Furby: The Nostalgic Toy That Stole Our Hearts in the 90s

Furby was first introduced to the toy industry in 1998, created by Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung. The creators of this quirky creature wanted to design a toy that could interact with its surroundings in a way never seen before, Furby became the manifestation of that vision!  

Upon its grand entrance, Furby quickly became the robotic pet households adored. In its first year, Furby sold over 40 million units, and was identified as a combination of elements from both the Tamagotchi and the talking toys from the 80s. This toy was the toy of the season and became one of the best-selling toys in history.  

What Makes Furby so Special?  

So, what does Furby do?  

Furby is a uniquely designed electronic pet that can talk, blink, move its ears, and responds to your touch. (Depending on the collection, this may change slightly) Our Furbys have 5 voice activated modes with over 600 phrases, jokes, songs, and plenty more audio to discover. You can activate you Furby with one of these commands: Dance Party, Copy Cat, Tell My Fortune, Let’s Chill and Lightshow.  

Your Furby will also respond to touch as such as hugs, pats on the head, shaking, and feeding them their pretend pizza charm (or your finger!), You can take care of your Furby by combining its hair and feeding them. Play dress up with the clip-on beads and make small accessories children can wear too! As Furby would say, “Dah-no-lah” (Party Time).  

The Furby Collection  

Throughout the generations, Furby has continued to evolve with each collection, each time bringing something new to play time:  

The Original 1998 Furby

The very first generation of Furby only introduced 48 unique variations, from fur patterns to colours. These are now considered as collectible Furbys, with the rarest Furby being Bejewelled Furby which can be sold for $100,000 as only five were produced at the time!  

Furby Babies

Launched in 1999, these were like the original Furby’s but much smaller with high-pitched voices and were able to interact with their full-sized Furby family. Fans loved this new addition as it added a whole new experience to the Furby world.  

Emoto-Tronic Furby

After a small break in production, Furby returned in 2005 with updated technology! Furbys now had expressive eyes and could portray a range of emotions. At this point, Furbys could sing, tell stories, and react to music.  

Furby Boom

This series introduced in 2013 brought Furby into a new digital age, allowing customers to connect with a mobile app that had a range of possibilities. Furby Boom could hatch virtual eggs in the app called Furblings. This added a new level to Furby, both on and off the screen.  

Furby Connect

Launched in 2016 and featured Bluetooth connectivity. Customers could stay up to date with content and could interact with an engaging app that featured games, videos, music and more.  

Meet the Furblets  

As of 2023, we welcome Furblets! The perfect new addition to the Furby Family. These smaller Furbys bring to you 45 fun tunes, sounds, and Furbish phrases to discover. They may be small, but each one hosts a big personality. Clip them on a backpack or travel bag to bring your Furblet to the party no matter where you go. Children can collect all the Furblets, suitable for aged 6 and above, and enjoy interacting with their new Furby additions. Furblets can also interact with the bigger Furbys, just activate Furdar mode and see what your Furby has to say about their dee noo-lahs (little friends).  

Furblets measure around 5cm tall and children can: press their beak for feeding noises, tap their heart for gem music, tap their heads for Furbish phrases and fold one or both ears down (press their heads for them to pop back to place).  

Collecting Furbys  

Some Furby collections became extremely rare to find and collect and having one could fetch you some incredible profits. Rarity and value of a Furby depends on factors such as colour, pattern, and condition. Here are the rarest Furby’s to collect and how much they are worth:  

1. Bejewelled Furby (1999): Only five were produced and are valued at £100,000.  
2. Emoto-Tronic Furby & Furby Babies (2005): Around 500 were produced and can be valued between $40 to $550.  
3. Chicago Cubs Talking Buddy Furby (2000): Around 500 were produced and can be valued from $142 to $250.  
4. Kid Cuisine Furby (1999): Around 500 were produced and valued between $100 to $1,800.  
5. Hi-C Furby (1999): 5000 were produced and can be valued from $37 to $560.  

Furby remains as a symbol of innovation in the toy industry and is known as one of the toys that has shaped the electronic pet world. Furby is suitable for children aged 6 and up, enhancing social and communications skills as children talk to and care for their Furby friends.  

Furby is a beloved collector’s item, and cultural icon whether for big kids that are reminiscing on all those nostalgic moments or the new generation enjoying all of Furbys updates. Check out all the best collectible toys and latest crazes that make the perfect gift or addition to your display unit.  

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