Ferris isn't really sure why he is the way he is. Why he's made from a viscous ferrofluid seemingly biomechanical in nature: why government scientists seem really enthusiatic about capturing him: why Daft Punk split up (I mean, it was going so well, right?) Actually, it's probably quicker to list what he does know. None of this has stopped him from having a good time, and he doesn't intend to let it.

The being that would later name itself Ferris Wolfram was created as part of an extraterrestrial space program. The probes sent out were outfitted with a degree of sentience; it's kind of rude to check in on your neighbors without even a proper conversation, you know? Ferris - or Probe 13 - was one of the lucky ones that actually made it to Earth, but a failed atmospheric entry resulted in corrupted memory banks, leaving them woefully clueless regarding their purpose.

Ferris is a thing of simple pleasures. Unknowingly, he's the perfect fit for his assigned duties as a space probe; he's obsessed about everything equally, from waveform mechanics to vending machine maintanance. If it exists, there's something to love about it.
(...And there's something on Wikipedia about it, which is good, because he needs to refer to it a LOT.)

...why does he look like that? Simple. Combine internet access with the ability to shapeshift.