Hasbro, the largest toy company in the US, has brought back the iconic Furby robot, which was introduced 25 years ago and became instantly popular.
The company desires that a new generation of kids "discover their own curious little creature.".
The new Furby has the recognizable round eyes, yellow beak, and vibrant fur. In addition, it responds to tickles, pats, and hugs by speaking gibberish.
The announcement is made at a time when demand for toys is slowing.
Kristin McKay, vice president and general manager at Hasbro, stated that the company has spent a lot of time researching what children would want from a new Furby.
More than 600 responses are preprogrammed into the new toy. It responds to commands, imitates sounds, dances, and is "fed.".
The 1998 release of Furby quickly gained popularity all over the world.
More than 40 million of them were sold in the first three years following their introduction, according to Hasbro.
The original Furby had infrared eyes that made it possible for them to communicate with one another.
The toy could "listen" to conversations as well and learn new words by giving it a pat on the head.
Over time, Furby has undergone changes, including the installation of two tiny LCD screens in place of its infrared eyes.
Hasbro also created a tablet and smartphone app that could translate Furby's gurglings into English.
However, as the Furby craze subsided, it was discontinued in 2016.
The toy manufacturer is trying to increase sluggish sales with the relaunch of Furby.
Hasbro stated its expectations for the toy and game market this year in its most recent quarterly earnings, which were published in April.
Sales of its NERF blasters, Play-Doh, and Peppa Pig toys contributed to the iconic Monopoly board game's creator reporting a 14% decline in net revenue for the first three months of the year.
