 One of the many 'second generation' variations of Classic (1998) Furby A Furby (plural Furbys, according to Tiger. Co.) is an electronic toy, more specifically, a robot, made by Tiger Electronics which went through a period of being a "must-have" toy following its launch in the holiday season of 1998, with continual sales until 2000. Furby sold 1.8 million units in 1998 and 14 million units in 1999, and altogether in its three years of original production, Furby sold over 40 million units, and its speaking capabilities were translated into 24 languages. Furbys were the first successful attempt to produce and sell a domestically-aimed robot. A newly purchased Furby starts out speaking entirely Furbish, the unique language that all Furbys use, but are programmed to speak less Furbish as they learn more English. The more English they learn, the more they "grow", thus placing them under the autonomous robot category. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
Download high resolution version (878x658, 61 KB)A furby, photographed by DONeil. ...
Download high resolution version (878x658, 61 KB)A furby, photographed by DONeil. ...
For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ...
Tiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for their handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. ...
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Christmas season[1][2] or winter holiday season is the designation of a varying number of holidays during late autumn and/or early winter. ...
Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...
Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...
This article is about the year. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
Autonomous robots are robots which can perform desired tasks in unstructured environments without continuous human guidance. ...
In 2005, new Furbys were released, with voice-recognition and more complex facial movements, among many other changes and improvements. One of the many second generation variations of Classic (1998) Furby A Furby (plural Furbys, according by Tiger. ...
Birth of the Furby
The name Furby apparently comes from the prototype which one of its creators David Hampton nicknamed 'Fur-ball'. In appearance, the Furby resembles a furry owl with large ears instead of wings. Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung created the Furby in merely nine months (in addition to an additional nine months spent designing the toy). That was the amount of time between Tiger Electronics showing an interest in his interactive creatures, during which Roger Schiffman bought the rights to it, and the time they hit store shelves. Furby's first public appearance was at the International Toy Fair in 1998. For other uses, see Owl (disambiguation). ...
Tiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for their handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. ...
Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...
However, it is unclear whose yearning for a Furby was greater: that of the child, or of their parents. Furbys originally retailed for about US$35,[1], and upon release Furbys flew off the shelves in toyshops. Catapulting demand for these toys during the 1998 holiday season drove the resale price over one hundred dollars and sometimes as high as several hundred dollars. Furbys sold for over 300 dollars in newspapers and in auctions from people that just wanted to make big money off of parents who wanted their kids to be happy. Nicknames were given to them and sellers assigned rarity values to them. Some people continue to call their Furbys by the terms 'wedding Furby', 'tuxedo Furby', 'snowball Furby', 'biker Furby', among others. All, of course, were dubbed rare by sellers, because they were so hard to find at the time. And in a sure display of the demand for even one Furby, there were some sellers at the time that scammed people out of a lot of money, some didn't even give them a Furby. Parents battled and there were arguments and fights as supplies dwindled, and when retail supplies ran out, parents turned to the Internet, where Furbys could be purchased for twice, three times or even more of their market price. This action led to many parents ending up on eBay; due to this and the density of parents searching for at least one Furby, some cite the Furby as the major spark that started ebay's success. There were 27 million Furby toys sold for a 12-month period.[citation needed] USD redirects here. ...
This article is about the online auction center. ...
Furby types
Classic Furby The original Furbys were 6 inches tall. The main reason that many people liked them was their apparent "intelligence" and learning ability as they developed their language skills.
They can communicate with one another via an infrared port. Furbys start out speaking entirely Furbish, a language with short words, simple syllables, and various other sounds, but are programmed to speak less and less Furbish and more and more English as they "grow". For other uses, see Infrared (disambiguation). ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
There was a common misconception that they repeated words that were said around them. This belief most likely stemmed from the fact that it is possible to have the Furby say certain pre-programmed words or phrases more often by petting it whenever it said these words. As a result of this myth, several intelligence agencies banned them from their offices.[2]
Simple electric motors and a system of gears close the Furby's eyes and mouth, raise its ears and lift it off the ground in a faux display of mobility. However, Furbys could not walk, as some were led to believe.
