Furby Review: Meet Your 

Futuristic Furry Friend

The New Guy In Town

The latest Furby has upgraded and added a number of features and functions since the original. They’re more fun to interact with now, and it makes the experience of playing with them that much more realistic. They look a bit different than the old Furbies, coming in 6 different solid colors, and with bright LCD eyes that are more expressive. The motions are also more advanced. They blink, swivel their ears, and wiggle their bodies while two plastic ‘rails’ on the base rock them to and fro.

The App

Of course, of course, we couldn’t have a new Furby come out and not have an app to go along with it could we? Before you get started playing with your actual critter, download the new Furby app. It is compatible with the iPad, iPod Touch, and the iPhone. iOS 4.2 or later is required. A couple of things to do with the app-

• Translate Furbish/translate what your Furby is saying
• Feed your Furby-just select a food item from the menu and drag it towards your Furby. ‘Fling’ it off at the top of the screen, and Furby will munch, drink, or reject what you gave it. You can go so far as to construct custom sandwiches or burgers for them.

What Can You Do With Your Furby?

There are a number of different things you can do, and each one will elicit a reaction.

• Talk to your Furby-They react to your voice.
• Tilt, shake, or turn your Furby upside down-Usually they will make some surprised sound and their eyes will swivel.
• Play music-Furby will start grooving.
• Pet, tickle, or pull-Sensors on the sides and head pick up your touch. You can also pull Furbys tail, which may result in a mildly vulgar sound (ie burps or farts.)
• Feed by sticking your finger in its mouth.
• Play on the app.
• Have Furbies interact with each other.

What Is It Like To Play With?

It’s fun, very fun, and sometimes frustrating. If they entertained me, an adult, as much as they did, I can only imagine the total delight of a kid. There are so many things to do that go far beyond simply petting or talking to your Furby, it’s hard to get bored. The integration of language development enriched everything. Note that the Furby cannot be turned off. To “make it more realistic” it will go to sleep on its own after being left alone for a bit, but there is no manual off. This means sometimes sticking Furby in a closet or muffling it until it dozes if you don’t want to hear it. It also shed a little bit during repeated petting, but this decreased over time.

Furbish/English

‘Furbish’ is a made up language of short words, brief syllables, and other various sounds. It has changed and grown over time. Some examples are-

Wee-tee-toh-toh: Singing time!

Boo: No!

Noo-loo: Happy

As a Furby ‘grows’ it will say more and more pre-programmed English words.

Personality-It’s There

Furbies now come equipped with a truly remarkable feature-the ability to develop their own personalities based off of how you treat them. The second you pull your Furby out of its box and pop in the batteries, everything you do counts towards what it will ultimately become. They also ‘grow up’ from one stage to another. When they do, their voices change, their eyes change, they learn more words, and they are overall more developed then an immature one.

Is it going to be totally unique and not pre-programmed at all? Of course not, but it’s still an awesome feature, and if I was a kid I wouldn’t think twice about it. To test out just how this whole personality thing worked or if it even worked, I spent quite a bit of time with two little Furbies I named Mimi and Lulu. Below is my experience.

Note: Taking the batteries out does not erase a Furbies memory. You have to press the small reset button by the batteries to start fresh. Yes, wherever Mimi goes next, she will be getting a second chance.

Final Thoughts

The Furby is by no means flawless. Its lack of response on occasion was my biggest issue. I do think the pros outweigh the cons. Their totally fun to play with, and most all of their features are awesome. I loved that they really did develop their own personalities and change over time. I would love to see some aspects refined, as the price is not outrageous but certainly not cheap either. All in all I thought Furby was a winner. Mimi and Lulu-I’ll never forget you!