ON THE FURBY FANDOM
The furby fandom grew out of the original furby collectors from 1999. For a while, it was just people collecting furbies like any other vintage toy collector, but soon enough people started adding little customizations to their furbies. Jewelry for them to wear, maybe painting their faceplate, small things at first. The urge to customize your furby more and more grew amongst the small fandom until finally, in 2018, Tumblr user furbyfuzz would change the fandom forever. They posted their creation: LongFurby, who quickly went viral for her horrifying appearence. She was truely a very long furby. After this, the fandom exploded with creativity, making their own long furbies and 'oddbody' furbies. The furby fandom is largly a very open and friendly space. Many people in the fandom are lgbtq+, disabled, or neurodivergant, and find Peace And Joy in their furbies and in the community. The furby fandom has had its fair share of drama, such as scammers and bad actors sneaking in, but today it is quite peaceful. The furby fandom's home base is on Tumblr, but there are furby fandom spaces on all social medias. The pandemic drew in even more people who were searching for something silly and comforting.
WHY?
A non furby fan might be wondering why so many people love furbies so much. I myself have wondered this. I have NO idea. There's just something so nice about taking a forgotten toy and making it into something special. The act of customizing is simple and creative. Most of the furbies I have are customized with a painted faceplate. The most elaborate custom I've made (not counting my long furby) is Asparagus, a frog furby turned fairy themed, where I added gold thread embroidery and rhinestones in their fur. It's fun, and I get to know the furby itself in a way. One crucial aspect of the furby fandom is naming your furby and giving them a personality. Some people have blogs that are 'run' by their furbies (as in the furby is the one 'posting' on it). Asparagus is a mod on my blog. They have wide eyes and the eyeballs slip down a lot, giving them a horrifed expression, as though they had seen the secrets of the universe and are left to ponder all that they now know. Asparagus is a tired fairy furby who lives in a sewer and needs a nap constantly. One of my other furbies is a 11 year old world-famous pop star genius hacker, and her older brother is just a normal guy who had to quit his dreams of being an archetect to be her manager.
Besides the creative aspect of furby collecting and customizing, the furbies themselves are just really silly. This is why the fandom also love furby fakes, because they look so stupid. Furbies are funny and silly goofy, and they do still have a little creepy uncanniness that the fandom likes to take advantage of. Obscure and ominous posts featuring your furbies are just really fun to make.