History Main / FurryConfusion

JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith ViewerSpeciesConfusion.

Things get unquestionably weird when non-humanlike specimens of the ''same'' species of animals the main characters are based upon are shown existing in the setting alongside them. There's no acknowledgement of this outside of possibly a quick gag.

One way to avoid this trope is if certain species are anthropomorphized, their species' original niche is replaced with a FantasticFaunaCounterpart. Very often crosses over with CarnivoreConfusion, FurryDenial, and occasionally with WhatMeasureIsANonCute and NoCartoonFish; examples more fitting for those tropes belong on those pages. AdultsAreMoreAnthropomorphic and HumanoidFemaleAnimal can sometimes overlap with this trope. WorldOfMammals is a variant in which all the anthropomorphic animals are mammals. See also AnthropomorphicShift, FeatherFingers, and LetsMeetTheMeat. See AnimalGenderBender and AssInALionSkin for a whole new level of confusion. Very often happens because MostWritersAreHuman and FurriesAreEasierToDraw.

** Sanrio execs, preparing for the big Hello Kitty exhibition in Los Angeles, cat-egorically stated that [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-hello-kitty-in-los-angeles-not-a-cat-20140826-column.html#page=1 Hello Kitty]] [[FurryDenial is ''not a cat''.]] As you can see from the comments and tweets, fans aren't buying it. That said, they later clarified she's [[https://www.themarysue.com/update-hello-kitty-isnt-a-human-either/ not a human either]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1HMohRrI5U This Music Video]].

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1657083877049669900 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

One way to avoid this trope is if certain species are anthropomorphized, their species' original niche is replaced with a FantasticFaunaCounterpart. Very often crosses over with CarnivoreConfusion, FurryDenial, and occasionally with WhatMeasureIsANonCute and NoCartoonFish. AdultsAreMoreAnthropomorphic and HumanoidFemaleAnimal can sometimes overlap with this trope. WorldOfMammals is a variant in which all the anthropomorphic animals are mammals. See also AnthropomorphicShift, FeatherFingers, and LetsMeetTheMeat. See AnimalGenderBender and AssInALionSkin for a whole new level of confusion. Very often happens because MostWritersAreHuman and FurriesAreEasierToDraw.

* The M&M mascots take this to another level when they talk about getting eaten, and in at least one commercial ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjuyHAuHMXI eat one of their own kind]].''
* This goes especially for [[Advertising/CharlieTheTuna Charlie]] of [=StarKist=] Tuna. For years, he had been trying to essentially get killed, chopped up, packed in a can, and eaten.
* Korean chicken restaurants often have cartoon chickens on their signage and it's not unheard of for those cartoon chickens to be [[https://web.archive.org/web/20121021022528/http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/files/2010/11/photo.JPG happily holding plates of cooked chicken limbs.]]
* Chick-Fil-A actually averts this by doing a series of ads with sapient ''cows'' shilling the restaurant... because they want people to eat more chicken and less beef.

* Then there's the infamous "Miss Piggy advertising a bacon breakfast at Denny's". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIJm0YXq9Ss Watch it here]].

In many cartoon or comic settings one will often find that the characters are [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]]. The audience tends to accept this without question -- until animals that don't look or sound humanlike appear in the same continuity. Fortunately the audience doesn't ''usually'' have a big problem with this.

Things get unquestionably weird when non-humanlike specimens of the ''same'' species of animals the main characters are based upon are shown existing in the setting alongside them.

Some Furry Fiction {{Hand Wave}}s this by explaining that their [[BeastMan very humanoid]] characters have a science-fiction basis. They may be {{Uplifted Animal}}s, animals that were given {{Anthropomorphic Transformation}}s, [[IntelligentGerbil aliens that happen to look like animals]] or something else. Alternatively, they might be established as a separate species from their non-anthropomorphic counterparts, meaning any non-anthros would be their equivalent of non-human apes. If no such explanation is given, though, the FridgeHorror is bound to set in eventually.

Fantasy settings may explain their {{Beast M|an}}en in other ways. They may be [[BalefulPolymorph cursed]] or infested ([[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolf]]) humans; in this case the trope can be averted for drama. A wizard or god may polymorph himself or other people in a form that is more useful for the current task or simply magically create them from nothing. Or they simply exist in the setting (nobody can disprove that dragons and unicorns can or can't talk because they don't exist in RealLife).

The explanation that the anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic specimens (and humans) are completely separate species that simply bear some resemblance to each other appears surprisingly rarely.

The FurryLens trope can explain this trope occurring in the work by having the anthropomorphic animals in the work turn out to be contextually human and the nonanthropomorphic animals are contextually their respective species of animal.

