h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Are they watching us? Some people think that since they "Have the ability to repeat words and "grow" may be real. But this is false since they're is wires in a Furby.

Furbish

Furbys were programmed with a selection of words and phrases, 'spoken' in a language called 'Furbish' (the official language of Furbys). With three different pitches of voice, Furbys did not all sound the same. Here is a translation of some of their more common mutterings:

'Noo-Loo' - happy
'Ah-May Koh Koh' - pet me more
'Dah May Lah' - big hug
'Mee Mee A-Tay' - very hungry
Furbys were also programmed to simulate learning some English3 pre-programmed words and phrases too. With patience, repetition and determination, in a similar way to teaching a budgie to talk, it may be possible to stimulate your Furby into exhibiting these words and phrases more rapidly. However, unlike a budgie, a Furby cannot learn new words; they can only repeat the words and phrases they were pre-programmed to say.

The Trouble With Furbys

Furbys were designed to be childlike, in that they will chat and play for a short while, then go to sleep, as if they had tired themselves out. This is more noticeable when two Furbys are placed near each other, and interact via their Infrared devices.

They seem to have a mind of their own - you cannot control them. They decide when they wake up and chat inanely, and when they went to sleep. When you wanted to play with your Furby, it doesn't want to play. When you want it to go to sleep and be quiet, it decides it wants attention.

Furbys also need regular feeding. When your Furby says 'Kah a-tay' ('I'm hungry'), you need to feed it with pretend food. The ideal way of doing this is to depress its tongue with your finger. If your Furby said 'Koh-koh', it wanted more food. Failure to feed causes a Furby to become ill. One of the symptoms of illness is sneezing, and it will even tell you by saying 'Kah boo koo-doh' (I'm not healthy) and then you will have to spend time nursing it back to health with extra bouts of feeding pretend food.

One of the main problems was simply that the Furby had no on/off button and so the only civil way to silence their inane mutterings was to remove its batteries.

True, False and Unclarified

There have been a number of stories circulated over the years about Furbys, lawsuits and various bannings. Here we try to separate the truth from the fiction:

Warner Brothers Lawsuit. One of the first was in December 1998, when it was reported that Hasbro, Tiger Electronics' parent company, had paid a seven-figure settlement, and promised a redesign of the Furby, to Warner Brothers, the makers of the Gremlins films: this was due to the alleged similarity of Furbys to Gremlins. All parties involved deny this. Lawsuit: False.

Furbys banned from the Pentagon. There are two different stories concerning the banning of Furbys from the Pentagon. One says that Pentagon staff banned them because they talked too much, and the other says staff banned them due to concerns that the Furbys could repeat confidential information. Banned for talking too much: Unclarified. Banned on the possibility of repeating confidential information: True. Another unanswered question is: Just who would want to take Furbys into the Pentagon in the first place?

Airlines banned Furbys from flying on their planes. Airlines classified Furbys as PEDs (Personal Electronic Devices) and as such, were under the same strict rules as other such PEDs. They were banned from being used and had to be turned off during specific times, as the Furby had no off switch, the batteries had to be removed. Airlines ban: Misconception, they were not banned from flying, they were banned from being used, and had to have their batteries removed.

A Furby saved a couple's life A couple fell asleep, after enjoying a candlelit romantic dinner. While they slept, the candles set fire to the curtains; they were woken by their Furby saying 'Ahh, bright light', allowing them to escape and raise the alarm. Lifesaver: Unclarified.

Subliminal messages4 There has been claims the Furbys were programmed with moralistic subliminal messages, such as: 'I obey the law', 'I respect the law' and 'I love God, country and community'. Furby’s designer has strongly denied this. Subliminal messages: False

Un-truth

Furbys have been clarafied on having "Minds of their owns" and they "grow" some people blow Furbys up in Microwaves and things. They are not in stores anymore and were released in 1997, 1998. Some people may gain them for Christmas or Birthday's but are not avalable in most areas anymore. Let's have cake.