Furby facts for kids

Furby is a super popular electronic robotic toy. It was created by Tiger Electronics, which is part of Hasbro. Furbies first came out in October 1998. They look a bit like a hamster or an owl. When they first launched, especially around Christmas, everyone wanted one!

More than 40 million Furbies were sold in their first three years. In 1998, 1.8 million were sold, and in 1999, 14 million found homes. Furbies could even speak in 14 different languages!

Furbies were the first successful robot toy made for homes. When you first get a Furby, it speaks only "Furbish." This is their own special language. But Furbies are designed to learn English words over time. It's like they are learning to talk, just like a real baby!

After a break, Hasbro brought Furbies back in 2005. These new ones were called Emoto-Tronic Furbies. They could understand voices and had more ways to show feelings on their faces. They were sold until 2007. In 2012, another new Furby came out. It had black and white LCD eyes and could connect to a mobile app. The Furby Connect, with color LCD eyes, arrived in 2016. The newest Furby generation was released in 2023.

The Story of Furby

How Furby Was Created

Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung spent a lot of time creating the Furby. They worked for nine months just on the idea and then another nine months designing the toy. They asked their friend Richard C. Levy to help them sell Furby. Richard then showed Furby to Tiger Electronics, and Roger Shiffman from Tiger bought the rights to it.

Furby was first shown to the public in 1998. This happened at a big toy fair in New York City.

The toy officially launched on October 2, 1998. Furbies originally cost about US$35. They sold incredibly well right away! During the 1998 Christmas season, demand was so high that Furbies sold for over $100. Sometimes, they even went for several hundred dollars. People bought Furbies for over $300 in newspapers and online auctions. Different Furby colors and styles even got special nicknames. Sellers would say some were rarer than others.

Because so many people wanted Furbies, some buyers were tricked. They paid for Furbies that never arrived. When stores ran out, people looked online. There, Furbies could cost two or three times their original price. In just one year, 27 million Furby toys were sold!

New Generations of Furby

In 2005, Furby came back with the Emoto-Tronic Furby. This was a new and improved version.

On April 12, 2012, Hasbro announced that new Furbies were coming. This new line was released in September 2012. By December 2012, there were sixteen different colors available. These included teal, white, black, purple, and many more fun combinations.

Furbies were named one of the top toys for Christmas 2013. This was announced by the Toy Retailers Association. They make predictions each year for the most popular holiday toys.

Different Kinds of Furbies

Furby-Shelby toy from McDonald's (2000)

First Furbies (1998–2002)

The first Furbies were popular because they seemed smart. They could learn to speak more English over time.

Furbies could talk to each other using a special light sensor between their eyes. They started by speaking "Furbish." This language had short words and simple sounds. As they "grew," they spoke less Furbish and more English. Depending on the Furby, it could learn up to 9 languages. These included English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.

Many people thought Furbies repeated words they heard. This wasn't true, but you could make a Furby say certain words more often. You did this by petting it when it said those words. Because of this idea, some important security offices even banned Furbies.

A simple motor and gears made the Furby's eyes and mouth move. It could also wiggle its ears and lift itself up.

Some people who like to tinker with electronics enjoyed taking Furbies apart. They would make them do interesting things. Furbies were popular for their sound abilities and sensors.

McDonald's even had Furby-Shelby toys in their Happy Meals in 2000. There were 8 different ones to collect. These small toys could sing to each other!

Furby Babies

In 1999, the Furby Babies came out. They were smaller than the original Furbies. They had higher voices and learned English even faster. Furby Babies also had more words and hidden games. They came in 24 different colors.

Furby Friends

Other special Furbies were also released. There was a Furby-style "Gizmo" from the movie Gremlins. There was also an "Interactive Yoda" from Star Wars and an "Interactive E.T." from his movie.

Another "friend of Furby" was called "Shelby." Shelby looked like a clam and had a different personality. It was released in 2001. Shelbies could talk to original Furbies and Furby Babies. They could also sense loud sounds and knew if they were upside down. Shelbies would laugh when "tickled" on their antennae. They would also purr when "petted." You could "feed" them by putting your finger in their mouth. Shelbies had their own language called "Shelbish."

Second Furbies (2005–2007)

Emoto-Tronic Furbies were released in August 2005. They were bigger than the first Furbies. These new Furbies had faces that showed more feelings. They also had a voice recognition system. This let them talk with people. Unlike the first Furbies, you only needed one command to make them "sleep." They also had an on/off switch. They could talk to other Emoto-Tronic Furbies. However, they could not talk to the original Furbies. These Furbies were said to be from Furby Island. They knew seven languages.

Emoto-Tronic Furby Babies

In 2006, a new Furby Baby came out. It had a new look that was more "baby-like." These babies had fewer features than the adult Furbies. They had a very small vocabulary and were less interactive. A cool thing about the 2006 Furby Baby was its movable "legs." These would unfold when the Furby Baby was awake.

Emoto-Tronic Funky Furbies

Funky Furbies were released in August 2006 outside the United States. They came in three color combinations. They could sing three new songs and dance. You could even teach them dance routines, and they would remember them!