One way to avoid this trope is if certain species are anthropomorphized, their species' original niche is replaced with a FantasticFaunaCounterpart.

Very often crosses over with CarnivoreConfusion, FurryDenial, and occasionally with WhatMeasureIsANonCute and NoCartoonFish. AdultsAreMoreAnthropomorphic and HumanoidFemaleAnimal can sometimes overlap with this trope. WorldOfMammals is a variant in which all the anthropomorphic animals are mammals. See also AnthropomorphicShift, FeatherFingers, and LetsMeetTheMeat. See AnimalGenderBender and AssInALionSkin for a whole new level of confusion. Very often happens because MostWritersAreHuman and FurriesAreEasierToDraw.

** ''FurryConfusion/{{Arthur}}''

** ''FurryConfusion/{{Arthur}}''

[[caption-width-right:280:"[[Webcomic/AwkwardZombie Is... is this a job for human rights activists or for PETA?]]"]]

[[caption-width-right:280:"[[Webcomic/AwkwardZombie Is... is this a job for human rights activists or animal welfare?]]"]]

** Sanrio execs, preparing for the big Hello Kitty exhibition in Los Angeles, cat-egorically stated that [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-hello-kitty-in-los-angeles-not-a-cat-20140826-column.html#page=1 Hello Kitty]] [[FurryLens is ''not a cat''.]] As you can see from the comments and twitters, fans aren't buying it.

* ''Podcast/QuestInShow'' has us a scene where Tristan Lambert (a sheep-like BeastMan) investigates a wool farm, which is naturally filled with normal sheep. Tristan’s player explicitly compares the dynamic to that of humans and monkeys.

* Early ''Advertising/McDonaldland'' featured a meat version of this, with several characters being living Hamburgers, but many of the plots revolving around villains like the Hamburglar trying to steal regular Hamburgers for the express purpose of eating them. The Hamburger characters were quietly retired in later iterations.

* Early ''Advertising/McDonaldland'' featured a meat version of this, with several characters being living Hamburgers, but many of the plots revolving around villains like the Hamburglar trying to steal regular Hamburgers for the express purpose of eating them. The Hamburglar characters were quietly retired.

* Enjoy a new level of Furry Confusion with [[https://www.christmasinprescott.com/angel-nativity-cross/wildlife-bird-childrens-nativity-sets/ this a collection of all-animal Nativity sets]]. The very sight of Moose-Jesus is a good indication of why [[{{Literature/Redwall}} Brian Jaques]] ignores this issue entirely.

* Enjoy a new level of Furry Confusion with a collection of all-animal Nativity sets. The very sight of Moose-Jesus is a good indication of why [[{{Literature/Redwall}} Brian Jaques]] ignores this issue entirely.

* Enjoy a new level of Furry Confusion with a collection of all-animal Nativity sets]]. The very sight of Moose-Jesus is a good indication of why [[{{Literature/Redwall}} Brian Jaques]] ignores this issue entirely.

* Enjoy a new level of Furry Confusion with this [[http://www.amerheritage.com/salespages/bigsky/bigskycarver-nativity.htm collection of all-animal Nativity sets]] (horrible Geocities-era web design in that link; you may have to scroll down). The very sight of Moose-Jesus is a good indication of why [[{{Literature/Redwall}} Brian Jaques]] ignores this issue entirely.

* Korean chicken restaurants often have cartoon chickens on their signage and it's not unheard of for those cartoon chickens to be [[http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/files/2010/11/photo.JPG happily holding plates of cooked chicken limbs.]]

* [[http://pastel-chaos.tumblr.com/post/93119045184/what-is-life This]] ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'' fancomic.

* Chick-Fil-A actually averts this by doing a series of ads with sentient ''cows'' shilling the restaurant... because they want people to eat more chicken and less beef.

** Sanrio execs, preparing for the big Hello Kitty exhibition in Los Angeles, cat-egorically stated that [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-hello-kitty-in-los-angeles-not-a-cat-20140826-column.html#page=1 Hello Kitty is ''not a cat''.]] As you can see from the comments and twitters, fans aren't buying it.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] ViewerSpeciesConfusion.

!!Example subpages

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Some Furry Fiction {{Hand Wave}}s this by explaining that their [[BeastMan very humanoid]] characters have a science-fiction basis. They may be {{Uplifted Animal}}s, animals that were given {{Anthropomorphic Transformation}}s, [[IntelligentGerbil aliens that happen to look like animals]], or something else. Alternatively, they might be established as a separate species from their non-anthropomorphic counterparts, meaning any non-anthros would be their equivalent of non-human apes. If no such explanation is given, though, the FridgeHorror is bound to set in eventually.