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             alt.fan.plushies & alt.binaries.pictures.plushies
                        Frequently Asked Questions
                               version 1.02

Welcome!  These two newsgroups are dedicated to those whose interest in
plush animals goes beyond just collecting them.

Without any further adieu, here is the F.A.Q.:

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                            What is a plushie?

A plushie is a stuffed toy animal. The most common and most popular type is
the teddy bear, however, plushies come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny
little mice only a few inches long, to huge 8 foot tall giraffes.  They are
also sometimes called stuffies.

                          What is a plushophile?

A plushophile is a person who loves plushies. This can range from simply
being a collector, to those who like to cuddle their plush, to those who
become sexually involved with them, and every shade between.

                            What is a fursuit?

A fursuit is an animal costume, such as a sports mascot or Disney costumed
character.  They are often considered to be giant, life-size, animated
plushies.  They are available commercially, though most fursuiters (people
who wear the suits) prefer to make their own, often a long, tedious
process, but one that usually results in a better looking and sturdier
suit.

                         What is alt.fan.plushies?

alt.fan.plushies was created for people who love plushies to have a place
to talk about their plush, ask questions such as how to clean or repair
them, and to share their experiences.  It differs from
alt.collecting.teddy-bears in that it is for any type of plush animal, not
just teddy bears, and that commercial posts are off-topic.  It differs from
alt.sex.plushies in that discussion of sexual subjects is not allowed.

                             What is on-topic?

Here are a few examples:
  * Asking about how to clean or repair your plush.
  * Asking about where to locate a specific type or brand of plush.
  * Describing your plush collection.
  * Discussing how you discovered your love of plush.
  * Relating your experiences with your plush.
  * Discussing what types of plush you like, and why.
  * Fursuit related discussion.
  * Discussion of animal puppets.

                            What is off-topic?

  * Any commercial advertisement, whether or not it is plush related. (The
    occasional post regarding a non-commercial, plush-related web page is
    permissible.)
  * Any discussion of sexual subjects.  Please take such discussions to
    alt.sex.plushies.
  * Binaries of any sort.  Please post pictures in the appropriate binary
    group.
  * And of course, anything not plush/fursuit/puppet related.

                  What is alt.binaries.pictures.plushies?

alt.binaries.pictures.plushies was created for people to share pictures,
photographs, and drawings of plushies.  The group differs from
alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.plushies in that adult images are forbidden.

                             What is on-topic?

Here are a few examples:
  * Photographs of your plush collection
  * Photographs of you with your plush.
  * Drawings of plushies or people/characters with plush.
  * Pictures of fursuits.
  * Pictures of animal puppets.
  * Comments about a previous binary post

                            What is off-topic?

  * Any commercial advertisement, whether or not it is plush related.
  * Any image depicting sexual acts or nudity.  Please post such images to
    alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.plushies.
  * Non-binary related discussion.  Please take such discussions to
    alt.fan.plushies.
  * And of course, anything not plush/fursuit/puppet related.

                  What other plush newsgroups are there?

  * alt.sex.plushies (plush-related discussion, including sexual
    discussion)
  * alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.plushies (erotic plush pictures)
  * alt.collecting.teddy-bears (mostly commercial)
  * alt.collecting.beanie-babies (Ty Beanie Babies)
  * alt.collecting.beanie-babies.forsale (commercial Beanie Baby posts)
  * de.alt.fan.pleusch (German language plush discussion)

                          How do I find out more?

Additional sources of information if you want to learn more:

     Plush Central  http://captainpackrat.dynip.com/plush/

     FoxWolfie Galen's Furry Plushie Page  http://velocity.net/~galen/

And of course, if you have any questions, feel free to post them to either
newsgroup.  There are lots of people who will be willing to help answer any
questions you may have.

                           -- Captain Packrat --