Ever wonder where our noble roots as a community come from? well i pulled this from an OLD site on the net...while it does not define the community at the present date it does state our origins.

Furry fandom - History and Inspiration

Furry fandom originated as a fusion of science fiction, fantasy, comic book, and animation fandoms during the 1980s and has grown with the advent of the World Wide Web and Internet.

The term "furry" originally came into existence at a science fiction convention in the late 1970s. Then, the term was used to describe one specific genre of fantasy art. As these "furry fans" became more organized, they began using e-mail and MUCKs to communicate. Notably, one of the oldest and largest mucks in existence is FurryMUCK.

Since the 1980s, furry fandom has focused largely on animal characters (see funny animal or talking animal) from cartoons (e.g. Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny,Mickey Mouse and Wile E. Coyote), animated feature films (e.g. Disney's Robin Hood), TV shows (e.g. Father of the Pride), comics (e.g. Usagi Yojimbo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Omaha the Cat Dancer), novels (e.g. Richard Adams' Watership Down, Andre Norton's Breed to Come, Brian Jacques' Redwall series, Steven Boyett's The Architect of Sleep, S. Andrew Swann's Moreau Series), games (e.g. RuneQuest, EverQuest, the Sonic the Hedgehog series) graphic novels (e.g. Maus) and web comics (e.g. Newshounds, Boomer Express, The Suburban Jungle, and Kevin and Kell). Each has been cited as a source of inspiration by those who create works within the furry fandom.

Many members of the fandom have also cited as inspiration the historical usage of anthropomorphism in world mythology, including but not limited to Greek, Egyptian, Japanese and Native American.

Although many of the non-furry creators of such material are aware that some of their audience consists of furry fans, the most common term used by cartoonists to describe anthropomorphic animals is "funny animal," regardless of whether the animals are used in a funny way or not. Additionally, in Japan there is a genre called kemono, a tangentially related but independent genre with different cultural associations.

There are dozens of web comics based on animal characters, such as Kevin and Kell, Sabrina Online, Newshounds, and The Suburban Jungle. Many are created by furry fans and, as such, are referred to as "furry comics." "Kevin and Kell," by contrast, was created by non-furry illustrator and cartoonist, Bill Holbrook.