Furby
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A Furby (August 12, 1988 - July 31, 2003) 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 name Furby apparently came from the prototype which its creator David Hampton nicknamed 'Fur-ball'. In appearance, the Furby is a cross between a hamster, a cat, a giraffe, a bat, and an 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. On Youtube, videos show they can be easily destroyed in microwaves.
They can communicate with one another via an infrared port. Furbys start out speaking entirely Furbish, a language with short words, simple syllables, and various other sounds, but are programmed to speak less and less Furbish and more and more English the more they "grow".
There was a common misconception that they repeated words that were said around them. It is possible to have the Furby say certain pre-programmed words or phrases more often by petting it whenever it said these words. This feature led to a common misconception that Furbys were able to repeat words that they heard. As a result of this myth, several intelligence agencies banned them from their offices.[1]
Simple electric motors and a system of gears close the Furby's eyes and mouth, raise its ears and lift it off the ground in a faux display of mobility. However, Furbys could 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] Other Furbys
[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, including a 'Gizmo' Furby from the movie Gremlins, (which is ironic, because Warner Bros. was, at one time, enamored with a lawsuit against Hasbro for the similarities between Furby and Gizmo) a '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, who 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 have been upgraded with a more emotional face and a voice recognition system, enabling them to communicate with humans. 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 in the UK. 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.
[edit] Furbish-English Phrases
Although they are able to respond to 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
Furbys may say these Furbish words:
- doo?: What? (Furbys say this when they're called)
- doo-dah: Yes (Furbys say this in response to a command before doing it)
- boo: No (Furbys say this when they don't want to carry out a command)
- yoo?: why?
[edit] Trivia
- In The Simpsons holiday special "Grift of the Magi", the Furby is parodied as "funzo".[2] In the episode Barting Over, a group of them in the Simpsons' garage turn feral and menacingly surround Maggie.
- Hasbro had said that Furby was discontinued in 2001 (before the Emoto-tronic Furby was released).[citation needed]
- A Furby T-shirt can be seen in the 2000 movie Whatever it takes.
[edit] External links
- Official site (which will redirect to a page hosted by Hasbro)
- Anatomy of a Furby dissection drawing (in an old medical style) by artist Kelly Heaton.
- 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 resells Furbys
[edit] References
- ^ "Furby a threat to national security?", CNN, 1999-01-13. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ^ The Simpsons: Grift Of The Magi Episode Trivia. TV.com. Retrieved on December 8, 2006.
