How to Restore a Furby

What You’ll Need

• small phillips screwdriver
• white vinegar (for cleaning battery corrosion — see §13)
• cotton swabs and lint-free cloth
• replacement eyeshields, if needed
• needle, thread, and faux fur for repairs

The refurbishment that started it all

1. Safety Check

Remove the batteries before you begin. Inspect the shell for cracks, the ears for splits, and the wiring for corrosion. Older Furbys sometimes leak battery acid near the contacts — clean that first (see §13) and only then continue.

If the corrosion is bad, check the wires where they meet the board. Black-wire corrosion (the dark crust that creeps along the negative lead) is the one to watch — it can eat through the wire that keeps the motor and board connected to actual power. If you see it, re-solder a fresh length of wire onto the clean part of the lead rather than trusting the corroded section. (This matches what the original Furby patent describes for the power path — worth confirming against your own unit, but don't power a Furby on a wire you can see is corroded through.)

2. Disassembly

Start with the fur, then the shell. Take it slow — cautious, not scared.

2a. Ears and ziptie

• Cut the ear threads. The ears are held by thread. Snip them carefully — do not cut the ear fabric. Pull the ears off the ear bone underneath.
• Find the ziptie closure. Flip the Furby onto its belly. The fur is closed at the base with a zip tie — you'll usually feel the zip-tie end as a little bump (sometimes the closure is sewn shut, sometimes left unsewn).
• Cut and save the ziptie. Use flush cutters to snip it off. You'll need a fresh 12–14" zip tie to close the fur again later (thick enough that it doesn't snap when you pull it tight). Keep the cutters handy — you'll use them again to trim the new zip tie during reassembly.

2b. Remove the skin

Start peeling the skin off the body. Be careful not to break the small tabs under the ears that the skin tucks under — they're usually held with hot glue, so pull the glue free and un-hook the tabs from the ear bones rather than yanking. There are three common ways the skin is held to the base shell:

• Hot glue (a lot of it) — just pull the skin and shell apart.
• Plastic snap clips on either side — these get brittle with age and break easily, so unsnap them slowly and lock them back just as carefully on reassembly.
• Screws on either side — simply unscrew, but don't over-tighten on reassembly; the plastic posts they thread into can crack, and some models/factories are worse than others.

Most of the glue sits around the face, ears, and top of the head, so expect to pull a bit harder there. As long as you don't snap an ear bone, you're fine.

2c. Wash the skin

Wash the skin in mild soap and cool/lukewarm water as many times as needed. Soap will rough up the fabric feel, so after washing soak it in a fabric-softener or conditioner solution for about 30 minutes, then let it air dry. A no-heat air fluff will revive the fur.

⚠️ Heat warning. Too-hot water, a hot dryer, or high heat will mat the fur — one of mine came out matted from exactly that. Cool water and no heat only.

2d. Open the shell

With the skin off, the body shell is held by screws: usually four on the right side, two on the left, one at the top between the ears, and one at the bottom joining the two halves. Some shells have variations where they only have 4 screws, two bottom side and then the top and back. Remove them and gently pull the shell apart — old, dried lubrication, broken bits, and weather-warped pieces may come loose.

• The microphone sensor lives in the shell — ease it out, don't yank; it's still wired to the board.
• The little screen pieces around the mic can pop out; they just press back in and are held by the shell when you close it.
• Save every screw and shell half in a bag or container so nothing gets lost. Replacements exist online but rarely match exactly, and you can also harvest parts from dead/corroded units that won't power on.

3. Cleaning Stains

For stains — use Dawn Powerwash for extra strength, and you can use a bleach pen on any of the white parts if the Furby has any (depends on the colorwave), but note it will need at least a few minute soak in either condition or fabric softener, and again a little goes a long way. If this toy will go to a child or pet my recommendation is to steer away from fabric softener and use some human or animal conditioner instead. Stains and clumps that won't come out of the fur can be cut away — just be careful to cut only what's needed, because you can make your Furby look bald or like he got a bad haircut before school picture day. I try to make it look as natural as possible by using the same technique for hair: blending and cutting with the hair.

4. Fur Rejuvenation

If the fur is matted, comb gently with a pet slicker brush. For deeper cleaning, see the skin-wash steps in §9. Let the fur dry fully before reassembly. You can use a towel to squeeze the water out and speed up the drying process. Hang drying will work and cause less drip drying.

4a. Customizing the fur color (Rit dye)

If you want to customize a Furby's color (not restore it), Rit dye can work on the synthetic fur. Use it only as a customizing step, never as part of a standard rescue.

• Test first. Apply the dye to an inconspicuous area (inside a seam, under a tab) and let it dry before committing to the whole skin — synthetic fur takes dye unevenly.
• Be careful with heat. Keep the heat as low as possible to still dye the Furby, but not hot enough to singe the fur together. Make sure to constantly stir and monitor it, follow the instructions for the dye, and look into it yourself. The fur is acrylic/plastic — too-hot water, a hot dryer, or high heat will melt or mat it.
• The Ghost band Furby set I used Rit dye on, but I am by no means a professional at this — I just try stuff, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

5. Yellowed Eyes/Eyelids

I may have given you the link for that video where I bleach yellowed Furby eyes.

