrote in my article on the appeal of tentacle toys, there are a lot of reasons to be drawn to the fantasy of having sex with something inhuman; it doesn’t mean you have to commission a fur suit and go to a convention. Stories about women marrying anthropomorphic animals exist in almost every culture (sorry, heterosexual men who are into furry ladies—the only representation I can think of for you is Madame d’Aulnoy’s The White Cat), and there is something appealing about the idea of having one’s body explored by (and exploring the body of) an intelligent being so different from yourself. So, whether you’re a full-fledged furry or just enjoy the idea of making your time in the bedroom a little wild, animal-inspired toys can be a great way to let your fantasies come to life.

Becky

Becky V is a Los Angeles native who loves indie bookstores, Broadway musicals, and a good cup of tea. She is passionate about sexual wellness and wants to make the world a better place one orgasm at a time!