With Furbies, there is very little middle ground. Either you love the talking, furry robots or you think they’re creepy and nightmarish creations straight out of The Twilight Zone. But the next evolution of Furby is just around the corner, and that’s either a joyous occasion or a new reason to fear them.
Hasbro has announced that Furby Connect is launching this fall, with greatly increased features and Bluetooth enhanced technology that will allow the Furbies to receive new content through the Furby Connect app that will be released later this month. Potentially, that offers kids a lot of replay value for their Furbies, while letting them watch new videos and songs with their pet creatures. That technology could be a game-changer for the toy industry, and we wouldn’t be surprised at all if Hasbro found a way to use it in the future for G.I. Joe, Transformers, or even its Star Wars line.
There’s already a subculture of Furby hackers, which we covered earlier this year. Those earlier Furby models weren’t nearly as advanced as the new Furby Connect, so it should be interesting to see what the outside-the-box thinkers come up with for the new iterations of Furby. That might actually be more exciting than the toys themselves!
For those of you who are bringing Furby home for your kids, Furby Connect is going to come with a night mask so you can keep them from unexpectedly moving or speaking during the middle of the night. But if the specter of Rod Serling shows up outside of your home, we can’t guarantee that there won’t be a Furby uprising!
What do you think about the new capabilities of Furby Connect? Share your Furbish thoughts in the comment section below!
Image: Hasbro
