Furby

The NSA has finally released a treasure trove of documents about the brief Furby panic of 1998 and 1999 at America’s top spy agency, in which it banned the toy from its offices as a potential spy device, discussed the toy’s ability to “learn” using an “artificial intelligent chip onboard” on an internal listserv, and ultimately was embarrassed by attention from the press after an employee leaked news of the ban to The Washington Post.

The NSA’s interest in and concern with the spying capabilities of the Furby—the iconic furry robot toy—has been documented over the years by various news outlets, YouTube channels, and the Federal Aviation Administration (which banned Furby operation during takeoff and landing). But previous write-ups rely on a brief news story in the Washington Post from January 13, 1999 called “A TOY STORY OF HAIRY ESPIONAGE,” which noted that Furby had been banned from the NSA’s offices in Maryland in part because they were worried that NSA employees would discuss classified information to the Furby, which could learn from it and would possibly repeat what it’d heard at a later date.