If you don't remember the Furby it's likely because you've blocked all memory of those annoying little critters from your mind. Launched in 1998, the little toy took the world by storm and was in high demand when it arrived on the toy scene in time for the holiday season. Discontinued in 2000, Furbies made a come back later in the naughties and are now set to invade stores once again. So, what can you expect from the new breed of Furby?
Hasbro describes Furby as emotional and unpredictable. If you treat your Furby nicely, he or she will develop a personality to match. If you're more rough with Furby, the toy could develop a personality that isn't so appealing. Furby now has LED eyes capable of expressing a range of emotions and, similar to older models, will start out speaking 'Furbish' and "learn" English over time. Of course, this being the age of smartphones, there's also an app for that now. The Furby iOS app will give you meals for your Furby as well as offer a Furbish to English dictionary and a translation tool that will unscramble that Furby gibberish and spit out English translations.
In preparation for the launch later this year, the folks at Engadget got a few units from Hasbro to try out. Perhaps the most interesting discovery (in our opinion, at least) was the fact that Furby has no 'Off' switch. Sure, leaving him alone for a while will put him to sleep, but Engadget says the toy will come back with 'a little bit of interaction.' We'd be curious to know how much interaction it takes. We've not yet forgotten the memories of Furby 'waking up' in the closest because a loud noise or vibration managed to disturb him.
Furby will be available in six different colors when it launches in the fall, and that number will expand to ten by year's end. The price tag for this little guy will be $60. For more on the new Furby, including video, hit up Engadget's hands on.
