Furby facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Furby
The 2012 Furby model; depicted is the Voodoo Purple version.
Other names	Furbee (used in Sweden to avoid confusion with the eponymous place).
Type	Electronic toy
Inventor(s)	David Hampton and Caleb Chung
Company	Tiger Electronics (1998) Hasbro (1998–2001, 2005–2007, 2012–2018)
Country	United States
Availability	1998–present
Slogan	The more you play with me, the more I do! I will keep amazing you! (1998–2001) Your emototronic Friend* (2005–2007) a mind of its own (2012), a new generation is hatching (Boom), Furby Connects You To A World Of Surprises (Connect) (2012–2018)'

A Furby is a fun electronic robot toy made by Tiger Electronics. It first came out in 1998 and looks a bit like a hamster or an owl. When it was first released for the holidays, it quickly became a "must-have" toy!

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

Furbies were one of the first successful attempts to create and sell a robot for homes. When you first get a Furby, it speaks only "Furbish," its own special language. But over time, it learns to speak English words and phrases. This is supposed to be like a baby learning to talk!

Newer versions of Furby have been released over the years. An updated Furby with voice recognition came out in 2005. In 2012, a Furby with black and white LCD eyes and a mobile app was launched. A Furby with colorful LCD eyes, called Furby Connect, arrived in 2016. The newest generation of Furby was released in 2023.

The Story of Furby: How it Began

Creating the Original Furby Toy

Two inventors, Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung, spent nine months creating the Furby. They also spent another nine months designing the toy. They teamed up with Richard C. Levy, another toy inventor, to help sell their idea.

Levy showed Furby to Tiger Electronics, and Roger Shiffman from Tiger Electronics bought the rights to it. Furby was first shown to the public at the American International Toy Fair in 1998.

Furby's Huge Popularity

Furbies originally cost about US$35. When they were released, they sold incredibly well! During the 1998 Christmas season, demand for Furbies was so high that people were reselling them for over $100, and sometimes even several hundred dollars.

Some Furbies were sold for over $300 in newspapers and at auctions. People even gave nicknames to the different types of Furbies and decided which ones were more rare. Because so many people wanted the toy, some buyers were tricked into paying for Furbies that never arrived. When stores ran out, people looked online, where Furbies could cost two or three times their original price. In just one year, 27 million Furby toys were sold!

New Furby Generations Over Time

In 2005, Furby made a comeback with the new Emoto-Tronic Furby.

On April 12, 2012, Hasbro announced they would release a new line of Furbies. These new Furbies came out in September 2012. By December 2012, there were sixteen different colors available. Furbies were even named one of the top toys for Christmas 2013 by the Toy Retailers Association!

Different Kinds of Furby Toys

A Furby-Shelby toy from McDonald's (2000)

First Generation Furbies (1998–2002)

The first Furbies were popular because they seemed "intelligent." They could even learn to speak!

Furbies could talk to each other using an infrared sensor between their eyes. They started by speaking "Furbish," a language with short words and simple sounds. But they were programmed to speak more and more English as they "grew." Depending on the version, a Furby could know up to 9 languages.

Many people thought Furbies repeated words they heard. This wasn't true, but you could make a Furby say certain pre-programmed words more often by petting it when it said those words. Because of this idea, some intelligence agencies even banned Furbies from their offices for a short time!

Inside, a simple electric motor and gears made the Furby's eyes and mouth move. It could also wiggle its ears and lift itself up, making it seem like it was moving.

Original Furbies are popular with hackers who like to take them apart and make them do new things. Their good sound features and sensors make them popular for "circuit bending," which means changing how electronics work.

A special Furby-Shelby toy was released in McDonald's Happy Meals in the United Kingdom in 2000. There were 8 different ones to collect. These small toys could sing to each other using a sensor in their feet.

Furby Babies

In 1999, the Furby Babies were introduced. They were smaller than the original Furbies and had higher voices. They couldn't dance, but they learned English much faster. They also had more words and hidden "Easter eggs" or games. Furby Babies came in 24 different colors.

Furby Friends

Other Furby-style toys were also released. These included an interactive "Gizmo" from the movie Gremlins, 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 better memory and a different personality. It came out in 2001 and could talk to the original Furbies and Furby Babies. Shelbies also had sensors that could hear loud sounds and know if they were upside down. They would laugh when "tickled" (on their antennae) and purr when "petted." You could "feed" them by putting a finger in their mouth. Shelbies could tell if they were talking to a Furby or another Shelby, and they also had their own language called "Shelbish."

