Tag: News

While Mr. Ed gets most of the attention, he was preceded by Francis the Talking Mule. The original Francis movie was released in 1950, and would go on to appear in a total of seven, yes seven movies! Elvis had not yet hit the scene, and people in the 50’s needed something to do, so they translated to film from three short stories written by David Stern for Esquire magazine about a talking army mule who would only talk to a dimwitted lieutenant, helping him in his military and other ventures…

Now Francis was actually a female donkey named Molly, selected because she was easy to handle. She supposedly cost $350 to buy, but made millions from the film series. To create the illusion that the mule was actually talking, thread would be fed into the animal’s mouth which would cause the mule-actress to try and remove it by moving her lips. The same technique would later be used for Mister Ed! Francis would also appear in a 1952-53 comic strip, Francis, the Famous Talking Mule.

A talking donkey, however, preceded Francis in The Bible! In the Biblical Book of Numbers, Chapter 22, verses 21 – 39 we are given an extraordinary account of an Old Testament furry, a female donkey who had her mouth opened by the Lord to the extent that she was able at least temporarily to talk to her abusive master and engage in a dialogue with him!

It would seem that Balaam was a pagan non-Israelite prophet and diviner who was commissioned by Balak, King of the Moabites, to lay a curse on the Israelites. After divining and seeing that the Lord was really with the Israelites and that they could not be cursed, Balaam relayed his message to Moabite king, who would not take no for an answer. Yahweh then instructed Balaam to to follow the Moabite delegation to the hill upon which Balak thinks Isreal would be cursed…

On route, Balaam rode his donkey, who alone perceived an angel standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, and turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat the donkey to get it back on the road. Then the angel stood in a narrow path through vineyards with walls on both sides. The donkey pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. The louse beat the poor donkey again…

So the donkey moved ahead, and this time the angel appeared in a narrow place where there was no room to turn either to the right or the left. The donkey simply lay down at that point under Balaam, and the crud became angry and beat the poor animal a third time!

Then the transformation happened. The Almighty opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered his pack animal, telling her that she had made a fool out of him, and that had he a sword in his hand, he’d kill the poor thing right then! The donkey’s words revealed that it had been trying to warn Balaam about the angel, to which Balaam finally bowed and admitted his sin. Sadly, the donkey kinda drops from the Biblical narrative at that point, but is an early example of an anthropomorphic being, as well as an early animal rights advocate. One can imagine them being voiced by Eddie Murphy as in Shrek…

So guys, if you come across a talking mule or donkey, give them a listen…you just might become a believer!

¡Comienza el buen tiempo! Nuestros amigos de Furry Colombia lo saben bien y tienen su Sunfest estos días. Desde Ibercon, deseamos que todos los asistentes tengan una experiencia inolvidable y disfruten mucho rodeados de naturaleza en un ambiente único, del 23 al 25 de mayo en Anapoima. Un fuerte abrazo de parte de todo el equipo y mucho ánimo en esta nueva andadura

Está a começar o bom tempo! E os nossos amigos da Furry Colombia sabem disso muito bem, daí que têm o seu Sunfest nestes dias. Daqui da Ibercon, esperamos que todos os seus participantes tenham uma experiência inesquecível e que se divirtam muito, rodeados por um ambiente único da natureza, durante os dias 23 a 25 de maio, em Anapoima. A nossa equipa envia um grande abraço e muito ânimo nesta nova etapa

The good weather is starting! And our friends from Furry Colombia know that all too well, thus why they have their Sunfest during these days. On the behalf of Ibercon, we wish that all their attendees have an unforgettable experience and enjoy themselves a lot, while surrounded by a unique nature environment, from the 23rd to the 25th of May, at Anapoima. Our team sends a big hug and a ton of cheers for this new journey

Calling all Wastelanders!

Prepare yourself for Paws Outdoors 2025, “Tails Across the Wasteland”

Dates: 29th of August – 1st of September 2025

Location: Cataract Scout Park Stay Tuned for more details in the next few weeks!

https://pawsoutdoors.au/

They even have 2 for mobile devices

You can get them here https://www.eurofurence.org/EF29/wallpapers