Furbys Against Fascism

February 17, 2026

Like any spoiled 90s child, I had a Furby. I got it for Christmas in 1998 and annoyed the shit out of my family with it. I’m not sure about today’s Furbys, but the OG ones came with a little dictionary of Furbish words so that you could better communicate with your Furby as it "learned" English.

As a kid who loved all things words, this addition may have been better than the Furby itself. I did my best to string together silly sentences in my new language, further irritating my family for weeks.

Meanwhile, trouble was brewing for Mattel’s latest fad toy. Furbys made headlines in 1999 when they were deemed a threat by the United States government. Eventually, the controversy passed along with the fad, and Furbys faded into toy aisle obscurity.

I held on to my Furby for the next decade or so, finally letting it go at a family garage sale in the early 2010s. But I remembered the controversy and brought it up each time I reminisced about Furbys with other nostalgic 90s kids.

I thought about Furbys again last summer, when I had the very stupid idea to translate a children’s religious tract into Furbish. I wisely chose not to do that project (though I did translate the Lord’s Prayer), but I did fall into a Furby rabbit hole and learned more about Furby’s origins (both fictitious and factual) and its scuffle with the U.S. government.

Here is the official Furby lore in a nutshell: Furbys are creatures from a place called A-loh May-lah. Because of changes to the climate in their home, Furbys have come to Earth for survival. Yes, really. Furbys are climate refugees.

Shortly after their arrival, Furbys came under fire when U.S. government officials incorrectly believed their "learning" ability meant they could record audio. In order to prevent "spying" and "security issues," Furbys were banned from some government buildings. In other words, unsubstantiated claims from the government resulted in the toy’s unfair expulsion.

Does that sound familiar? Innocent immigrants indiscriminately removed by the U.S. government? If you’ve been paying attention to the news, it should.

Given Furby’s background, I can only imagine that these resilient creatures would take up arms against the current administration and its destructive policies. So I created a pamphlet that explores more of Furby’s history and translates several phrases for resistance into Furbish.

Why? Because it’s fun and silly, and I know that I could use a little bit of that right now.

The pamphlet is below, if you’re interested (or download the PDF here). Feel free to print it out and share it with other weirdos who might be amused by it.

I’m also mailing them out for free to anyone who wants one, along with the Furbys Against Fascism sticker you see above. Email me here if you want one:

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