Furby

2000 Furby Clip-Ons

The twelve numbered plush clip-ons from the spring 2000 Happy Meal promotion.

Brand
Furby
Region
United States, with documented UK distribution the same year
Promotion window
March 23, 2000 to April 13, 2000
Wave
Plush clip-on promotion
Set size
12
Packaging
Each toy came in its own clear polybag printed with a bag number 1 to 12 and the toy's name as SOFT TOY / JOUET SOUPLE / MUÑEQUITO SUAVE in English, French and Spanish, with 'See back for safety information'. The premiums were handed out in Happy Meal bags printed 'McDonald's Happy Meal / Furby / Lovable Clippable Soft Toys!', and the reverse of the bag carries a 'Furby Fur Guide' swatch chart of the twelve fur patterns headed 'Check them off as you collect them!'. Translite displays are also documented for the U.S. run, and one collector reference records Happy Meal cartons rather than bags. Toys carried a clip or hook attachment and were described contemporaneously as key chains.

In spring 2000 McDonald's followed the plastic McFurbys with a completely different Furby set: twelve soft plush clip-ons, each styled after an animal. The twelve designs are numbered #1 through #12: Elephant, Tiger, Tree Frog, Owl, Raccoon, Monkey, Lamb, Cow, Giraffe, Fox, Dinosaur and Diamondback Snake. Each has a fabric body in the animal's colors or print, a molded plastic Furby faceplate, oversized ears, a synthetic hair tuft and a clip or hook for hanging.

Contemporary U.S. collector records and packaging displays date the promotion to March 23 through April 13, 2000 in the United States, and UK distribution of McFurby plush is documented the same year. The animal names describe the designs' motifs; they are not electronic Furby species, and the toys contain no electronics at all.

12 releases

Identification notes

A sealed bag settles the identification outright: the polybag prints the number and the animal name in English, French and Spanish. Loose, match the fabric pattern and color combination against the numbered roster: pattern identifies the Tiger (black stripes on orange), Cow (brown patches on white), Giraffe (purple lattice on pink), Tree Frog (green patches on yellow) and Diamondback Snake (red diamonds on yellow); the solid-color designs are identified by the combination of body, belly, faceplate, feet and tuft colors, never one color alone. A contemporary U.S. archive also records a green-and-black Furby offered through a Monopoly instant-win game piece; it is not part of the numbered twelve and is tracked as an unresolved variant.