Furby

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Furby, exhibited at the Museum Angewandte Kunst , Frankfurt am Main

Furby (derived from English for 'fur' ) is an electronic toy that was invented by Tiger Electronics and has been distributed worldwide by Hasbro since 1998 . In appearance, it resembles a mix of a mouse, a cat, and an owl or bat.

Functionality

The stuffed animal is provided with stomach, back, sound, light and movement sensors, as well as a sensor in the mouth. With these sensors, it can distinguish whether it is being tickled or petted, whether you are talking to it or moving it in the air. Furby can react with wobbling eyes and ears, moving his mouth, making noises, dancing, singing and speaking words. Around 800 words in the language of the country in which the Furby is sold and around 200 words in "Furbish", the invented language of the Furbys, are stored on its language chip. However, the non-furbic words are only released gradually in the four different stages of development. These are reached after playing and feeding for several hours. A Furby can get sick, but never dies. There is a "reset" function that lets him "forget" everything he has learned.

history

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The first generation of Furbys had an infrared interface that enabled them to communicate with other Furbys. The Furbys seemed to be talking to each other and singing songs to each other, but they could also “contract” an illness from another Furby. Hackers made use of the interface to trigger this function with the help of a programmable remote control.

In 1999 the Baby Furby range was introduced. These furbys were smaller, could speak better, but had no feet to dance with.

The successor generation from 2005 was considerably larger than the previous ones; the infrared interface was missing here. Their functions were now handled by speech recognition, and the Furbys could give the user random answers to simple questions. In addition, another generation of Furby babies was brought onto the market that, unlike its predecessors, reacts comparatively little to its environment.

In 2012 the "Furby 2012 Edition" was presented. This is a completely new generation of the toy, in the course of which z. B. digital eyes were introduced. In addition, the developers have adapted the software so that Furbys can change their personality and react to other Furbies. The Furby 2012 Edition can be fed and singed with an iOS or Android app. There is also the option of translating the “furbish” words. The toy was initially sold exclusively at Walmart in the United States . In Germany it was published on February 14, 2013. 10 variants were offered, 5 each Hot Color and 5 Cool Color . Special Editions are available in the variants Cotton Candy, Orang Utan, Lagoona, Starry Night, Rain Cloud and Punk Pink. The colors red-black, yellow-turquoise, pink-yellow and turquoise-pink have been available since 2013. In total, the Furby can learn over 800 words over the course of its development.

The new version "Furby Boom" has been on the market since 2014 and is available in 10 different designs. Among other things, this version can use the toilet and showering with the appropriate app . The "Furby Boom" knows various expressions in Furbish, e.g. B. “Kah ey ey uh nei!”, And in German, e.g. B. “What are you doing?” Sometimes German and Furbish are mixed. As with Furby 2012, “Furby Boom” changes its personality depending on how you treat it. For example, a Furby Boom that listens to a lot of music will develop differently than one that eats a lot.

Apps can be used to hatch virtual eggs or acquire real “furblings” that can communicate with the boom, but cannot function without a boom. Furblings are not posable. There are also “Furby Party Rockers” in different designs that can communicate with the boom. They also respond to language, touch, and music. Party rockers only speak furbishly and don't change their personality.

Trivia

Furbys were banned from being used in their buildings by a 1999 ruling due to security concerns from the National Security Agency ; the NSA feared illegal surveillance and recording of security information.

There is also a Furby film called Furby Island , which is also available in German on DVD.

The appearance of a Furby is very similar to the appearance of the character Gizmo from the movie Gremlins . This led to a lawsuit between the film production company Warner Bros. and Hasbro.

literature

  • Electronic Furby Instruction Manual. Tiger Electronics Ltd., Vernon Hills 1998.
  • Electronic Furby Furbish - English Dictionary. Tiger Electronics Ltd., Vernon Hills 1998.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Annika Demgen: The Furbys are back - this time with personality. In: netzwelt. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014 ; Retrieved August 6, 2012 .
  2. ↑ Dictionary
  3. ↑ Furby toy or Furby spy? (engl.)