31 Days of Halloween: October 23
Good afternoon, friends,
If you’re just joining us, you may not know this fun fact about me…but…I love Furbys. (Furbies? Furby singular?)
If you’re not familiar, the Furby was THE hot toy of 1998. (My mom waited in a long 4 a.m. line to get me one—thank you, Mom!) It’s a little creature with ears, round eyes, long eyelashes, and a beak. The Furby is electronic and speaks in its own dialect (known as “furbish”).
I mean, maybe this isn’t so surprising? I love things that are so ugly they’re cute. I love a weird little guy. I love blobs with funny feet.
The Furby fits squarely into all of these categories. I think they live close to the uncanny valley, if not exactly inside it. Their stare is intense, their form is slightly familiar, slightly alien…they’re a bit unsettling, to be sure, but I can’t look away!
“What’s so creepy about this?” you may be thinking. “It’s just an innocent children’s toy!”
Aside from the inherent strangeness of nostalgia on today’s internet, as demonstrated in this video “Furby 2005 ascending into the heavens…”, may I introduce you to the world of oddbodies?
These Furbys have been customized to have…well, odd bodies.
They’re long.
Like, reeeally long.
They have…legs. And teeth.
They lurk in lakes.
They are evolving.
Consider yourself forwarned; do what you must to protect yourself.
Sweet dreams.
Til tomorrow,
Laura
Laura E. Hall
@lauraehall
lauraehall.com
ko-fi