You can never really know what’s around the corner. In early 1998, the people of the world were blissfully unaware that the must-have Christmas toy was set to be a furry, robotic beaked-hamster type thing which could talk, blink, and learn.
We’re of course talking about the Furby. During that feted Christmas period, consumer demand became so intense retail prices quickly tripled, while resellers were seeing returns of triple even that. All for something that looked like this.
Its bizarre design combining fur, beak and all-too-human eyes, coupled with unique technology, catapulted the Furby into the toy hall of fame. Since then there have been two new releases, one in 2005 and another in 2012. Tens of millions of these creatures have been sold around the world.
But what’s far more interesting is the place Furbys have occupied online, where nostalgia, customization, and downright weirdness have given them a cultural cache no one could have predicted. They’re even becoming influencers.
Read the full report to find out about:
- How many people have been posting about Furbys since 2016 🙂
- Oddbodies – Longfurby anyone?
- Furbys, Gen Z and faux-nostalgia
- The “Furbinfluencer Lifestyle”