They’re gr-r-r-ross! Tony the Tiger roars at furries to stop sending sexy tweets
It’s been a wild week for the cartoon cereal mascot Tony the Tiger after tweeting a frosty message about all the sexy tweets he’s been getting from humans who like to dress up as furry animals.
As the "spokestiger" for Frosted Flakes in the US and Frosties in Europe, he wants to keep his virtual den “cub”-friendly.
I’m all for showing your stripes, feathers, etc. But let’s keep things gr-r-reat – & family-friendly if you could. Cubs could be watching 🙂
— Tony the Tiger (@realtonytiger) January 28, 2016
@realtonytiger received a number of suggestive, playful messages in recent months from those who claim to be members of the furry subculture.
@realtonytiger send nudes
— small meme (@TheSmolYordle) January 17, 2016
@ChrisLiermann@realtonytiger@KelloggsUS send me pics of you doing the pig on the milk tony.
— CubeDragon (@CubeDragonX) January 18, 2016
.@realtonytiger frost my cakes daddy
— Dixon Cider (@Phor_dingo) January 26, 2016
The tweet from Tony comes after some furry followers reported they were blocked by his Twitter account, even though they didn’t tweet him.
I don't even think I've ever tweeted at @realtonytiger, did they just go and block all furries? XD pic.twitter.com/4U2OXme82Y
— Kiniel's Gr-r-reat! (@KinielCat) January 26, 2016
While TV and films have focused on the sexual aspects of the furry community, including 'yiffing', research by the International Anthropomorphic Research Project shows that one in five participants prefer to keep it non-sexual.
Some members of the community took to Tony’s Twitter to apologize for the actions of their fellow furries.
@realtonytiger I apologize for the way some of the people in the fandom I'm a part of have acted the past few days. We're not all like that.
— Chusky^2 (@ArcturusChusky) January 28, 2016
@realtonytiger I certainly hope that the tactless acts of a few don’t sour your view of what is a very rational and often good natured many.
— Pelvic Sorcerer (@DonryuArt) January 28, 2016
Chester Cheetah, 'spokesperson' for the cheesy snack Cheetos, embraced the attention of the furry community, taking to Twitter to interact with them.
@WitchyCats@CasualFennec I welcome all fans to my twitter feed. Scales, feathers, or fur, if you enjoy my tweets then welcome!
— Chester Cheetah (@ChesterCheetah) January 26, 2016
@tallfuzzball Oh, I know I am but I always appreciate the compliment. 🔥
— Chester Cheetah (@ChesterCheetah) January 26, 2016
@ChesterCheetah "Drive me up the wall, Daddy!"
— Harold Batcher (@AD_housepaint) January 28, 2016
Given Chester’s actions, we’ll have to wait and see if Tony "does a 180" and realizes the marketing potential of this growing market.
@realtonytiger#PeepShowpic.twitter.com/AjZyYKkxcH
— Colm McGlinchey (@ColmMcGlinchey) January 30, 2016