Furby (1998)/Factory Part differences

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Furby Factory Part Differences

The Original 1998 Furby’s were made in 5 different factories (EL, RL, JT, WT, and GE.) Because of this, their internal parts, faceplate, feet, and shells are different.

RL Factory Furby

RL Furby’s in general

RL Furby’s shells are not as shiny as other factories. Their ear bones are clearish white, and they have arrow tips. The plastic cover on the belly sensor has a screw that can be removed for cleaning if it doesn’t work. They have a singular clasp on the shells that the fur slips under so the ears can properly move. The wires for their IR sensor are hot glued. The IR sensor above the 3rd gear is glued in on these Furby’s.

The battery contacts a RL Furby has

The inside of an RL Furby’s battery pack (The green sticker says “RL 0239A” which means the Furby was made on January 23rd 1999.

Gen 1 RL Furby’s

Early Gen 1 RL factory Furby’s have a bunch of holes on the sides of their shells. They are coved up by a piece a foam, which makes the Furby a little chubby. They also have a clip on Faceplate. They have a micro tactile switch for the pet sensor, instead of a metal leaf switch, they can have either a black tilt sensor, or a clear tilt sensor. The microphone also has rubber around it, instead of foam. Gen 1 RL Furby’s usually don’t have a sync screw. These Furby’s also have little nubs on the ear bones to prevent them from moving down too much, Gen 1 Furby’s that were made really early on in 1998, will have a little metal ball for the upside down function of the tilt sensor, instead of a large metal plates. Early Gen 1 Furby’s can also have black ear bones. They can also have ribbons in the battery pack, for removal of the batteries. The reset button is a rubber pad that presses onto the reset button board. These Furby’s don’t come with purple plastic “Furby Original” tags.

The speaker Gen 1 RL Furby’s usually have

A Early RL Furby with foam on the shells

Gen 2 and Gen 3 RL Furby’s

Starting with Gen 2, the foam that the Gen 1 RL Furby’s had was removed, and so were the little holes the foam covered up. They also got rid of the ear bones to nubs, and modified the plastic shells to prevent their ears from lowering too much. The first few Gen 2 Furby’s kept the clip on faceplates. Later on, the RL factory got rid of the clip on faceplate and replaced it with a screw on faceplate. They also had foam around the microphone instead of rubber. These ones also started using a metal leaf switch for the pet switch, instead of a micro tactile switch. Gen 2 RL Furby’s still had clear tilt sensors. Gen 3 Furby’s belly sensor plastic was changed from black with a white plastic cover, to all white. They also came with white tilt sensors. The reset button is a rubber pad that presses onto the reset button board. Gen 2 Furby’s don’t have purple plastic “Furby Original” tags. Early Gen 3 Furby’s don’t have purple plastic tags, but later models have the purple plastic tags ”Furby Original” tag.

The speaker a Gen 3 Frog Furby has

Gen 4 RL Furby’s

These Furby’s internals are similar to the Gen 3 Furby’s. The reset button is a rubber pad that presses onto the reset button board. Some have all white belly sensors, while some can have black and white belly sensors, like the Gen 1 RL’s.

A skinned Dragon Furby

Gen 5 RL Furby’s

Staring with Gen 5, RL Furby’s faceplates got changed. They now closely resemble the same faceplates the EL factory Furby’s have. They have screws on each side of the shells holding the faceplate on, and their shells are now shiny. They also have black tilt sensors now. They also now have 2 ear clasps that the fur hooks onto to prevent the ears from getting stuck. The reset button is now a click button, with no rubber pad.

A skinned Lizard Furby

The New RL Factory Battery compartment

Gen 6 - 2001 RL Furby’s

These Furby’s internals are similar to the Furby’s from Gen 5, but now they have hook style ear bones. Sometimes their shells can be the same as older RL Furby’s, which results in their faceplates being glued on. Sometimes they can have purple plastic for the gearbox, instead of black plastic. The purple plastic doesn’t appear to be on the 2001 re-release Furbys, but is seen on Gen 6 and Gen 7 RL Furbys.

A skinned RL Alligator Furby with purple plastic for the gearbox, and hook ear bones

An Alligator Furby with the shells of a Gen 3 RL Furby and the faceplate of a Gen 5 RL Furby

Special Edition Furby’s

Some RL Special Editon Furby’s (Valentines Furby) will have the same internal structure a Gen 6 RL Furby has. The Autumn Furby’s internals resemble a Gen 5 RL Furby more than a Gen 6. Sometimes the Autumn Furby’s shells can be the same as a Gen 3 RL Furby’s shells, but have the faceplate of a Gen 5 RL Furby’s. This results in the faceplate being glued on. Some Special Editons (like the Graduation Furby, Hi-C Furby, Spring Time Furby, and Patriotic Furby) don’t have the “Furby Original” tag, but others (like the Jester Furby, Santa Furby, Valentines Furby, Angel Furby, Racing Furby, Autumn Furby, Royal Furby, Kid Cuisine Furby, Millennium Furby, Y2K Furby, Reindeer Furby, and Easter Furby) have the ”Furby Original” tag. Sometimes they can have a purple gearbox, instead of a black one.

