We saw a slew of different moods between the four units Hasbro brought in, including an angry one with pointed pupils that sings Sabbath-like riffs and an extroverted Valley Girl-esque mood.

ENGADGET: Furby gets a reboot for 2012, we go hands-on (video)

That last comment is yet another confirmation of the first rule for listening to either politicians or Sabbath Gasbags: whenever one of them is about to tell you what "the American people" want or what "the American people" believe, you would be well advised to hit the mute button.

CNN: Titanic (Glub), Lewinsky (Blab)

One US newspaper described it as embracing "everything from country-tinged ditties to Black Sabbath-style fuzzbuckets with the Paul McCartney songbook tossed in to throw the dogs off the scent".

BBC: The White Stripes: Raw Rock Revivalists

The hired DJ seemed at one stage to have a passion for educating the younger generations in the ways of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

BBC: Diary of a street party, part 3

Last December's Christie's auction in Los Angeles featured one lot that seemed irresistible: a poster for a film of a concert by Blue Oyster Cult and Black Sabbath, two out-of-work heavy-metal rock bands that still stubbornly sell old records to adoring fans.

ECONOMIST: Print graphics