Third Furbies (2012–2015)

A green Furby

A new Furby was released in the fall of 2012. It had new black and white LCD eyes. It could move in more ways. This Furby could also change its personality based on how you played with it. Compared to the first Furbies, new versions could speak Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Polish. This brought the total languages to 14. The on-off switch was replaced with a reset button. The Furby would turn itself off after one minute of not being played with. It had its own app for iOS and Android phones. The app communicated with the Furby using high-pitched sounds.

Furby Party Rockers

Along with the 2012 Furbies, a series called Furby Party Rockers was released. These toys had personalities already built in. Each model had a different personality.

Instead of screens for eyes, their eyes were made of clear plastic. Behind the plastic was a pattern that looked different depending on how you looked at it. The eyes had a light behind them. Party Rockers did not have any moving parts.

Furby Boom

In the summer of 2013, about a year after the 2012 Furby, a new Furby came out. It had new colors and new personalities. It also had a new app called Furby BOOM!. This app had many new features.

Furblings (toy version)

In June 2014, toy versions of the Furblings from the Furby BOOM! app were released. A special golden one was also available for a limited time. These toys could talk to Furby Booms and work with the app.

Furby Boom Crystal

For Christmas 2014, the Furby Boom Crystal series was released. These Furbies had redesigned ears, faces, and feet. They also had bright neon fur. The iOS and Android apps were also updated for them.

Furby Boom Crystal Furblings

In early 2015, toy versions of the Furby Boom Crystal Furblings from the app were released. Like the other Furblings, they could talk to Furby Boom Crystals and work with the app.

Furbacca

In June 2015, a Furby that looked like Chewbacca from Star Wars was released. It was similar to the Furby Boom. It could even "hatch" Furblings using the same app.

Fourth Furbies (2016–2017)

In 2016, the new Furby Connect was released. It had colorful LCD eyes and could move in more ways. The Furby Connect had a clear plastic stick on its head. This stick lit up in different colors when you moved it. It was used to control games in the app. Unlike the 2012 Furby, the Furby Connect did not change personalities. It could sing songs that it "learned" from the app. It had an app called Furby Connect World. This app had a whole world of Furblings for it to play with. It knew only two languages: English or Russian.

Fifth Furbies (2023–present)

On June 22, 2023, Hasbro announced that Furby was coming back! The newest Furbies have "5 voice activated modes" and "over 600 responses." They come in purple, coral, and a special tie-dye edition. Unlike the Furby Connect and Furby Boom, these new Furbies do not connect to an app. Instead of LCD eyes, they have drawn eyes. The new Furby has glowing ears. It responds when you pet it, shake it, or feed it. It also comes with fun accessories like a necklace and a comb. It knows English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, or Polish.

Furblets

On December 1, 2023, Hasbro also introduced Furblets. These are smaller Furbies. They don't have moving parts, except for their ears, which you can move by hand.

How Furbies Work

The first Furby models used a special computer chip. This chip helped them work and "think."

Safety and Furbies

In 1999, there was a misunderstanding about Furbies. Some people at the National Security Agency (NSA) thought Furbies could record secret information. They believed Furbies had a smart chip that could "learn" what people said. The NSA worried that if employees talked about secret things near the toys, the Furbies might repeat them later.

Roger Shiffman, who owned Tiger Electronics, said that "Furby has absolutely no ability to do any recording whatsoever." He said he would have told the NSA this if they had asked. It was shown that Furby's microphone could not record any sound. It could only hear a simple beep if a loud sound was made. No words could be understood. The ban on Furbies was later removed.

In 2017, it was found that Furby Connect could connect using Bluetooth. This meant someone could upload and play any sound file through the Furby. This was possible because no password was needed.

Furbish Words and Phrases

"Furbish" is the special language Furbies speak. It has simple sounds and short words. When you first get a Furby, it speaks only Furbish. But over time, it slowly starts to use English words instead.

Here are some Furbish phrases the 2005 Furbies could understand:

• wee-tah-kah-loo-loo: Tell me a joke.
• wee-tah-kah-wee-loo: Tell me a story.
• wee-tee-kah-wah-tee: Sing me a song.
• u-nye-loo-lay-doo?: Do you want to play?
• u-nye-ay-tay-doo?: Are you hungry?
• u-nye-boh-doo?: How are you?
• u-nye-way-loh-nee-way: Go to sleep now.
• u-nye-noh-lah: Show me a dance.

Furbies might also say these Furbish words:

• doo?: What? (Furbies say this when you call them)
• doo-dah: Yes. (Furbies say this before doing a command)
• boo: No. (Furbies say this if they don't want to do a command)
• yoo?: Why will you not play with me today? (This usually means the Furby is sad)

Furby Movie Idea

In November 2016, there was talk about making a Furby movie. It was planned to have both real actors and animated characters. The idea was to make a movie that everyone would enjoy, not just a long commercial for the toy. It is not clear if this movie will still be made.

See also

In Spanish: Furby para niños

• Virtual pet
• Companion robot
• Hatchimals
• Tamagotchi
• Simlish