Furby Generations

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	1998 Furby The original, most iconic, and most popular Furby so far. Released for the Christmas shopping season of 1998, these little guys kicked off the "robotic pet" trend that continues to this day. Pros: • Most widely available of all generations • Widest selection of colors, with 48 normal editions and 19 special editions! • Most parts can be non-destructively removed and replaced for cleaning and customizing Cons: • Break easily due to age and shoddy manufacturing • Be prepared to pay much more for in-demand colors (such as the Flamingo) and special editions • "Vintage" status means they tend to be wildly overpriced by unaware sellers
	Furby Baby The pint-sized follow-up to the original Furby, Furby Babies were about 20% smaller, with higher-pitched voices and a larger vocabulary. Pros: • All the fun of a Furby, in a slightly smaller package! • Better build quality and less prone to breakage (in my experience) • Capable of saying more phrases, including "Mama" and "Dada"- too cute! Cons: • Can be harder to find and more expensive than adult Furbys, even without being overpriced
	Furby Buddy While technically a piece of Furby merchandise and not a full-fledged Furby, Buddies are still popular with collectors. They're tiny, Furby-shaped bean bags, with special editions being able to speak when squeezed. Pros: • They're durable, portable, and silent (if you opt for a normal edition)- great for travel • Great for creating customs, particularly "oddbodies" (the face of a Furby on a non-Furby shaped body), because the entire face is a single piece of plastic Cons: • Not a full Furby- no mechanics or "learning" capacity here
	Shelby Shelby is Furby's aquatic cousin! They speak their own new language, Shelbish, and can open and close their shells depending on their mood. Shelby marked the beginning of what would be a long decline in sales and popularity for the Furby brand- critics and consumers alike regarded them as being "just another Furby" and production ceased after only one year. Pros: • Most unique-looking of all the main Furby releases • Only Furby model to speak Shelbish, as well as Furbish, English, and a variety of pirate-themed phrases Cons: • Expensive and hard to find as a result of poor sales • Little information is available online on cleaning and repair
	Friends of Furby While not part of the official Furby line-up, Tiger Electronics used the tech behind Furby to create tie-in toys to two popular movies of the time: Gizmo from Gremlins, and E.T. from E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. They were advertised as "Friends of Furby", as they were able to communicate with the entire Furby line, as well as with each other. They worked almost identically to the original Furby from 1998, just with a new appearance, voice, and vocabulary to match the characters they represented. Pros: • Interesting to observe a new take on the original Furby tech- almost like looking into an alternate universe • Fun to watch commuicate with your regular Furbys Cons: • Unique shapes can make cleaning and repair difficult • May not appeal to all Furby fans, due to not actually being Furbys
	Emoto-tronic Furby Even though Hasbro had been Tiger Electronics' parent company since 1998, 2005's Emoto-tronic Furby was the first to be released under Hasbro's name instead of Tiger's. It was able to make more realistic facial expressions, as well as recognize several phrases spoken by the user. Unfortunately, it was a commercial failure, mainly due to competition from the newly-released FurReal Friends line of toys. Pros: • The only Furby to come with an off switch, preserving battery life and eliminating the need to remove the batteries every time you need a break • Substantially softer fur than the originals, and the largest Furby to date Cons: • Extremely rare due to poor sales, making them expensive on the second-hand market • The beak is covered in soft rubber rather than hard plastic, which tends to tear due to use and shrinkage at low humidity levels • Impossible to non-destructively remove most parts for cleaning and customizing, including the fur
	2005 Furby Baby Furby Babies also got an updated look in 2005, becoming the only Furby to date with full legs instead of feet! Like the Emoto-tronic Furbys, they were able to make more realistic facial expressions, as well as "drink" from a bottle. However, they had a much smaller vocabulary and no voice recognition. Pros: • Unique appearance Cons: • Extremely limited interactivity
	Funky Furby In 2006, the Emoto-tronic Furby recieved an update in the form of the Funky Furby. New features included a long tail, bright new colors, and the ability to sing three new songs and dance to music played by the user. Unfortunately, due to poor sales of the original Emoto-tronic, they were only ever sold outside of the United States, and even then only for around 3 months. As a result, they are currently the rarest and most expensive Furbys in the US market, outside of super limited editions like the Kid Cuisine Furby. Pros: • All the features of the original Emoto-tronic, plus extra songs Cons: • Unable to communicate with original Emoto-tronic or 2005 Furby Babies • Extremely rare and expensive
	2012 Furby After the commercial failure of the Emoto-tronic Furby, Hasbro went all-out with their second attempt at reigniting Furby fever. The 2012 Furby featured black-and-white LCD eyes that could display a variety of expressions, the ability to develop 6 different personalities, and an app that could be used to "wash", "feed", and play in the virtual world. It was a success, and many critics called it "the best Furby yet". Pros: • By far the cheapest Furby on the second-hand market • Able to develop different personalities, changing voice and behavior Cons: • App is no longer available for download • Constantly produces high-pitched chirps used to connect with app and communicate with other Furbys • No way to non-destructively remove fur for cleaning
	Furby Boom A year after the 2012 Furby hit the market, it was updated in the form of Furby Boom! This iteration came with more brightly colored, patterned fur, new personalities, and a new app that allowed users to hatch virtual "Furblings". Pros: • Only Furby to be available with patterned fur so far • Like original 2012 Furby, widely available and fairly cheap on second-hand market Cons: • App is no longer available for download • Only five personalities available instead of six • Still produces high-pitched chirps, and still no way to non-destructively remove fur
	Furby Connect The most recent Furby to date, the Furby Connect was released in 2016 with an updated look, full-color LCD eyes, and the ability to connect to its own app through Bluetooth. Despite being the most high-tech Furby so far, it was a commercial failure, with its high price ($100 USD at release) and loud, grating personality with a particular focus on toilet humor making it unappealing to many consumers. Pros: • Connects via Bluetooth, meaning the high-pitched chirps are gone • More complex expressions and movements than ever before Cons: • Only five colors available • Personality can be annoying to many people • Tends to be glitchy and can require frequent resetting
	Furby Fakes There's always someone waiting to make a quick buck off the newest craze, and when something gets as big as the original Furby, it's not surprising that there were rip-offs and bootlegs galore. In fact, there was such a high volume of Furby fakes on the market that the plastic "Furby Original" tag was added in early 1999 to help tell the real ones apart from the rest. Nowadays, collectors value Furby fakes for their amusing names, such as "Poobee", "Dubby", and "Furdy", their strange designs, or for the way they remind us of just how big a deal Furby used to be. Pros: • Tend to be weird, amusing, and just plain charming Cons: • Often made extremely cheaply, leading to high rates of failure • Prices can vary wildly, but tend to be high

