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Ok. So the holidays are quickly approaching, and my kids
have one toy on their minds. FURBY BOOM. Last year, the must have toy of the
season was the reinvented Hasbro Furby. This year apparently, it’s the upgraded
Furby Boom. K-aos was delighted when she received her hot pink Furby for Christmas
last year and she instantly fell in love with the little plush robot. She
carried it everywhere, tucked it in at night and bawled every time its LED eyes
went black, a sign that the batteries were about to die.
We became a “Furby Family” and K-aos even insisted that she
have a Furby birthday party. Our little guy loves Furby as well, and there is a
constant battle between my two kids over the Furbster. Thank goodness for
durability, because he (or is it she?) has hit the floor quite a few times mid
battle.
Now, as a parent, we all have to endure toys that get on our
nerves. When K-aos received her little Sesame Street piano at age 3, there was
lots of times I was thankful when the batteries died. She was also too little
to notice when it went missing for days on end. Tickle-me Elmo was another one.
But nothing nags at my sanity like the constant chitter chatter
of Furby. Sure, they may look sweet and innocent, but the schizophrenic little “Dr.Jeckyl-Mr.Hyde's", never ever seem to shut up. You know what it’s like, when a tap drips
all night when you’re trying to sleep? Or a mosquito flies over you and you
hide under your sheets? Well they are that F-urbing annoying! When the kids
forget about Furby or we “conveniently” don’t have any more battery
replacements … I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Wait. Do you hear that? It’s
the sound of silence. F#$* yeah! J
Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but our Furby has only acted cute and sweet
twice. Ours is Dr.Evil, howling at the moon, more often than not. Furby’s manic
behaviour and outbursts are enough to drive anyone to drink. Having a husband
who howls every time there’s a full moon is enough to cope with. J
So I posed this question to K-aos, “Why in the world would
you need another Furby?”
She looks at me like I’m stupid and replies, “So they can
talk to each other and Furby Boom is so much cooler!”
If you haven’t seen the commercial for the new Furby Boom,
they have upgraded Furby so that they are more interactive. (Do you remember Nano-pets?
For some reason that’s how I conceptualize a virtual Furbling.) Although I haven’t
seen one used yet, from what I’ve read, as you play with and care for your
FURBY BOOM they will earn colourful virtual eggs that in time will each hatch
and become a FURBLING virtual friend. The kids can feed their virtual Furbling,
and even watch it go to the bathroom. You will be able to collect over 50 eggs
within the FURBY BOOM app and eventually build a FURBY BOOM city. I don’t know
what anyone else thinks of this, but the idea of a Furby city scares the crap
out of me!
Now, when K-aos’s stepsister came to visit, she showed her
how to go on Dad’s phone and upload Furby Boom videos on YouTube. Surprise,
surprise, K-aos’s new favorite past time is to go online and watch what these
colorful little monsters can do. If you ask Little J if he likes Furby, he points
at your phone and says “Boom!”
So, what’s a mom to do? The letters to Santa are complete,
and the number one thing is F.B. I will neither confirm nor deny, if Santa will
be bringing a Boom for Christmas, the same as I can neither confirm nor deny
that I have ever screamed, “Shut that Furby up, or I will shut it up forever!!!”
See my predicament? I am trying to raise grateful children,
and we’ve had many discussions about not always being able to have everything
we want. I’m sure my kids would be fine if Furby Boom wasn’t under the tree Christmas
morning, sure they might be a bit disappointed, but they would get over it. The
fact is though, I want my kids to be happy Christmas morning, and it’s the ONE
thing they’ve asked for….
Gulp…..what the Furb am I getting myself into?
All I can say is, Santa better be compassionate and bring me
a really good set of headphones, or a gift-card for a day trip to the spa, for
my moments of Furby-induced insanity.
Good luck to all the parents out there, who will have a
Furby/Furbling, or some other obnoxious toy joining their family this holiday.
Season’s Greetings,
Amy :)