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The first early sketches and prototypes for the Furby are developed by Mattel’s Caleb Chung, is produced by Tiger Electronics and later bought out by Hasbro. Tiger Electronics also developed Duke Nukem and the original Mortal Kombat Trilogy for Nintendo 64. Chung was a mime and a silversmith before becoming a toy designer, and credits his mother for his passion in creating empathetic toys.
Furby makes it’s first public debut at the American Toy Fair in 1998. The first generation Furby released for the holiday season. Going for about 35 dollars retail, it was quickly bought out by scalpers and resold for 100 dollars or more per unit. Some even resold for several hundred dollars, and many were scammed out of their money.
Furby Baby released, differentiated from the original only due to being smaller than the original, having higher voices, and being unable to dance, but they switch to speaking English more quickly. On January 13, 1999, it was reported the NSA banned Furbies from entering their property due to concerns that they may be used to record and repeat classified information. Roger Shiffman, owner of Tiger Electronics, stated that "(the) Furby has absolutely no ability to do any recording whatsoever," and that he would have gladly told them this if he was asked by anyone from the spy agency. Additionally, Dave Hampton demonstrated that Furby's microphone can't record any sound at all, and can only hear a single monotonous beep if a loud sound is produced around Furby. He too was never questioned by the NSA. The ban was eventually withdrawn.
Hasbro releases the Gizmo Furby, themed after Warner Bros’ 1984 film “Gremlins”. A line of toys marketed as “Furby’s Friends” were themed after Gizmo and ET. "I've been told that we're developing a Furby that can drive a car in the year 2000," Roger Shiffman, the president of Tiger Electronics, a subsidiary of Hasbro, told CBS. "We've also been told that the current Furby has the technology to launch the space shuttle. We have one woman who is absolutely insistent that her Furby sings Italian operas.”
Emoto-Tronic Furby run, featuring off switch and silicone parts, is soon followed by the Emoto-Tronic Furby Baby in ‘06. This version of the Furby baby included a fake milk bottle and legs that stood up when the toy was awakened. The 2005 movie “Furby Island” is a anti-colonization love ballad that features a young girl, Maddie, her brother, and their explorer parents, who travel the world looking for rare plants and animals. Maddie soon discovers Furby Island. They keep the Furbies from being captured by Doctor Conquest.
Pleo, another toy developed by Chung, hits store shelves in time for Christmas. Pleo’s production took four years of development and cost 10 million dollars. Pleos have 40 sensors-- seven processors and 14 motors. Pleo also featured a USB and an SD card, that would allow you to program your own custom personalities for the robot. Chung spoke on toy design, Pleo, and our undying fascination with dinosaurs at TED x EG 2007. “Innovation happens at the perfect blend of art and science,” said Caleb Chung, “Our belief is that humans need to feel empathy towards things in order to be more human. And we think we can help that out by having little creatures that you can love. Now, these are not robots, they are kinda lovebots, you know.”
A new Furby line released for the holiday season; featured LCD eyes and hard plastic ears. Many iterations, including Boom and Party Rockers, continue through 2016. Most models included an interface that connected to mobile apps. Security researchers discovered that the microphone on a Furby Connect can be remotely activated and used to record voice through a Bluetooth connection.
Tattletail, a survival horror game by Waygetter Electronics, was released on December 28, 2016. It’s premise was inspired by the rumors of Furbies being haunted, corrupt, and evil, which took weary mothers by storm in the late 90’s. These rumors, including the myth of “Furbies being made out of real cat and dog hair”, were partially responsible for the quick loss of popularity among the Furbies toy line. A fake Humane Society press release claimed that Furby samples had “tested positive for feline and canine DNA.” The rumor was later debunked by a spokesperson, saying “It’s 100 percent acrylic. Yep, a lot of acrylics were killed in the name of Furbys.” Though, as shown in Caleb Chung’s TED Talk, he reveals that the original prototype Furby was created out of a ripped up Toy’s R Us cat plushie. In 2016, Harvey Weinsein’s company announced plans to develop a Furby movie. The film was written by Daniel Persitz and Devon Kliger, and will contain both live action and computer-animated characters.
