MPR’s Mary Stucky reports that the hottest toy this Christmas season reflects the old adage "we want what we can't have.” The toy in question is called a Furby, a furry electronic pet.

In the business of toy marketing, scarcity drives consumer demand. The day after Thanksgiving people lined up at local toy stores at six in the morning. One store at the Mall of America sold out 300 Furbys in just ten minutes. It's another example of how advertising, a limited product supply and the demands of children can create a monster demand. But the Furby may be something new; in an age of global communications there is a worldwide demand...and an international shortage.