Furby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Furby is an electronic toy made by Tiger Electronics which went through a brief period of being a "must-have" toy following its launch in the holiday season of 1998. Quickly selling out at stores, many people would wait in line for hours to be the first in the door on a day when a store expected to display a new shipment.Though it retailed for about thirty dollars, the demand for these toys during the 1998 holiday season drove the resale price over one hundred dollars and sometimes as high as several hundred dollars. There were 27 million Furby toys sold for a 12-month period.
In August 2005, Furbys were re-released, with voice-recognition and more complex facial movements.
The plural of Furby is Furbies, and the name Furby apparently came from the prototype which its discoverer David Hampton nicknamed 'Fur-ball'. In appearance, the Furby is a cross between a hamster, a cat, and a bat or owl.
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[edit] Original Furby
The original Furbys were 6 inches tall. The main reason that many people liked them was their apparent "intelligence" and learning ability as they developed their language skills. It was thought, falsely, that they repeated words said around them (the actual function was the ability to have the furby say certain pre-programmed words or phrases more often by petting it whenever it said these words); this led to several intelligence agencies banning them from their offices.[1] They can also communicate with one another via an infrared port. Furbys start out speaking entirely in Furbish, a language with short words, simple syllables, and various other sounds (somewhat like Newspeak), but are programmed to speak less and less Furbish and more and more English the more they "grow". A phrase that Furbys say, "Whoa! Me big sleep!", would translate into English as "Whoa! I slept for a long time!"
Simple electronically powered motors close the Furby's eyes and lift it off the ground in a faux display of mobility. However, Furbys could positively not walk, as some were led to believe.
They are still popular with many hackers as they can be dissected and made to do interesting things. In particular, their advanced audio capabilities and various sensory interfaces make them popular with the circuit bending community.
[edit] Furby Babies
In 1999 the Furby Babies line was introduced. Furby Babies are smaller than the original, have higher voices, and can't dance, but switch to speaking English more quickly.
[edit] Furby Friends
Novel Furbys were also released such as the 'Gizmo' Furby from the movie Gremlins (ironic, because Warner Bros. was, at one time, enamored with a lawsuit against Hasbro for the similarities between Furby and Gizmo), 'Yoda' Furby based on the Star Wars character, and an E.T. Furby from the movie of the same name. A 'friend of furby' called Shelby (which is similar to Furby, but looks like a clam and has a different personality) was released in 2001 and can communicate with the original Furbys and Furby Babies.
[edit] Emoto-Tronic Furby
The new species of Furby was released in August 2005. They're larger than the previous version, and also have been given a more emotional face and a voice recognition system, which make them able to communicate with humans nicely. Unlike the Furbys originally released, just one order is necessary to make them 'sleep', and they have an off switch. They can communicate with other Emoto-tronic Furbys and new Furby Babies, but they cannot communicate with the original Furbys.
[edit] Emoto-Tronic Funky Furby
The Funky Furby was released in August 2006. They're limited to three colour combinations so far, and can sing three new songs and dance. They can be taught dance routines and remember them. They also have a tail, unlike the previous Emoto-Tronic Furbys.
[edit] Furbish-English Phrases
Although he can 'understand' other phrases and words, the Emoto-tronic Furby will answer the following without problem:
- 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
- kah-may-may-u-nye!: I love you!
- doo?: What? (Furbys say this when they're called)
[edit] Furby fad
Almost immediately after original Furby was released, the toy became a fad, at some points becoming more popular than the other fad at the time, Pokémon. Furby became so popular that schools banned Furbies (along with Pokémon).[citation needed] The fad began to die around the time that Shelby, a "friend of Furby", was released in the early 2000s, and has since decreased.[citation needed] Hasbro had said that Furby was discontinued in 2001 (before the Emotronic Furby was released).[citation needed]
[edit] Parodies
- In The Simpsons holiday special "Grift of the Magi", the Furby is renamed "funzo".[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site (which will redirect to a page hosted by Hasbro)
- NSA bans Furbys from premises
- Anatomy of a Furby dissection drawing (in an old medical style) by artist Kelly Heaton.
- Adult Lovers of Furby Group
- Furby Lovers Board
- Furby and The Toys of Christmas Past - 1998 article from the Internet Archive
- Adopt a Furby - Every Furby Deserves a Home - Furby Adoption Centre that takes in, fixes and rehomes poorly Furbys
[edit] References
- ^ The Simpsons: Grift Of The Magi Episode Trivia. TV.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
