Hasbro Is Reviving the Furby

Original launched 25 years ago
By Steve Huff,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2023 12:20 PM CDT

First launched in 1998, Hasbro's Furby was something new: A big-eyed, fuzzy electronic companion for kids that cooed and burbled and even learned words. Furbys could also communicate among themselves, appearing to have nonsensical conversations when situated in sight of each other. A massive hit at first, with 40 million sold in the first three years, they eventually faded from popularity, per the BBC. But while production stopped in 2016, Hasbro has decided 2023—the 25th anniversary—will be the year of the Furby comeback. In a press release, the company said sales will start next month.

Hasbro says the new Furby will be have five "voice activated modes" and is programmed with more than 600 responses to external stimulus. Not just the Furby's typical strange, made-up sounding language, but lights and sounds—and 10 original songs. As cute as the Furby may seem, Yahoo Entertainment notes that it endured long enough to accrue its own cloud of urban legends. In 1999, for instance, the National Security Agency banned Furby from sensitive locations, concerned it could be used for spying.

The Boston Globe notes that Furby's reintroduction is part of a wave of 1990s-inspired nostalgia, pointing to the upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Mattel's resurrection of Barney, the purple dinosaur. Parents eager to introduce a new generation of unsuspecting kids to the Furby's gibberish-muttering wonders take note: It will first be sold on Amazon for $70, and sales begin on July 15. Consider yourself warned. (More toys stories.)

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