Hasbro is bringing Furbys back in honor of the toy’s 25th anniversary, and while the comeback may fill some 90s kids with nostalgia, it may also fill them with unbridled terror. Furbys were a toy craze that hit the U.S. in 1998 and lasted for three years. The electronic robotic toy resembled a cross between an owl and a gremlin and was programmed to speak “Furbish,” but to begin speaking English phrases the longer they were activated. This gave kids the illusion of “teaching” their Furbys words. Furbys could also move their ears, eyes, and mouth, and later versions could even react to pets, tickles, and being fed.
However, Furbys aren’t famous for just being cute, cuddly, and surprisingly advanced for a 90s toy. Instead, they have become infamous for their bizarre and creepy history. The toy has been accused of everything from being a national security threat to teaching babies to swear. Additionally, many believe the toys are haunted. Swirling around the internet on social media, paranormal forums, and blogs are countless horror stories from users claiming to have suffered significant trauma at the hands of possessed Furbys, who stalked them, whispered to them in demonic tones, and came back from the dead.
A lot of the stories around Furbys are urban legends, misconceptions, and hoaxes, but it’s still enough to make some consumers fear the return of the Furbys. Fortunately, thanks to the digital age, new consumers will have plenty of resources to consult in the case of their Furby’s spontaneous demonic possession. Here are 10 of the creepiest Furby stories that make us fear there will one day be a Furby apocalypse if Hasbro keeps reviving them.
Furbys on the no-fly list
Back in the 1990s, parents faced the potential of being detained at U.S. airlines because their child’s fluffy Furby was listed on the United States no-fly list due to its ability to single-handedly bring down a plane. At least, this is what the rumor around Furbys and airlines has morphed into over the years. No, Furbys weren’t put on a no-fly list, but you know how airlines always go through the whole speel about turning off all electronic devices before take-off? Allegedly, Furbys used to be included in that list of electronic devices. The New York Post claimed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advised passengers to turn off Furbys during takeoff and landing for fear of it potentially interfering with navigational systems. Taking a small child on a plane is scary enough, but imagine the horror dawning on you when you realize little Tommy snuck his darn Furby onboard and jeopardized an entire flight.
Secret spy Furbys
The FAA wasn’t the only government agency that grew to fear the power of Furbys. In the 1990s, The National Security Agency (NSA) legitimately believed that Furbys were a national security threat and could be used by foreign spies. In an unclassified memo, the NSA banned Furbys from its offices because it believed the toys could record and relay information due to seemingly “learning” speech. As mentioned above, Furbys could never record or relay audio—its speech was all pre-programmed. Still, the idea of Furbys listening, watching, and recording you, in addition to their creepy mannerisms, is quite terrifying.
Furbys made with canine/feline fur
As if having two government agencies issuing warnings about Furbys wasn’t bad enough, the U.S. Humane Society also seemingly decried Furbys in a press release in 1999 for being made with canine and feline fur. DNA testing allegedly proved that the green and purple Furby in your home was made from actual cat and dog hair to make it more realistic. As reported by the Ocala Star-Banner, though, this was a complete hoax. The Humane Society confirmed someone had altered the organization’s press release to include the false report. Even so, how did one live through FAA, NSA, and Humane Society warnings on Furbys one after another and still think it was a good idea to have these things in their house?
Full-Mouthed Furbys
Remember how it has been debunked that Furbys can be taught or record new phrases? Well, that just makes the multiple reports of parents catching Furbys swearing even more creepy and bizarre. In 2000, a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania allegedly pulled Furbys from its shelves after parents complained of the toys swearing. It was claimed that they were mishearing the phrase “Hug me,” but in 2014, reports again arose of a Furby in Wales swearing. Is it a case of mishearing or is it a case of Furbys letting their intrusive thoughts take over?
Evil A.I. Furby
Apparently, someone didn’t get the memo that you should ABSOLUTELY NOT give a creepy toy who poses a threat to national security the power of artificial intelligence. A college student hooked parts of a Furby to an A.I., and it quickly revealed to her Furbys plans of world domination, which included infiltrating American homes as cute and cuddly toys, then turning to the dark side and mind-controlling their owners. If Hasbro ever releases a new line of A.I.-enhanced Furbys, humanity’s days will be numbered.
The haunting of Furby house
On a subreddit dedicated to Furby horror stories, one Redditor had an especially bone-chilling tale to tell. The user claimed that the Furby they received as a child just mysteriously disappeared one day. However, it became a daily routine for this Furby to scream or laugh in the middle night from somewhere within the home. This stopped for a while but then started up again two years later with the Furby sobbing. The Furby was then finally discovered inside the house’s walls with long-dead batteries. At this point, they just need to throw the whole house away.
Audrey II Furby
One function of more advanced Furbys was that they could be “fed” by their owner using a finger to press their tongue. Hence, some Furbys could say “feed me” to let their owners know they were hungry. However, apparently, some of these Furbys can morph into something akin to Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. One Redditor recalls being awakened in the middle of the night to their Furby screaming, “Feeeeeeeeeeeeed meeeeeeeeeee,” from the bottom of the toy box. Thankfully, the parents smashed it with a hammer to get it to stop instead of allowing it to get a taste for human flesh.
“What Happens When Your Furby Becomes Evil”
As if Furbys weren’t scary enough, in 2013, Hasbro released the Furby Boom, a Furby with … dissociative identity disorder (DID)? The Furby came with an app and multiple personalities that could be activated by shaking or feeding them. One mommy blogger described the chaos that ensued when her daughter accidentally unlocked her Furby’s “evil” personality. The Furby was already manically shifting from a cowboy to a valley girl personality, before suddenly turning into a monster that growled, hissed, retched, and made angry eyes at her daughter whenever she approached it. The mom spent hours coaxing the Furby away from the dark side, but her story detailed how American families live in terror and walk on eggshells around modern Furbys in fear of awakening their evil personalities.
Demon-possessed Furby
Another Redditor detailed their childhood experience with an “evil” Furby. However, in this situation, the children could not get the Furby out of its evil state. Additionally, things escalated to the point it was saying things outside of its programming. Later, the user claimed the Furby turned itself on, looked at them, and directly responded to what the user was saying before suddenly going silent and refusing to awaken even with new batteries. I’m just scared that they didn’t mention disposing of this thing, and it may very well still be fake-sleeping while plotting the revenge of the Furbys.
Dead Furby lives again
There have been multiple reports of Furbys allegedly continuing to talk/walk/scream without any batteries in them. One Redditor claimed their Furby was speaking backward English in a devil voice in the middle of the night with no batteries in it. Another recalled their Furby screaming “like R2-D2 day and night, battery or not.” Apparently, Furbys moving and talking without batteries is a common enough issue it has sparked some Reddit threads. There doesn’t seem to be any explanation for the phenomenon, although some speculate it’s just an electrical issue or that some Furbys have an internal power source. Or maybe they feed on the souls of children to remain immortal.
(featured image: Netflix)
