Available for pre-order from 29th June, Hasbro’s all-new Furby features over 600 responses including phrases, songs, lights and more.
Hasbro has announced that the next era of its cute, cool and weird interactive toy, Furby, will hit shelves just in time for summer.
The launch invites a new generation of kids to discover their own curious little creature and kindred spirit. With a history of disrupting pop culture and the toy aisle, Furby reminds kids that they can be their hilarious, wacky, perfectly imperfect selves, because that is what makes them – and the world – a little more special. Furby is available from 29th June in Smyths in two new colours, Purple and Coral, and will be at all major retailers in August.
“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 & Pre-school. “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 – Dance Party, Copy Cat, Tell My Fortune, Let’s Chill and Lightshow – and over 600 responses to discover, including lights, sounds and 10 unique songs. Kids can speak a secret language that only they and their new bestie can understand, break out into random dances and take a moment to pause everything, chill out and recharge.
“Over the past few years, we’ve done a lot of research to understand what kids would want to see in a new Furby,” said Kristin. “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 new Furby comes in plastic-free packaging.
Furby also responds to hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding with its pretend Pizza Charm. Kids can care for Furby by feeding them, combing their furhawk and dressing them up with the included clip-on beads and fashion accessories. Combing and styling the Furby’s iconic fur creates even more best friend moments: the more playtime kids enjoy with Furby, the more fun they can unlock.
During a time of major digital disruption in the late 90s, Furby instantly became one of the toy world’s biggest and most iconic launches, with over 40m units sold globally in the first three years. With realistic ear wiggles, iconic expressive eyes and even its own language (Furbish), Furby was more than just a toy – it was a personality meant to make kids believe it was alive. Furby sparked a collector craze which drove auction prices above retail prices and was even banned from the National Security Agency (NSA) premises in Maryland.
Early reads from consumers and retailers on this newest iteration of the iconic toy are very positive, demonstrating that fans are just as excited as the Hasbro team is. Readers can follow Furby on Instagram.
