Now it seems like a mere vestige of nostalgia, but the Furbys, in the late 1990s, were an absolute revolution in a stranded toy world. Its creators, Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung, took nine months to perfect, but when it went on sale at Christmas 1998 it was well worth the effort. In fact, it became such a hit that everyone had trouble finding it, ‘A Dad in Distress’ style. And then, the debacle.
Yes, Mr. Furby, sir
27 million Furbys were sold during its first year, rivaling Tamagotchi in fame. Everyone wanted one: it imitated the owner’s way of talking, learned new words and phrases (in their language, like “Baila Fugui” or “Ah preocupado”)… A real invention that went beyond the typical Barbie with twenty pre-recorded phrases and showed the future. More or less.
In addition, the Furbys were able to communicate with each other via infrared, causing more than one scare in a house where two were left in the same drawer. Little by little, the dolls stopped speaking “Furbysh” and started speaking your language. Obviously, they were not parrots and did not have the ability to repeat the words they heard on a daily basis, but simply “unlocked” pre-programmed words.
But they didn’t know that in the U.S. Department of Defense, where the idea of a doll repeating all the confidential material they said out loud caused real terror. So much so that in January 1999 a U.S. spy base banned the Furbys. Just as it sounds: the number one enemy after terrorists and drug dealers.
You have to understand it in the context of the time, of course: it was believed that if you greeted a Furby it might suggest hacking the Russian embassy, for example. In reality the response, at most, would go to a “Scared,” but they didn’t know that. Finally, the paranoia went so far that Furbys were not allowed to enter the Pentagon itself, and no matter how much the toymaker said it was all amusing but false rumors (“Furbys are not spies”, they claimed in a press release), everything went on as it was.
This is not the only rumor that once arose about this new toy: it was even said that it could launch special rockets or even sing Italian operas… Or even interfere with medical equipment. Who would have thought that this little bug would end up becoming the new Osama Bin Laden?
