The furb-nomenon has returned!
In celebration of the Furby brand’s 25th anniversary, Hasbro has announced that the next generation of the Furby interactive toy will be hitting stores just in July! A cultural phenomenon that first arrived in 1998, Furby encourages friendship and reminds kids that being their hilarious, wacky, imperfect selves helps make this world a wonderful place to be.
“Following its craze-inducing launch in 1998, Furby has taken the world by storm, impacting every corner of the culture zeitgeist, from music to television and film,” said Kristin McKay, vp & general manager, Hasbro fashion & preschool, in a press release announcing the return of Furby. “For the brand’s 25th anniversary, we wanted to ignite the same excitement for this new generation by harnessing Furby’s power of nostalgia while giving Gen Alpha everything they crave.”
A highly interactive toy, Furby features five voice-activated modes and over 600 different responses to discover, including lights, sounds, and 10 unique songs. Whether you’re looking to speak a secret language that only you and your new friend can understand, bust out into a dance, or just take a moment to chill out and recharge, Furby does all of that and much more. Kids can tell Furby what they’d like to do using five commands: “Dance Party”, “Copy Cat”, “Tell My Fortune”, “Let’s Chill”, and “Lightshow” for an un-fur-gettable time certain to match any mood or vibe.
The crazy critter also responds to hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding of its pretend Pizza Charm. Feed them, comb their furhawk or dress them up using the included clip-on beads and fashion accessories. The more playtime with Furby, the more fun you’ll unlock!
“Over the past few years, we’ve done a lot of research to understand what kids would want to see in a new Furby,” continues McKay. “Through this research, kids told us that it was important for Furby to be their ultimate best friend – a furry companion to do all the things a BFF would do, like dance to music, share fortunes, meditate, mimic each other in silly voices, and even put on a light show, and that’s exactly what we created.”
ABOUT FURBY
Furby quickly became one of the most popular toys of the decade with over 40 million units sold globally in its first three years alone. Featuring realistic ear wiggles, expressive eyes and even its own language called Furbish, this was more than just a toy. Furby sparked a collector craze that launched prices through the roof and was even banned from the NSA premises in Maryland after the agency was worried that the toy might unintentionally record and repeat classified information. Revived in 2005, and again in 2012, Furby has remained a unique symbol of self-expression for people across the globe. An immense fandom has taken the toy and transformed it into an imaginative brand and lifestyle.
The new Furby is available on Amazon in two colours, Coral and Purple, priced at $69.99 USD.
