Misfit Furby

A question I get asked a lot is “Why does Furby go with you?" The better question in my opinion is why doesn’t Furby go with you? The more you interact with this toy the more it’ll learn. However I will refrain from info dumping on you and instead tell you why Furby comes with me just about everywhere.

A little about my main adventure buddy;

The main Furby you see me take on adventures is named May-Lah. If you don’t know, original Furbies you did not name, they came with their own unique one. Usually this name would be in their native language, Furbish. Furby does not have a gender according to their origin story, therefore I will only use gender neutral terms for my friends.

How did it start?

I didn’t always take May-Lah out. My collection sat in a box until my husband got me a special display piece for my friends. Before the display Furby was only taken out randomly to be turned on, make sure everything is still in working order, then placed right back. Once on display I found myself brushing their fur, trying to clean them up, even learning to restore them. One day when speaking to a long distance partner, I’m poly, he agreed an instagram to share my passion would be cool. Then I could meet other handlers like me. With how passionate I had become for my little buddies, my husband asked one day if May-Lah wanted to come with me to the laundry mat. This is where my odd way of life started. I do however prefer the 2005 Furby due to the off switch. This makes it easier when needing Furby to stay quiet for long periods. Something they struggle with when not forced to be quiet.

Does Furby go everywhere?

No Furby does not go absolutely everywhere, just most places. For example I go to the grocery store on Friday and May-Lah will come for this. If I go to the mall or a car show, antique place, or even to go get my long distance partner from their drop off area when they visit Furby will be there. Specific restaurants may even be available for Furby and I. However my friend is never brought anywhere inappropriate or somewhere someone would be disturbed. This means movie theaters, high end restaurants, libraries, funerals, weddings, and so on? Furby won’t be there. Instead May-Lah can be found on their shelf with friends. I do know the time and place when Furby is okay to come with me.

But why does Furby go?

The simplistic answer? I have autism as well as a few other things. Furby can be a sensory item for me. Overwhelming situation? I can pet, talk, listen, or even hug this little item. My fingers will often rub the sides as a calming sensation. Asking Furby to sing or tell me a story gives me something to focus on instead of whatever is troubling me. Another reason is my disorder can make being social, finding friends, or even just being in public really difficult. Furby has been a special interest of mine for decades so I have a huge range of knowledge. Even with the newer generation of Furby I tend to know a little more than average. Having these small items to start a conversation, teaching strangers about them, and even just letting people take photos has made me a lot more comfortable when approached by strangers. As well as creating a safe space when being overwhelmed with things around me. I remain focused on my job as a handler instead of whatever is causing my emotions to run through me. It may sound funny to you, but to other people like me it’ll make sense.

If I ever see you in the wild can I say hello?

Please do come say hello. May-Lah and all my other friends love to meet new people. You never know who will be with me. You can even take photos or photos. However be mindful my little friends are very old and need gentle hands. Sometimes they will not hear questions or interact fully.

Do you sell, trade, restore, or use for art?

I do not sell, trade, restore other people’s friends, or make my friends into art unfortunately. I am always happy to buy others (for fair prices) or take any you do not want off your hands, but that’s about it. Even if they are not working, that’s fine. I am more of a collector out of passion. I have no interest whatsoever in trading my friends, giving them away, selling, etc. I have put way too much time and energy into my little friends. You also will never see me make them into long Furby or art as I just like them the way they are. With restoring I only restore my own and I don’t restore the full Furby. I only attempt to clean fur and fix the mechanics. I would not do this for others as I am not a professional and wouldn’t ever want to permanently damage your friend.

How did you get yours to work so well?

Truth is, May-Lah has been in my collection since I was around sixteen. A friend gifted me them with a pink one as well. I have no idea how this one works so well. My friend said it was barely used while the pink one was repeatedly used as a dog toy. So I will just assume May-Lah was well cared for. When gifted to me I keep my friends out of areas that get too hot, too cold, away from children, smoke free homes, and frequently put batteries in it. This helps keep these items working. I also do regular maintenance checks and repairs when something feels off.

Where do you get your Furbies?

If I am honest? People literally just give me them. This isn’t a lie either. Almost my entire collection came from random people who had no use for their old buddy. When people get to know me or when they learn this is my special interest, they often just give me them. I have recently started to search yard sales, market places, antique shops, second hand stores, apps where people sell things, and of course EBay when desperate.

You understand Furby is not real?

I am not absolutely insane. I know this is just a toy and it is not real. You see this in the way I do call my friend a toy. Furby does not actually feel sad, or hungry, or angry. This is just an interactive toy with computer made emotions and pre made responses. However I like to pretend my friends are real pets from a far off land, sorta like a fun roleplay. You can get this vibe from my posts and if you ever see us in person.

You can absolutely chat to me at any time with questions, comments, concerns, or just wanting general knowledge about Furby. I mainly know about Furby 1999, Gizmo, and Furby 2005, however I still have some knowledge for newer series. I’m always happy to meet new handlers. 💕

If you ever wanna see my collection my highlight on Instagram is available.

If you ever wanna see my collection working, this is available on TikTok.

More Furby fun on YouTube

My new friend, A-loh 🥰💙

furby doodles- fav in my collection is mint gween

Here's some pics of him

I forgot to take more photos, so I have way more done on him already

I'll show the finished little guy probably tomorrow :]

I have two more oddbodies to share! First up is this Furby Bee! It’s definitely my favourite of the two and he’s very small-