Remember the robotic pet that every kid wanted in the late 90s, early 2000s? The Furby was all the rage while simultaneously being one of the weirdest things we’d ever seen. It had no arms, large ears and strange eyes with a tiny beak. When electronic pets were becoming such a big deal to kids, this strange creature talked, purred and blinked it’s way into our hearts.

According to Furby Toy Shop’s history of this Furbish friend, this toy earned around 27 million dollars during it’s first launch in only 12 months. It was insane for a robotic toy to be so responsive and engaging. Unfortunately, Furby didn’t last for too long. Sales for the original Furby stopped around 2002, but that didn’t mean the dream was over. We’ve seen revivals for the beloved toy in both 2005 and 2012 with new upgrades; they were both extremely successful as well. But perhaps the greatest revival of all? The Furby fandom that’s been created around these little fluff balls.

It may seem strange to talk about a toy we haven’t seen for years, but there’s a thriving community that simply adores Furbies in all their shapes and colors. This isn’t extremely unusual, considering how many original toy collectors there are, but if you haven’t considered these fans, you should.

This is perhaps one of the most wholesome communities when it comes to toy collectors. The owners get really into it, even creating adorable custom Furbies themselves; just look at how fabulous this one looks! Sometimes, the customization process can take a really long time, but the creativity alone is something to be admired.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd3XCsEAt0L/?tagged=customfurby

Toy collecting isn’t anything new, but if you’re looking to do something nostalgic and wholesome, consider the Furby community as a viable candidate for your time. At the very least, you should visit some of the bloggers who document how they’ve customized their Furbies or even some of the art done by the fandom.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhIubOMjyWJ/?tagged=furbyart

Of course, it’s not all glamour; there’s a lot of wonderful jokes that this community has too. Considering the fact that there’s been a number of parodies around the Furby franchise, it’s no surprise that some people find this toy just a little creepy. If you’ve ever owned one, you probably know what we’re talking about; think about anytime the batteries were dying or one malfunctioned. It can sometimes be the stuff of nightmares. But nothing beats something like long Furby. Just look at him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjnKxhXH-7-/?tagged=longfurby

Or maybe even a fat Furby like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bji64Sjjzwv/?tagged=longfurby

Regardless of what you’re looking for, this fandom is both funny and really unusual. Despite some of the cool updates the newer versions of Furby provide, such as connecting to smart phones through the recent Furby generation, there’s still so much you can do with the old. Even if you don’t want want to fight an Ebay nerd for that classic, childhood friend, the photos are enough to make you feel whole again.