The originals are still popular with many hackers as they can be dissected and made to do interesting things. In particular, their advanced audio capabilities and various sensory interfaces make them popular with the circuit bending community. This article is about computer hacking. ...
Probing for bends using a jewelers screwdriver and alligator clips Circuit bending is the creative short-circuiting of low voltage, battery-powered electronic audio devices such as guitar effects, childrens toys and small synthesizers to create new musical instruments and sound generators. ...
Other Furbys
Furby Babies In 1999 the Furby Babies line was introduced. Furby Babies are smaller than the original, have higher voices, and can't dance, but switch to speaking English more quickly.
Furby Friends Novel Furbys were also released, including an interactive Furby-like Gizmo, from the movie Gremlins, (which is ironic, because Warner Bros. was, at one time, enamored with a lawsuit against Hasbro for the similarities between Furby and Gizmo[citation needed]) a Furby-like Interactive Yoda based on the Star Wars character, and a Furby-like Interactive E.T. from the movie of the same name. Another 'friend of furby' called Shelby, who is similar to Furby, but looks like a clam, has vast improvements in memory, and has a different personality, was released in 2001 and can communicate with the original Furbys and Furby Babies. They also have sensors that can sense loud sounds, they can sense being upside down, and they laugh when you "tickle" them. They also purr when you "pet" them. You can feed them by sticking your finger in their mouth. For other uses, see Gremlin (disambiguation). ...
“WB†redirects here. ...
Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ...
Yoda is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in all of the franchises films except for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ...
ET (or et) is Latin for and; it can also refer to: Estonian language (ISO 639 alpha-2, et) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the 1982 film, or the related video game extraterrestrials in general Eastern Time, both in standard time and daylight time Entertainment Tonight engineering technology elapsed time...
Emoto-Tronic Furby The new species of Furby was released in August 2005. They're larger than the previous version, and have been upgraded with a more emotional face and a voice recognition system, enabling them to communicate with humans. Unlike the Furbys originally released, just one order is necessary to make them 'sleep', and they have an off switch. They can communicate with other Emoto-tronic Furbys and new Furby Babies, but they cannot communicate with the original Furbys.
Emoto-Tronic Furby Babies In 2005 a new version of Furby baby was released, with most notable features being the new look and a more "Baby-ish" appearance in contrast to the Emoto-Tronic Furby adult.
Emoto-Tronic Funky Furby The Funky Furby was released in August 2006 in the U.K.. They're limited to three colour combinations so far, and can sing three new songs and dance. They can be taught dance routines and remember them. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the European Union. ...
”“== Furbish-English Phrases == Although they are able to respond to other phrases and words, the Emoto-tronic Furby will answer the following without problem:
- wee-tah-kah-loo-loo: Tell me a joke
- wee-tah-kah-wee-loo: Tell me a story
- wee-tee-kah-wah-tee: Sing me a song
- u-nye-loo-lay-doo?: Do you want to play?
- u-nye-ay-tay-doo?: Are you hungry?
- u-nye-boh-doo?: How are you?
- u-nye-way-loh-nee-way: Go to sleep now
- u-nye-noh-lah: Show me a dance
Furbys may say these Furbish words: - doo?: What? (Furbys say this when they're called)
- doo-dah: Yes (Furbys say this in response to a command before doing it)
- boo: No (Furbys say this when they don't want to carry out a command)
- yoo?: Why will you not play with me today? (This usually means he/she is upset or peeved)
Episode Guide
Season 1 (1998-1999) - 1. The Wise Little Hen (Last Fairy Tale from Kablam!, Furby first appears, 1998):
The hen goes to the cornfield. Furby likes to share. The Wise Little Hen asked, “Could you hand me some of corn?” Furby has to cry. And the pig was sick. The hen and the chicks ate the corn. KaBlam! is an American animated television series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2000. ...
