The iconic Furby is back — with an off switch this time

Hasbro is re-releasing the nostalgic favorite Furby

If you grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, you’re likely familiar with Furbies. These electronic friends first launched in 1998, and their popularity immediately exploded. In its first three years on the market alone, over 40 million of them were sold. The various Furbies you could find also became high-value collectors’ items, causing secondary market prices to skyrocket. Despite their drop in popularity, they’re still considered top-dollar collectors' items. Now, for the 25th anniversary of the first Furby, Hasbro is releasing two brand-new Furbies.

When can I buy the new Furbies?

The brand-new Furby model is available in two colors, purple and coral, exclusively on Amazon. They will also be available at other major retailers starting July 15. Notably, these are the first new Furbies released since the run of Furby Connect models in 2016 through 2018.

What can the new Furbies do?

Hasbro went all-out with these Furbies. The major features include:

• Five voice-activated modes: The main way to use the new Furbies is to say “Hey Furby!” followed by one of the following mode triggers: “Dance Party, Copy Cat, Tell My  Fortune, Let’s Chill” and “Lightshow.”
• Physical interactivity: Outside of voice commands, the new Furbies can recognize and respond to physical stimuli such as hugs or if they’re being shaken.
• Accessories: They also come with accessories such as a comb, clip-on beads and a pizza charm that can be used to “feed” it. Plus, you guessed it, they respond to you using these accessories.

Split between all of these modes and stimuli is over 600 responses and actions. These can include movement, speech, sounds and even 10 unique songs to sing. And yes, they still speak Furbish.

Connectivity, and lack thereof

Another feature worth discussing is the new Furbies’ ability to recognize when other Furbies of the same type are around. If there are, they can interact with each other in the same ways they interact with you.

What they can’t do is connect to the internet. This was a major feature of the last run of Furby models, the Furby Connect, but it was found that evildoers could abuse this connection.

No more scares

The final piece of the new Furby puzzle is that these have an off switch. Besides saving battery power, you don’t have to relive the terror of a Furby going terrifyingly rogue.

Best Furbies and Furby-themed clothes

Hasbro Furby Purple

One of the two new Furbies, this one has color streaks of blue and pink feet. It also comes with a golden comb to help maintain its fur.

Sold by Amazon

Hasbro Furby Coral

The second of the two new Furbies, this one’s namesake is derived from its combination of colors. Those being orange, pink, neon blue and some streaks of green. Its comb is also neon blue.

Sold by Amazon

Hasbro Furby Connect Friend Orange

This is one of the last Furbies made before the revival we’re currently experiencing. Some of its functions can’t be used since its accompanying app was removed from mobile app stores several years ago, but it’s still a collector’s item.

Sold by Amazon

Furby Retro Kanji T-shirt 

This throwback T-shirt is perfect for remembering the heyday of Furbies. It’s also perfect for pairing with either of the new Furbies. It comes in six colors and 24 sizes.

Sold by Amazon

Furby Tarot Troublemaker T-shirt

This T-shirt calls to mind and makes light of all the fear and distrust Furby has unfortunately garnered over the years. It comes in 23 sizes.

Sold by Amazon

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Jordan C Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

Image credits: Hasbro