A skinned Autumn Furby

WT Factory Furby’s

WT Factory Furby’s have shiny shells. Their ear bones are much flatter than the other factories, they can be clear, or white. WT ear bones are kind of flimsy and can break if bent wrong. The faceplate has 2 square shaped tabs inside the fur that screws can be inserted it to and screwed into the shells. WT Furby’s originally had black colored tilt sensors, but starting in 2000, the tilt sensor was turned yellow. The plastic cover on the belly sensor has a screw that can be removed for cleaning if it doesn’t work. They have a single ear clasp on their shells that the fur slips under to make sure the ears move properly. The plastic piece the speaker, and belly switch are connected to is always black, and the plastic cover is always white. The reset button has a rubber pad that presses on the board. It has a plastic piece so it can be pressed (the rubber bit is underneath the plastic part.) Their IR sensor wires are hot glued.

A WT Furby’s faceplate

A skinned WT Furby with no shells

A skinned Juicy Grape WT Furby with its shells on

A WT shell next to a GE shell

A disassembled WT Furby. It has shiny shells and flat ear sticks

A WT Furby’s reset button

GE Factory Furby’s

GE Factory Furby’s have no screws holding the faceplate on, they instead have their faceplates glued on. Their ear bones are the same as the RL Factory Furby’s. Later GE Factory Furby’s have thicker/bigger arrows on the top of their ear bones. The plastic cover on the belly sensor can’t be removed. Some Gen 1 GE Furby’s tilt sensors can be randomly colored (yellow, black, with white cap.) The plastic part for the pet sensor can be yellow on some Gen 1 GE Furbys. Starting with Gen 2, all GE Factory Furby’s came with white colored tilt sensors, and the plastic used for the pet sensor is always white. These Furby’s have a large ear clasp that the fur slips under to prevent the ears from getting stuck. Really early Gen 1 GE Factory Furby’s can have black colored ear bones with 3 holes in them. The plastic piece the speaker, and belly switch are connected to are always red. These Furby’s also use a twist tie to tie the IR sensor wires to the gearbox (likely so they don’t get in the way of the gears or the ears.) The ear bone gears also are missing one single gear tooth. The reset button is a plastic click button. The IR sensor itself is hot glued to the part that the eyes, and beak are connected to. The IR sensor above the 3rd gear is glued in on these Furbys. Gen 8 GE Furbys can have indigo colored plastic for the gearbox, instead of black.

A skinned GE Skunk Furby

A skinned GE Furby with black ear bones

A GE shell next to a WT shell

A glue on faceplate on a GE Skunk Furby

A GE Furby’s ear clasp

A GE Furby with thick ear bone tips.

GE Blueberry Spanish Furby with Indigo plastic for its gearbox

JT Factory Furby’s

JT Factory Furby’s can have one screw holding the faceplate on, (under the beak) or have 3 screws holding it on (2 on the sides, and one under the beak.) The plastic cover on the belly sensor can be be removed for cleaning if it doesn’t work. They all have black colored tilt sensors that have a y shaped piece of plastic on the underside of their board, that can be gently removed to open it and clean it. The rubber piece behind its eyes is usually thicker at the bottom, to prevent the eyes from moving around too much. The faceplates on these Furby’s (specifically the white ones, and sometimes the faceplate the Sherbet Furby uses) tend to yellow the most. The ear bones used on Gen 1 - Gen 2 Furbys, and the Springtime JT Furby were initially had rounded tips and were flimsy, which can cause them to break if bent wrong. Starting with Gen 4, their ear bones were switched to hook style ear bones, and were less flimsy, but can still break if the hook part was bent wrong. These Furby’s usually have smaller, less stuffed feet than the other factories. These Furby’s have 2 ear clasps that the fur hooks onto to prevent the ears from sticking. The plastic piece the speaker, and belly switch are connected to is always all black. These Furby’s also have really bad grease which causes their gears to get loud, and sometimes start screeching. The bad grease can also cause the Furby to move slower than it should, unless new grease is applied. The reset button is a plastic click button. Their IR sensor wires are not glued or tied. Their IR sensor is screwed in.