6. Electronics Troubleshooting

Suspect corroded battery contacts or a gear jump start issue before deciding if it's the motor. If these don't work, then it could be the motor is burnt out or some kind of connection issue with the board. Clean the contact pads with a vinegar-dampened swab (see §13 for the full corrosion method). If a motor grinds or seizes, lubricate lightly or replace it. Keep ear sensors aligned; misalignment causes odd behaviors that look like a defect. Note: the "keep antennas" step applies only to Shelby's — we don't do the Shelby's (I did one video for them, which we could upload). Make sure the sync screw is properly aligned in the home position, especially if your Furby experiences a boot loop.

Credit: ear replacements by monsteryote (Instagram / Etsy).

7. Reassembly

Follow the disassembly steps (§2) in reverse order to put your Furby back together. Seat each ribbon carefully — they are fragile. Make sure all sensors work and that every wire is tucked inside where it belongs, not caught in screw holes or pinched between shell halves. Close the shell, insert fresh batteries, and test all sensors before you close the fur shell fully. If something behaves oddly, reopen and check ribbon seating.

9. Furbtorial Add-On: Cleaning Furby Skins

One of the most impactful restorations is a deep fur clean — the full skin-off wash covered in §2c. This follows the real Furbtorial process used on dirty vintage Furbys and Furby Babies.

What You'll Need

• Cool/lukewarm water only — never hot; heat mats the fur (see the §2c warning)
• Dish soap or gentle shampoo
• Fabric softener or conditioner (to restore the fabric feel after soap)
• Wire pet brush
• Line or towel drying area, plus a no-heat air fluff

Steps

1. Remove the skin. Follow §2a–2c: cut the ear threads (not the fabric), pull the ears off the ear bone, cut the base zip tie, and work the skin free of the shell (hot glue / snap clips / screws). The faceplate, if present, comes off with the skin — glued or screwed, ease it rather than forcing it.
2. Soak the skin. Soak in cool/lukewarm soapy water for several hours. Repeat for really dirty skins. Spot clean stains while soaking.
3. Rinse thoroughly. Make sure no soap residue remains in the fur.
4. Fluff. Soak in fabric-softener or conditioner solution for about 30 minutes, then rinse slightly.
5. Dry. Air dry, then a no-heat air fluff to revive the fur. Never use heat.
6. Brush. Use a wire pet brush to get the fur fluffy again, then reattach the skin.

10. Furbtorial Add-On: Retrobrite Yellowed Faceplates

Works on white and grey 1998 Furbys. This is a short process but very visual — before/after photos sell it.

• UV light
• 40V clear developer

Remove eyelids if possible. Apply developer generously and keep reapplying through the day. Use in a well-ventilated area and wear protection if needed.

11. Furbtorial Add-On: Corkscrew Jump Start for 1998/1999

For non-invasive jump starts before full skinning.

• Pop the top beak down
• Spin the exposed corkscrew gear with a paper clip or similar small tool
• 10–15 minutes is usually enough before moving on to full gear work

If the corkscrew method alone doesn’t help, the usual next step is full skinning and spinning the black gear.

12. Furbtorial Add-On: Speaker Replacement for Mute Furbys

Common failure mode for 1998 units. If yours is mute, swapping to a donor speaker often helps.

• Source a known-good speaker from a broken Furby first
• Desolder the old speaker carefully
• Resolder the replacement and test before full reassembly

Speaker parts from general electronics suppliers can work; keep leads short and avoid heat near the ribbon cables.

13. Furbtorial Add-On: 1998/1999 Battery Corrosion Cleaning

⚠️ Acid warning. Battery leaks can leave blue/white crust — that's battery acid. Do not touch it with bare skin, and absolutely keep it away from your eyes; it burns. Trust me. Wear gloves if you have them, and work in a well-ventilated area.

Severe corrosion usually means the contacts no longer seat right. Quick cleaning often brings a dead Royal/SE unit back.

• White vinegar
• Sharp scraping tool
• Lots of Q-tips

1. Scrape large corrosion chunks first with care.
2. Use vinegar-soaked Q-tips on contacts and compartment.
3. Dry Q-tips to clean excess vinegar.

14. Furbtorial Add-On: Eyelid & Eyelash Work

Eyelash replacement is easier with eyelids removed.

• Carefully release eyelid retainers
• Clean the lash bed before gluing
• Use fresh adhesive; old glue is brittle and unreliable

If you have failing eyechips, swap those at the same time so the lid work only happens once.

15. Furbtorial Add-On: 2005 Furby Baby Beak Repair

Replacement beaks are rare; a DIY build is usually easier.

• Nail fast-drying glue
• Silicone finger cots or gloves
• Patience

Shape a replacement, glue it, and protect surrounding fur during curing. Remember this repair will age faster than a stock beak depending on storage conditions.

16. Furbtorial Add-On: Skin & Eye Fixes for 2005 Furby Baby

The first 2005 Furby Babies often need basic internal cleanup after neglect.

• Skin the unit and clean fur normally
• Inspect feet and eye linkages
• Gently reseat loose eye posts and foot clips

This is often enough to restore basic interactivity without motor replacement.