PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Furbies are making a comeback.
Hasbro announced Thursday that the fluffy and chatty animatronic children’s toy will return to store shelves next month.
The toymaker described the new Furbies as being “… the next era of cool, cute and weird.”
“Following its craze-inducing launch in 1998, Furby has taken the world by storm, impacting every corner of the cultural zeitgeist, from music to television and film,” Hasbro’s Kristin McKay said. “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.”
The interactive toy features five voice-activated modes and more than 600 responses, including lights, sounds and 10 unique songs.
Furby responds to hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding of its pretend “Pizza Charm.” It also babbles nonsensically in “Furbish,” which is the toy’s made-up language.
“Over the past few years, we’ve done a lot of research to understand what kids would want to see in a new Furby,” McKay said. “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.”
The Furby, according to Hasbro, instantly became one of the toymaker’s most iconic launches in the ’90s. Hasbro said it sold more than 40 million Furbies worldwide in the toy’s first three years.
It’s been nearly 10 years since Hasbro unveiled another iteration of Furby, Furby Connect. Described as “an interactive companion full of personality that uses Bluetooth technology to connect kids,” Furby Connect also relied on an app for content upgrades. It came with a sleep mask as well, allowing users to cover the Furby’s eyes – often speculated to be used for “spying.”
The new Furby is available now in two new colors, purple and coral, on Amazon and will officially return to stores on July 15.
Addy Bink contributed to this report.