- 2. Furby and Odie (Garfield, 1998):
Furby builds a pipe into basement. Odie wakes up. Odie ate the magnet horseshoe. Odie and Furby run away. - 3. Sometimes Something Loves Her (Furby's episode first appeared, Lepord Furby and Bedtime Furby first appear, 1998):
Furby shares her friend. Furby said, “I love to share. It's more fun to share.” Furby loves sharing. Donna Furby is the name. Furby loves her. - 4. Morden Initaition (Poo-Chi first appeared, 1999):
Furby goes to the initaition. Furby shares with care. Furby is a friend: Poo-Chi. Poo-Chi and Furby like to share. Something appears. - 5. Furby's Ostrich (1999):
Furby loves ostrich. Furby shares ostrich. The ostrich ate some food. Orstrich eats hamburger. Ostrich was saying, "Good-by!" - 6. Furby Babies (1999, Furby Babies season 1 first appeared):
Furby walks left and right. And, “boring...” And Furby's paper was mad 2 winked eyes. Dr. Furby helps Cow Furby. “Look now, cow. And I'd help Furby. Do it to share,” said Dr. Furby. “Yes.... Whee!?” cried Cow Furby. Fob Furby walks and hums,
 “Do-do-do-do-do...”
And Furby snores. Furby baby began to cry. Furby walks outside. Furby has a new 6 these. Furby shares Furby babies (season 1). Furby likes to share. 2 Furbies look at Furby babies. The babies chatter on chairs. “Sharing with my friends is good and fun, can we?” asked Dr. Furby. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Season 2 (2000-2001) - 7. Furby Goes to School (Spyler and Lamby first appear, 2000):
Furby woke up morning Monday. Furby likes her name: Lamby. Spyler goes to school. And Furby goes to go. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it more accessible to a general audience, this article may require cleanup. ...
Lamby was a model of scooter manufactured by Auto Products of India (API). ...
- 8. The Shining (CeCe Furby Baby first appeared, 2000):
Furby shares her best friend: Furby baby. Furby liked that. Furby has a new shining. - 9. Ali Baba Furby (Prince Furby first appeared, 2000):
Furby goes to the cave. Furby has a lamp like Genie. Furby shares Furby Babies. - 10. 20,000 Years Under the Sea (2000):
The two Furbies are riding the submarine. Have they seen juices? Furbies are safe. - 11. Living in the Jungle (2000):
Furby was in the jungle. The Furby is soft. The Furby needs some help. - 12. Furby is on Outer Space (2000):
Furby Baby goes into the moon. Take the allians to Furbyland. - 13. Furby's Numbers (2001):
This is from 1 to 20. Furby has a new count today. - 14. A Race in a High-Flying Place (2001):
Furby flies in the sky at Sky Race. Furby stopped.
Season 3 (2002-2003) - 15. Commercial Short: How to Fight That! (2002):
Furby has a sobé to fight that! - 16. Furby Attacks (2003):
Furby appears to attack. Furby has a new one. Furby knew that!
Season 4 (2004-2005) - 17. Furby's New Puppy (2004):
Furby has a new puppy: Odie. Furby decided to do that one: Furby's Dog Friend. - 18. Furby's Double Trouble (2004):
Furby is a double trouble. Furby is not! - 19. Furby: Dah-Doo-Ay's Earth (2004):
Furbies go thru the earth. Mandy and Ty are appearing. Furby is a new one. Evil comes out: the three big men. - 21. I'd Love My Furby! (2005):
Furby is a dangerous. Danger! Furby has to share. Who loved at once?
Season 5 (2006-2007) - 23. Commercial Short: FURBY!!! (2005):
Furby is a danger.
External links - Official site
- BBC H2G2: Furbys
References - ^ "New toy an interactive fur ball", CNN, 1998-10-05. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ "Furby a threat to national security?", CNN, 1999-01-13. Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
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