Hasbro Goes Double Retro With New ‘Star Wars’ Furby

Legendary toymaker Hasbro hopes that heavy doses of nostalgia will send shoppers scurrying to their nearest toy store this fall for its latest playful gadget, the Star Wars Furby.

Hoping to piggyback on the highly hyped release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December, Hasbro let people get a glimpse of the cute little creature known as “Furbacca”–a Furby tribute to everyone’s beloved Wookiee, Chewbacca.

“Furbacca” will sport a higher price tag than the regular Furby, with Hasbro announcing they intend to sell it for the hefty sum of $79.99 each. The typical Furby usually sells for around $20.

The Star Wars version of the Furby is able to hum along to the Star Wars theme song, as well as interact with users thanks to built in sensors and an app that will be available on both Android and Apple platforms.

Sensors are said to be located on his head, under his stomach, and along his mouth and tail. Owners will be able to virtually feed, bathe, and play games with Furbacca. There is no word as to whether or not we can command him to pilot the Millennium Falcon.

Hasbro gave news website Mashable a preview of the Furby, and Mashable was kind enough to give its viewers a glimpse of the cute little creature through its Vine account.

The Furby became a sensation in the late nineties when it was originally released by Tiger Electronics. It was one of the top selling toys of the 1998 Christmas season.

In 2005, Hasbro took over production of the product. According to Mashable, “Furbacca” is the first licensed Furby figure since Hasbro’s relaunch after an extended hiatus in 2007.

Following the relaunch in 2012, consumers were introduced to a more colorful and data savvy toy known as the Furby Boom. Star Wars fans will most likely be pleased with the possibility of having a Wookiee of their very own, even if it requires batteries.

It seems fitting Hasbro would be the one to launch the Star Wars Furby, considering it is the parent company to the now defunct Kenner Products, best known for its production and distribution of the original iconic 1970s Star Wars action figures and toys.

Hasbro has yet to announce if any other Star Wars themed characters will be featured in the Furby line up, such as “Darthby” or “Yoby” in a tribute to Darth Vader and Yoda. If this toy is like many others from the Star Wars franchise over the past several decades, it will quickly become a collectible favorite.

[Image courtesy of Variety]