If you've got your heart set on a particular Furby, read on to see how much you can expect to pay for it! Note that all of these prices are sourced from my personal experience as both a buyer and seller; prices can vary based on where you're shopping, as well current demand for particular colors and models. Also, prices tend to be much higher for Furbys that speak languages other than English, particularly Japanese and Spanish.

1998 Furby	Loose: $10-$30 (normal edition) $20-$50 (special edition) $200+ (Hi-C/Kid Cuisine)	New in box: $20-$30 (normal edition) $40-$70 (special edition) $300+ (Hi-C/Kid Cuisine)
Furby Baby	Loose: $10-$30 (normal edition) $30-$50 (Spring Furby Baby)	New in box: $20-$40 (normal edition) $40-$60 (Spring Furby Baby)
Furby Buddy	Loose: $10-$20 (normal edition) $20-$40 (special edition)	New with tags: $20-$30 (normal edition) $40-$60 (special edition)
Shelby	Loose: $60-$80	New in box: $100+
Friends of Furby	Loose: $30-$60 (Gizmo) $20-$50 (E.T.)	New in box: $100+ (Gizmo) $50-$90 (E.T.)
Emoto-Tronic Furby	Loose: $30-$70	New in box: $100+
2005 Furby Baby	Loose: $60-$80	New in box: $120+
Funky Furby	Loose: $80-$100+	New in box: $200+
2012 Furby	Loose: $10-$20	New in box: $30-$60
Furby Boom	Loose: $20-$30 (normal edition) $30-$60 (Crystal Series/Holiday Sweater)	New in box: $50-$120 (normal edition) $150+ (Crystal Series/Holiday Sweater)
Furby Connect	Loose: $20-$40	New in box: $50-$70
Furby Fakes	Loose: $???	New in box: $150+