In 1997, Buzz Lightyear was the must-have toy. In 1998, it was the Furby. Launched in 1998, the toy sold in the millions. The little robots spoke Furbish and were programmed to say English words after a defined period of time. This gave the impression the creature was listening and learning. It convinced millions of children who spoke to their cyberpets in the hope they'd be able to hold a conversation one day.

In this report, Kate Smith visited a local toy shop to learn more about the toy every child hoped to find in their stocking on Christmas morning, 1998.

A UTV Production

• UTV Ireland