New Furby 2012 Review: How is it Different from the Original and Where Can I Get One?

The new Furby 2012 is back on the scene and just like the earlier versions, Furby is proving to be a very popular toy for children (and nostalgic adults) of all ages.

It's been at least ten years since we were first introduced to these googly eyed little creatures.

Kids everywhere instantly fell in love with them and we, as parents and caregivers, somehow managed to tolerate them.

The new Furbies are just as adorable as the old ones, but come with a few extra features as well as their own Furby accessories, such as these highly fashionable and cute Furby sling bags, super cozy Furby chairs and these ultra cool Furby glasses.

But, is it worth buying one of these new Furbies? How are they different from the original Furby versions? Have they really changed THAT much? And where can you buy a Furby for cheap?

Read on to find out more.

Buy Furby online

If you're wondering where to buy a Furby, you really should check out two great places: Amazon and eBay.

Amazon is good because you don't need to worry about competing with other bidders as you would on eBay. You simple click on the Furby of choice and buy him or her.

eBay has it's advantages too, and if you're lucky you can find cheap Furbies for sale. Take a quick look at these eBay Furby listings ending today.

So if you're wondering where to find cheap Furbies for sale, right now it seems to be Amazon or eBay. The advantage of Amazon being that you may be eligible for free shipping.

Old vs new Furby

We'll never forget the original Furbies. They capture the hearts of so many people both young and old and very quickly became an icon of the late 90s.

The original Furbies came in a wide assortment of colors; solid colors like white (good old Hasbro - always thinking of practicality... hmm), black and brown. There were of course, variations of these. Some had different colored spots, other were a combination of colors.

Furby babies came in pretty pastel colors such as baby blue, pink and green. All of them had short hair that felt plush to the touch.

Then there were the special editions, but in all honesty the only thing 'special' about them were that they came in totally unique colors, looked like a Furby playing dress up and the packaging was a little different. Think back to the Graduation Furby and the Millennium Furby, which kinda looked like a spaceman, well to me anyway.

Old Furby also had a fluffy tail, big cloth ears which flapped about, as well as those plastic moving googly eyes and beak-like mouth.

Each Furby was made just that more unique and desirable by their eye colors, which varied from toy to toy. There was a sound and motion sensor that was located between the Furbies eyes, allowing it to interact with its owner.

Original Furby features

Furbies start off speaking their own language. It's called Furbish and it sure does sound mighty cute, although totally incomprehensible. But after a period of acclimatization they start to pick up on the English language.

It's pretty cool how each Furby would come with its own dictionary, to help kids work out what the heck they were saying. Not that kids really minded having a language barrier. It seemed that that was part of the fun of playing with Furbies.

Another thing you could do with Furbies was teach them tricks. Nothing too heavy, just things like getting them to respond to their name and a few other basic actions. For the most part though, Furbies were just these cute (if not vocally annoying) fluff balls, that made funny noises and randomly responded to certain commands.

Furby review 2012

Furby 2012 generally has the same body shape and features as the original Furby, but they are only available in solid colors (at least for the time being) with shorter hair and a wave-like pattern cut into the fur.

Their yellow beak-like mouths are still made out of plastic, but their ears are now fashioned out of a latex type material, as opposed to cloth. This gives the new Furby a much more realistic look, as the movement of the ears is more fluid like.

Furby 2012 commands

As I mentioned above, the new Furbies now have more expressive eyes; they actually move in accordance to your Furby's mood. So if Furby is feeling sad, Furby will look real sad.

The learn from play aspect of the Furby is still very much present, so the more time your child spends playing with their Furby friend, the more English their Furby will speak. And get this; Furby now dances, shaking and generally grooving to the beat of music through a wide range of movements. How cool is that?

What's even cooler, and the biggest change of the 2012 model, is that Furby has been 'app' pimped! You can now download apps onto your smartphone that make Furby even more interactive.

The translator app, for example, will interpret whatever Furby says into English. You just get Furby to talk into your phone. There is also an online dictionary that you can tap into.

With another app, you can prepare your Furby's meals and 'feed' him or her electronically.

Furby review 2012

Physically, the old and new versions of Furby pretty much look the same, as do many of the core play features. The biggest difference is in the introduction of the smartphone apps and the online dictionary.

If you don't own a smartphone, you're not really going to benefit much from buying a new Furby model. If that's the case, you are probably better off sticking with the older Furbies. There are still plenty of them on sale and you'll save a few bucks too..

The differences really aren't that great, however, Furby 2012 is designed for a new generation of children, and as a result, it will be one of the most sought after toys right through to 2013.

Regardless of the minimal differences, these will still sell like smoking hotcakes and no doubt your child will be putting the pressure on you to deliver.

Ultimately, the final decision rests with you as to whether you feel the new Furby 2012 will make a good gift for the person you're intending to buy for.