Furby Is Back...And All App-ed Up
Another generation of parents now gets to resist the temptation to throw a cute, furry electronic kid toy out the window. The relentless Furby from Hasbro is returning to store shelves after more
than a decade of absence.
The original robotic toy that had parents garroting one another in the store aisles in 1998 makes its return in the next 45 days with even more modern tech enhancements. Last we saw Furby he was trying to learn the language by talking to kids and making annoying bleeps and electronic burps that made C3PO seem melodic. This time out Furby gets LCD eyeballs that can show a full range of moods. Touch capacitors around its furry body will register tactile interactions.
But what contemporary toy would be complete without an app? Hasbro soon will issue an iOS app that will let both iPhone and iPad users feed the Furby. In a demo at the offices of Engadget, a company rep showed how an iPad app allows you to physically toss food at the Furby’s mouth. The app will also serve as a translator. It can listen to and translate “Furbish” into English.
Parent of the 1990s will recall that Furby has a lot of trouble shutting up. There is no off switch. It just gets tired of being annoying after a while and falls asleep, ready to come back to life from almost any accidental audio cue. We are wondering if the app will also come with a geolocation function that will help your child find the damnable creature when you hide it.
The toy will come in up to 10 colors and cost $60. Walmart just started its 40-day countdown until Furby availability, and is taking pre-orders. The original Furby sold over 40 million units in its three-year run.
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