According to Ripley's, one of the most widespread Furby conspiracies was that the creature was actually an international spy. In 1999, the National Security Agency (NSA) banned the polyester chatterboxes from offices because it believed Furbies could repeat or record conversations about sensitive information. The NSA even circulated its own internal memo, reminding staff that recording devices of any kind were strictly prohibited: “This includes toys, such as ‘Furbies,’ with built-in recorders that repeat the audio with synthesised sound to mimic the original signal.”

The panic got so bad that Roger Shiffman, owner of Furby-manufacturer, Tiger Electronics, issued a statement saying, “Although Furby is a clever toy, it does not record or mimic voices. The NSA did not do their homework. Furby is not a spy!”

One reason people believed this particular narrative was that the Gremlin-like toys “learned” their human companion’s dialect. And we use the term “learn” very loosely. Furbies came pre-programmed with 700 to 800 words. While they only spoke their native language (Furbish) straight out of the box, more interactions would unlock more real words.

In fact, Furbies couldn’t learn or record anything. Dave Hampton, the creator of Furby, even demonstrated that the puppet’s microphone didn’t record any sounds, and could only hear a single, repetitive beep if a noise was made close to the Furby. No waveforms or words could be made out at all.

Still, some children also reported that their little furry friends acted strange at times, and some even wanted to get rid of their robotic friends. What is Furbish anyway, and could it be translated? Watch the video below and decide if it is worth owning one!