Second Generation Furbies (2005–2007)

Emoto-Tronic Furbies were released in August 2005. These Furbies were bigger and had more emotional faces. They also had a voice recognition system, so they could understand and talk to people. Unlike the first Furbies, these had an on/off switch. They could talk to other Emoto-Tronic Furbies, but not 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 version of Furby Baby was released. These looked more like real babies. They had fewer features than the "adult" Emoto-Tronic Furby, with a smaller vocabulary and less interaction. A cool feature was their movable "legs" that would unfold when the Furby Baby was awake.

Emoto-Tronic Funky Furbies

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

Third Generation Furbies (2012–2015)

A new Furby was released in the fall of 2012. It had new black and white LCD eyes and could move in more ways. It could also change its personality based on how you played with it. This generation could speak 14 languages, including Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Polish. It had a reset button instead of an on/off switch and would turn off after one minute of not being played with. It also had its own iOS and Android app called Furby, which communicated with your Furby using high-pitched sounds.

Furby Party Rockers

Along with the 2012 Furbies, a series of toys called Furby Party Rockers was released. These had personalities already built in, which were different for each model. Their eyes were made of clear plastic with a cool pattern that changed depending on how you looked at 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 called Furby Boom was released. It came in new colors and had new personalities. It also had a new app called Furby BOOM! with many new features.

Furblings (Toy Version)

In June 2014, a toy version of the Furblings from the Furby BOOM! app was released. There was even a special golden limited edition one! 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, and bright neon fur. The iOS and Android apps were also updated for them.

Furby Boom Crystal Furblings

In early 2015, a toy version of the Furby Boom Crystal Furblings from the app was released. Just like the other Furblings, they could talk to Furby Boom Crystals and be used 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 because it could "hatch" Furblings using the same app.

Fourth Generation Furbies (2016–2017)

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

Fifth Generation Furbies (2023–Present)

On June 22, 2023, Hasbro announced the return of the Furby line. These new Furbies have "5 voice activated modes" and "over 600 responses." They come in Purple, Coral, and a special edition Tye-Dye (only in France, Great Britain, and Ireland). Unlike Furby Connect and Furby Boom, these Furbies don't connect to an app and have drawn eyes instead of LCD screens. The new Furby has glowing ears, responds to petting, shaking, and feeding, and comes with accessories like a necklace and a comb. It knows English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, or Polish.

Furblets

On December 1, 2023, Hasbro introduced Furblets. These are smaller Furbies with no moving parts, except for their ears, which you can move by hand.

How Furbies Work: The Technology Inside

The first Furby models used a special computer chip called a Sunplus SPC81A microcontroller. This chip had enough memory to store the Furby's programs and a small amount of information. For the Furby's voice, a chip from Texas Instruments was used to create the sounds.

Security Concerns: Could Furbies Record Secrets?

On January 13, 1999, the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States temporarily banned Furbies from their offices. They were worried that Furbies might be able to record and repeat secret information. Some people at the NSA thought Furbies had a special "artificial intelligence" chip that could "learn" from what people said. They worried that if employees talked about secret information around the toys, the Furbies might repeat it later.

However, Roger Shiffman, the owner of Tiger Electronics, said that "Furby has absolutely no ability to do any recording whatsoever." He explained that if anyone from the NSA had asked, he would have told them this. Dave Hampton, one of the Furby's creators, even showed that Furby's microphone couldn't record any sound. It could only hear a simple beep if a loud sound was made, and no words could be understood. The ban was eventually removed.

In 2017, it was confirmed that the Furby Connect could be connected through Bluetooth (usually up to 10 meters away). With a special application, anyone could upload and play custom audio files on it, as no password was needed.

Furbish to English: Learning Furby's Language

"Furbish" is the unique language Furbies speak. It uses 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 and phrases instead of Furbish.

Here are some Furbish phrases the 2005 Furbies would respond to:

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

Furby on the Big Screen: A Movie Idea

In November 2016, Bob Weinstein announced that a Furby movie was planned by The Weinstein Company (TWC). The movie was going to mix live action with animated characters. Hasbro executive Stephen Davis said they wanted the film to appeal to everyone, not just be a long commercial. However, TWC later went through some financial problems, and it's not clear if the movie project will continue.