Furby makes a comeback for Gen Alpha

A brand-new animatronic toy range from Hasbro will roll out to retailers on July 15, featuring LED light shows, breathing exercises and fortune-telling to resonate with modern kids.
June 26, 2023

Hasbro is looking to reignite the animatronic toy trend with a summer relaunch of its iconic Furby brand. Hot in the late ’90s, these plush companions were best known for responding to their owner’s voice and reacting to touch. 

The revamped model comes loaded with more than 600 responses and new features such as LED light-up ears and 15 fashion accessories kids can use to customize its appearance. The Furby range will roll out to mass retailers on July 15 in two color options—orange and coral. Hasbro dropped an initial batch of the new Furbys on Amazon last week, and they sold out within 24 hours, a sign that demand for the brand is still strong, says Kristen McKay, the toyco’s VP and GM of fashion and high school.

The relaunch plan for Furby, which has been out of the market for six years, was influenced by internal research Hasbro conducted to find out what kids want from their toy friends, says McKay. Based on these findings, the toyco created five new play modes that will see the new Furby dance to music, tell fortunes, meditate with breathing exercises, repeat what kids say in a silly voice, and put on a color light show with its ears. 

Hasbro’s Tiger Electronics first released Furby in 1998, and more than 40 million of the toys sold through in the first three years, according to a release. Three subsequent Furby generations hit retail in 2005, 2012 and 2016 before the brand was shelved in 2017 in response to waning sales and consumer interest.

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