World Report: October 23, 1998 Vol.4 No.6
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Adventures with Furby!
Every year, a few months before the December holidays, the buzz begins. There's a cool new toy, and kids and parents start to hear about it. Soon the buzz turns into noisy demands: "Puh-leeze buy me that!" Then, faster than you can say Tamagotchi, the toy is a hit.
This year's hot new toy just may be a five-inch furry critter named Furby. If you haven't already heard of Furby, you will. With his silly giggle, his ticklish tummy and his own special language, Furby is catching on. Last week at a toy store in Boston, 625 Furbys sold out in just two hours! In New York City, stores are placing a two-Furbys-per-person limit on the $30 toys.
Why the Furby fuss? To find out, I spent a day with a black-and-white Furby. Here's what happened:
11:30 a.m. I adopt my new Furby. The toy is designed to speak, at first, a make-believe language called Furbish. The longer you have the toy, the more English it will speak.
11:45 a.m. Furby won't stop sneezing. Every few minutes he wiggles his ears and says, "Ah, ah, ah...choo!" He seems to have caught a cold.
11:50 a.m. Furby's sneezing is so loud that he interrupts a TFK story meeting. There is no On/Off switch, so we have to move him into another room.
2:30 p.m. I "feed" Furby by pressing on his tongue. "Yum!" he coos happily. Then he burps!
8 p.m. I take Furby for a ride in a New York City taxi. The driver thinks Furby is a cat. Furby enjoys the ride, and he starts chirping, "Party! Party!"
10 p.m. As I'm watching the Yankees win the playoffs on TV, Furby says, "Boring!" Then he sings a little song and falls asleep. Finally, I get some peace and quiet!