A skinned Jester Furby with hook ear bones

A skinned JT Furby with rounded tip ear bones

Screw holding in the faceplate on a JT Skunk Furby

The left side screw on a JT Spring Time Furby

The screw under the beak of a JT Spring Time Furby

The right side screw on a JT Spring Time Furby

Feet size comparison

The mech of a JT Gorilla Furby.

A JT Furby board

The Faceplate Gen 2 - Gen 4 JT Furby’s use

The Faceplate later JT Furby’s and the Jester Furby use

The faceplate Gen 1 JT Furby’s use (its missing the hook at the top of the faceplate)

EL Factory Furby’s

EL Factory Furby’s have 2 screws holding the faceplate down on both sides. On the outside, They have a little bump around the spot where the Furby’s IR sensor is located. Their ear bone tips are just little nubs. The tilt sensor looks similar to the WT tilt sensor. The plastic covering on the belly sensor is fastened in with a metal washer, and can’t be removed without damaging it. These Furby’s have 2 ear clasps that the fur hooks onto to prevent the ears from getting stuck. The plastic piece the speaker, and belly switch are connected to, is always red, and the plastic cover is always white. The reset button is a plastic click button. Their IR sensor wires are hot glued. The plastic pieces that move the beak seem to be designed differently as these Furbys have a stronger beak grip than the other factories.

Battery Contact Size differences

The chart below provides a comparison of various battery contact sizes for Furbys. It can help determine if other contacts will be compatible for use as donor parts when replacing or upgrading Furbys.
Sizes have been rounded to the nearest mm.

The color-coded system indicates which contacts should fit with others:

Red: These contacts may require alterations (such as cutting) to fit properly or may not be visually compatible.
Green: These contacts should fit well with other green contacts.
Blue: These contacts should be compatible with other blue contacts.

Note:

• Green and blue contacts may fit each other from small to large gap. The opposite way around may require cutting.
  
• The easiest way to identify an early RL from a later RL is by examining the Furby's hard plastic shell. Early models have numerous ventilation holes covered with foam, while later models do not.

Factory Model	Spring Size	Bottom Tray (Positive)	Bottom Tray (Negative)	Bottom Tray (Positive & Negative)	Top Tray (Positive with Arm)	Top Tray (Negative with Arm)	Top Tray (Positive)	Top Tray (Negative)
EL	Small	15 x 10mm	15 x 10mm	28 x 11mm	15 x 11mm	15 x 11mm	15 x 11mm	15 x 11mm
GE	Small	13 x 11mm	18 x 10mm	28 x 11mm	14 x 11mm	16 x 11mm	15 x 11mm	15 x 11mm
JT	Small	16 x 11mm	16 x 11mm	28 x 11mm	16 x 11mm	16 x 11mm	16 x 11mm	16 x 11mm
Early RL	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
Later RL	Large	13 x 11mm	18 x 11mm	28 x 11mm	15 x 11mm	14 x 11mm + Extra Arm	16 x 11mm	16 x 11mm
WT	Small	14 x 11mm	18 x 10mm	30 x 11mm	15 x 11mm	16 x 10mm	16 x 11mm	15 x 11mm

Battery cover screw differences

Battery cover screw sizes varied across all factory model Furbys. These differences include screw length, diameter, the presence of a shoulder (a smooth unthreaded section beneath the head), and whether or not a retaining clip is used to prevent the screw from falling out of the battery door.

The screw type used in most cases is a pan head machine screw with a shoulder. Some models also include a small plastic retaining clip (or captive washer) that holds the screw in place even when it is fully unscrewed.

The table below shows known screw dimensions for 1998 Furby adult models.

Note:

• Sizes may vary slightly, as each model was measured from a single unit. Generations are listed in the chart because screw sizes can vary between them. More data will be added later to confirm screw sizes across all generations.
• The "suspected screw type" is based on available measurements and is not guaranteed to be exact.
• Using a longer shoulder may cause the battery tray to fit slightly loose.
• The easiest way to identify an early RL from a later RL is by examining the Furby's hard plastic shell. Early models have numerous ventilation holes covered with foam, while later models do not.

Factory Model	Generation	Screw Length	Screw Width	Suspected Screw Type	Shoulder Length	Retaining Clip	Fits Models
GE	2	10mm	2.5mm	M2.5	5mm	No	JT
RL	6	9mm	3.3mm	M3.5	4mm	No	–
EL	3	9mm	2.7mm	M3	4mm	Yes	WT, JT
WT	1	9mm	2.7mm	M3	4.5mm	No	EL, JT
JT	1	9mm	2.7mm	M3	5mm	No	EL, WT