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July 09, 2012

Furby Updated for the 21st Century-Yes, that Furby

By Colleen Lynch, TMCnet Contributor

You remember Furby, right? Well Hasbro is hoping you do. The strange animal-esque toy with electronic abilities to blink, open its mouth and make various noises was a hit in the 90s, though it only sold from 1998 to when it was decommissioned by the government in 2000. The Pentagon felt the Furby was a threat to national security—I am not making this up—but Hasbro still believes in the odd creature enough to revamp its design and entertain (or more likely creep-out) a new generation of children.



This is not the first attempt by Hasbro to reintroduce the seeming one-hit-wonder toy. In 2005, Hasbro came out with “Emtro-Tronic (News - Alert) Furbies,” bigger versions of the original with increased facial emotions and voice recognition. The update failed to produce the expected results, and now seven years later it seems Hasbro is ready to try their luck again, unable to give up on the furry little guy.

 The first noticeable change is the Furby’s eyes. What used to be your standard plastic spheres, similar to the likes of Mr. Potato-Head’s, have been replaced with LCD screen eyes that can make a host of emotions clear such as remorse or glee. Furby’s magical eyes can show rainbows dancing across its eye-screens as well as other graphics to indicate emotions even more than the standard facial expressions can accomplish.

The real update is that today’s Furby is fully tapped into social media, much like the kids who will be playing with the toy, having grown up in the Internet age.  The new Furby has capacitive sensors in its head, stomach and back to enable reactions to tickling, a-la-Tickle-Me-Elmo, but the real difference comes with the addition of smartphone and tablet interactivity.

Since Furbies speak “Furbish,” there is a free iOS app available to translate Furbish to English. The app offers a digital way to feed the Furby, too, as well as a Furbish dictionary to enable users to speak to Furbies in a language the toy will understand. The more a user speaks with or around the Furby, however, the more English words the contraption will pick up, some of which it will continue to use every so often.

However, the update that parents might have wanted most is not in the cards: Furby still has no off-switch. If it is left alone long enough it will snore and fall asleep, however.

The new tech-enhanced Furby will hit this fall, “available in six vibrant colors with four more fun colors available by the end of the year,” according to a release by Hasbro. One Furby will cost $60, but the company encourages buying two so they can interact. For those unable to wait to enjoy this generation’s Furby, the toy is available on Hasbro’s website, HasbroToyShop.com.



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Edited by Brooke Neuman
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