Furby: Difference between revisions
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A '''Furby''' is an electronic toy made by [[Tiger Electronics]] which went through a brief period of being a "must-have" toy following its launch in the [[Christmas/winter holiday season|holiday season]] of [[1998]]. Though it retailed for about [[United States dollar|US$]]35,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/05/furby/index.html |date=[[1998-10-05]] |publisher=[[CNN]] |title=New toy an interactive fur ball |accessdate=2007-07-13}}</ref> the 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.{{cn|date=July 2007}} There were 27 million Furby toys sold for a 12-month period.{{fact|date=July 2007}} |
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A '''Furby''' is an electronic toy made by [[Tiger Electronics]. It's realy annoying . |
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It glitches alot and repeats it's self. |
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In August 2005, Furbys were re-released, with voice-recognition and more complex facial movements. |
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The name Furby apparently came from the prototype which its creator David Hampton nicknamed 'Fur-ball'. In appearance, the Furby resembles a furry [[owl]] with large ears instead of wings. |
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==Original Furby== |
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[[Image:Furby.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Classic Furby]] |
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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. |
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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 language|English]] the more they "grow". |
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There was a common misconception that they repeated words that were said around them. |
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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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9901/13/nsa.furby.ban.01 |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=[[1999-01-13]] |title=Furby a threat to national security? |accessdate=2006-12-18}}</ref> |
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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. |
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They are still popular with many [[hacker]]s 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. |
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==Other Furbys== |
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=== Furby Babies=== |
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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. |
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=== Furby Friends=== |
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Novel Furbys were also released, including a 'Gizmo' Furby 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) a '[[Yoda]]' Furby based on the Star Wars character, and an [[E.T.]] Furby from the movie of the same name. A 'friend of furby' called '''Shelby''', who is similar to Furby, but looks like a clam and has a different personality, was released in 2001 and can communicate with the original Furbys and Furby Babies. |
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=== Emoto-Tronic Furby=== |
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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. |
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=== Emoto-Tronic Funky Furby=== |
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The Funky Furby was released in August 2006 in the UK. 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. |
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== Furbish-English Phrases== |
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Although they are able to respond to other phrases and words, the Emoto-tronic Furby will answer the following without problem: |
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* '''wee-tah-kah-loo-loo''': Tell me a joke |
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* '''wee-tah-kah-wee-loo''': Tell me a story |
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* '''wee-tee-kah-wah-tee''': Sing me a song |
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* '''u-nye-loo-lay-doo?''': Do you want to play? |
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* '''u-nye-ay-tay-doo?''': Are you hungry? |
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* '''u-nye-boh-doo?''': How are you? |
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* '''u-nye-way-loh-nee-way''': Go to sleep now |
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* '''u-nye-noh-lah''': Show me a dance |
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Furbys may say these Furbish words: |
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* '''doo?''': What? (Furbys say this when they're called) |
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* '''doo-dah''': Yes (Furbys say this in response to a command before doing it) |
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* '''boo''': No (Furbys say this when they don't want to carry out a command) |
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* '''yoo?''': why? |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.furby.com/ Official site] (which will redirect to a page hosted by [[Hasbro]]) |
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*[http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/rlevy.html About Richard Levy] The man behind Furby |
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*[http://xenia.media.mit.edu/~kelly/Furby/anatomy.htm Anatomy of a Furby] dissection drawing (in an old medical style) by artist [[Kelly Heaton]]. |
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*[http://web.archive.org/web/20000309192757/impactmedia.com/stories/furbies.html Furby and The Toys of Christmas Past] - 1998 article from the Internet Archive |
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*[http://www.adoptafurby.com/ Adopt a Furby - Every Furby Deserves a Home] - Furby Adoption Centre that takes in, fixes and resells Furbys |
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*[http://www.phobe.com/furby/ Furby Autopsy] - The disassembly of a Furby that stopped working. |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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[[Category:Dolls]] |
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[[Category:Fictional species]] |
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[[Category:Hasbro products]] |
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[[Category:Virtual pets]] |
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[[Category:1990s fads]] |
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[[Category:Toys of the 1990s]] |
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[[cs:Furby]] |
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[[de:Furby]] |
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[[es:Furby]] |
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[[eo:Furby]] |
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[[fr:Furby]] |
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[[it:Furby]] |
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[[nl:Furby]] |
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[[ja:ファービー]] |
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[[pt:Furby]] |
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[[tr:Furby]] |
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Revision as of 23:26, 17 July 2007
A Furby is an electronic toy made by Tiger Electronics which went through a brief period of being a "must-have" toy following its launch in the holiday season of 1998. Though it retailed for about US$35,[1] the 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.[citation needed] There were 27 million Furby toys sold for a 12-month period.[citation needed]
In August 2005, Furbys were re-released, with voice-recognition and more complex facial movements.
The name Furby apparently came from the prototype which its creator David Hampton nicknamed 'Fur-ball'. In appearance, the Furby resembles a furry owl with large ears instead of wings.
Original 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 the more they "grow".
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.
They 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.
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 a 'Gizmo' Furby 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) a 'Yoda' Furby based on the Star Wars character, and an E.T. Furby from the movie of the same name. A 'friend of furby' called Shelby, who is similar to Furby, but looks like a clam and has a different personality, was released in 2001 and can communicate with the original Furbys and Furby Babies.
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 Funky Furby
The Funky Furby was released in August 2006 in the UK. 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.
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?
External links
- Official site (which will redirect to a page hosted by Hasbro)
- About Richard Levy The man behind Furby
- Anatomy of a Furby dissection drawing (in an old medical style) by artist Kelly Heaton.
- Furby and The Toys of Christmas Past - 1998 article from the Internet Archive
- Adopt a Furby - Every Furby Deserves a Home - Furby Adoption Centre that takes in, fixes and resells Furbys
- Furby Autopsy - The disassembly of a Furby that stopped working.
References
- ^ "New toy an interactive fur ball". CNN. 1998-10-05. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Furby a threat to national security?". CNN. 1999-01-13. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)