furbish v : polish and make shiny; "buff the wooden floors"; "buff my shoes" [syn: buff, burnish, flush]

English

Verb

1. To polish or burnish.
2. To renovate or recondition.

A Furby (plural Furbys or Furbies, according to Tiger. Co.) is an electronic toy, more specifically, a robot, made by Tiger Electronics which went through a period of being a "must-have" toy following its launch in the holiday season of 1998, with continual sales until 2000. Furby sold 1.8 million units in 1998, 14 million units in 1999, and altogether in its three years of original production, Furby sold over 40 million units, and its speaking capabilities were translated into 24 languages. Furbys were the first successful attempt to produce and sell a domestically-aimed robot. A newly purchased Furby starts out speaking entirely Furbish, the unique language that all Furbys use, but are programmed to speak less Furbish as they learn more English. The more English they learn, the more they "grow", thus placing them under the autonomous robot category.

In 2005, new Furbys were released, with voice-recognition and more complex facial movements, among many other changes and improvements.

Birth of the Furby

In appearance, the Furby resembles a giant furry owl with rabbit ears. Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung created the Furby in merely nine months (in addition to an additional nine months spent designing the toy). That was the amount of time between Tiger Electronics showing an interest in his interactive creatures, during which Roger Schiffman bought the rights to it, and the time they hit store shelves. Furby's first public appearance was at the International Toy Fair in 1998.

Furbys originally retailed for about US$35, and upon release Furbys flew off the shelves in toyshops. Catapulting demand for these toys during the 1998 holiday season drove the resale price over US$100 and sometimes as high as several hundred dollars. Furbys sold for over US$300 in newspapers and in auctions. Nicknames were given to them, and sellers assigned rarity values to them. Some people continue to call their Furbys by the terms 'wedding Furby', 'tuxedo Furby', 'snowball Furby', 'biker Furby', among others. All, of course, were dubbed rare by sellers, because they were so hard to find at the time. In a sure display of the demand for even one Furby, some sellers at the time scammed people out of a lot of money, without even having first given them a Furby. Parental battles, arguments, and fights increased rapidly as supplies dwindled, and when retail supplies ran out, parents turned to the Internet, where Furbys could be purchased for two, three, or more multiples of their retail price. This action led to many parents ending up on eBay. During one 12-month period, a total of 27 million Furby toys were sold.

Furby types

Classic Furby

The original Furbys were 6 inches (15 cm) tall. The main reason that many people liked them was their apparent "intelligence" and learning ability as they developed their language skills.

Furbys can communicate with one another via a heart-shaped 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 as 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.

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.

The originals 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 cannot dance, but switch to speaking English more quickly. They also have an extended vocabulary, and different "Easter Eggs" and "games" built into them.Baby furbies come in 24 different colors. All with white eye lashes, six different eyecolors.

Furby Friends

Novel Furbys were also released, including an interactive Furby-like Gizmo, from the movie Gremlins (which is ironic, because Warner Bros. was, at one time, enamoured with a lawsuit against Hasbro for the similarities between Furby and Gizmo), a Furby-like Interactive Yoda based on the Star Wars character, and a Furby-like Interactive E.T. from the movie of the same name. Another 'friend of furby', called Shelby, is similar to Furby, but looks like a clam, has vast improvements in memory, and has a different personality; it was released in 2001 and can communicate with the original Furbys and Furby Babies. They also have sensors that can sense loud sounds, they can sense being upside down (they say things like "Shiver me timbers" and "Walk the plank", in the style of a pirate ship captain, when you leave them upside-down for an extended period of time), and they laugh when you "tickle" them (their antennae - or "tennies", as they like to call them). They also purr when you "pet" them. You can feed them by sticking your finger in their mouth. Similarly, Shelbys do not have their own names, unlike the classic Furbies. Shelbys are also capable of knowing if it is talking to a Furby or another Shelby, saying phrases such as "Where's Furby?" - though they can't differentiate between a Furby and a Furby Baby - they just assume it's a Furby. In addition to English, Shelbys also know some Furbish words and also have their own unique language called "Shelbish."

All these creatures like it best when you rub noses and go "eeoo" with them.

Emoto-Tronic Furby

The latest species of Furby was released in August 2005. Larger than the previous version, the new Furbys 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, though to a lesser extent than the communication between original Furbys, and they cannot themselves communicate with the original Furbys. They also lack light sensors and basic motion sensors. These Furbys, according to the story they come packed with, are from Furby Island.

Emoto-Tronic Furby Babies

In 2006, a new version of Furby baby was released, with most notable features being the new look and a more "Baby-ish" appearance in contrast to the Emoto-Tronic Furby adult. They also have considerably less features than the "adult" Furby, with a very limited vocabulary and a lower level of interactivity. Another notable feature of the 2006 Emoto-Tronic Baby Furby is the movable "legs", which unfurl when Furby baby is awakened.

Emoto-Tronic Funky Furby

The Funky Furby was released in August 2006 outside the US. They are limited to two colour combinations (pink & yellow, and purple & green) so far, and can sing three new songs and dance. They can be taught dance routines and remember them.

External links

• BBC H2G2: Furbys
• Adopt a Furby - Resource site for original Furbys

References

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