There has had to be some major updates on these new Furby interactive toys in order for them to be accepted by the kids of today who are gadget experts with their iPads, smartphones and tablets.
If Hasbro wants to impress this new generation of children they are going to have to pull out all the stops and create something quite different from its previous toys.
I think they did just that by creating a totally new version of this unusual interactive toy for boys and girls.
These furry creatures have a totally revamped look with ton of new capabilities including interaction with other gadgets such as iPhones and iPads.
The Furby has a ton of new features. The fur that covers the toy is thick and fluffy pretty much how the 1998 versions were so there isn’t much change there. There will be ten colors available to choose from but only six of those colors are released on the toy’s launch dates.
The six launch colors are pink/purple mix, white, black, red/orange mix, yellow and Aqua blue. After the initial release the four other colors will be released and they are teal, pink, purple and light blue.
The moveable ears seem to be slightly larger than the original units and are plastic compared to the material versions of the previous models. It has a plush tail a few inches long with a fluffy bit at the end.
In the center of its forehead is the branded shape commonplace on all units. With the Furby 2.0 this actually serves no purpose other than to keep the legacy of these toys alive with its branded image shape just above the eyes. In the old versions this was once home of the IR sensor that helped initiate certain features of the toy.
The mouth or beak is a bright yellow color and moves when the Furby talks, sings and eats. You can “feed” the cutie by pressing down on its tongue in its mouth. It will then omit a chewing sound and the beak will open and close to simulate the chewing.
Furbies will react to whatever you do to them. If you tickle its tummy it will most likely giggle, if you tip it upside down it may tell you that it’s getting dizzy. There are sensors in its head, stomach, back and sides that react to touch.
The tilt mechanism inside the body can detect when your Furby is tipped upside down, jostled around or had its tail pulled. It will react accordingly.
All interactions will begin to change its character. For example, if you are really rough with it, (and I don’t mean chucking it around the room and beating it with a bat!), such as jostling it around a lot eventually its character may turn a little angry. Its LCD eyes will begin to flash and change to somewhat pointed pupils giving of an angry expression. Not only that but its voice will also deepen and its movements will become faster.
Of course, that is just an example of one of the character changes as there are many more.
Movement isn’t the only thing that affects a Furby’s mood. Speech can also change the character even if it is coming from another Furby. The more you speak with it the more it wants to talk which leads to it incorporating more English words in its spoken sentences.
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