Toys: Meet the new Furby Connect

I was a bit old for a Furby the first time around, I was too cool for school and didn’t really get the attraction. But now I have a small boy of my own I see things through his eyes and the new, all singing, all dancing, all action Furby Connect is possibly the most exciting thing he’s clapped eyes on for a while. 

He’s never seen anything quite like it, and neither have we. It’s like one of the Gremlins has come to life! We will try our best not to get him wet – who knows what would happen if we did!

The Furby was launched this autumn in time for Christmas and although he costs around £80 (though as ever there are deals and discounts widely available online), he would make a good “big present” for someone.

The Furby Connect is Bluetooth enabled, and apparently this means it knows what day it is. I imagine it will have a thing or two to say on Christmas Day morning. 

He is easy to unbox, though you will need to unscrew his base from the cardboard and insert 4 AA batteries. Once he wakes up his eyes open and the talking, singing and giggling begin. We’d never quite seen anything like it and we were all in stitches within minutes.

Each Furby has 150 expressive animations which he conveys using his big LCD eyes, wiggling ears and light-up antenna. He is also the softest, fluffiest toy I’ve ever cuddled.

Apparently each Furby is different and acts and reacts differently to how you treat them. Our Furby liked to sit on my knee while I gently massaged him, I knew he liked it because he kept crooning “Oooo deep tissue” and making a happy face.

We downloaded the app onto my son’s iPad and between the Furby and the app he’s already had hours and hours of fun with it all. With the app you can feed him, play games or take him to the toilet. The Furby Connect World app keeps your Furby updated and apparently brings in new Furby phrases, music, and videos every week that your Furby can interact with.

When the antenna glows on your Furby Connect, it means it is getting an update from the Furby Connect World app and there is something new to discover next time you open the app.

One of the things my son had enjoyed most with the app is hatching and raising Furblings from egg. Another big hit was feeding his Furby who would then let out a large burp – this is not the toy you use to teach table manners, but it is a lot of fun.

I did wonder how I’d ever be able to get our Furby to shut up so we could all get to sleep. Thankfully he comes with his own sleep mask which you attach to his face. After 30 seconds or so of snoring and sleepy noises, he does settle down for the night, only waking when you take his mask off. I really like this feature, I’ve spent the last six years jumping out of my skin when a noisy toy sets itself off in an otherwise silent house at night, so being able to guarantee silence is a big plus for us.

Watch our “Meet our Furby Connect” video here…

I am surprisingly un-irritated by our Furby Connect. I’ve come to look at him as a pet I don’t have to clean up after, and one I can switch off if I need to.

The small boy absolutely adores him. It’s early days but he is enjoying looking after him and making sure he is happy. 

I like that the app keeps him updated and that there are lots of additional play options in the app with the Furby. We also like that he’s really snuggly and adorable. He looks at you with these big eyes, coos gobbledygook at you and you can’t help but be a little bit smitten by him.

The Furby Connect is available for around £80 and you can find them in Purple, Teal, Pink and Blue (ours is the blue one). They are suitable for ages 6+, though younger ones may need some help navigating the app at first. They are widely available in toy shops and through online retailers such as Amazon.

Disclosure: We received our Furby Connect for the purposes of writing this review, all opinions and images are our own. Contains Amazon affiliate links.