When Stephanie Sanders-Jacob woke up last Thursday, it felt a bit like Christmas: Hasbro had announced a new Furby for the first time in almost seven years.
"I have to admit, I cried," said Sanders-Jacob, who has a collection of about 40. "I've already ordered two — one in each color."
It may have been decades since you last thought about Furby, the genderless part-owl, part-hamster-like toy with deadpan human-like eyes that can most accurately be compared to Mogwai from the 1980s movie "Gremlins." But since it debuted in 1998, 58 million Furbys have been sold and the animatronic novelty has maintained legions of dedicated fans. It has remained a relevant part of pop culture, having its face superimposed onto various celebrities and objects and making cameos in shows like "The Simpsons" and movies like "Uncut Gems" and "The Mitchells vs. the Machines." (In the latter, small Furbys summon the world's largest Furby to wreak havoc against a human family.)
