A popular toy from the 1990s is making a big comeback after 28 years, but it’s received a 21st-century update.
Tamagotchis took the world by storm when they were first released in 1996, and the toy’s creator, Bandai, reportedly sold 40 million of them in the first two years.
The colorful egg-shaped device housed a virtual pet that owners had to remember to feed and play with.
If cared for by the player, the Tamagotchi pet will grow up and want to have a baby, but it may also die or run away if neglected.
Despite its huge success in the 1990s and 2000s, Bandai struggled to keep up with gaming trends in the 2010s.
The egg-shaped toys took the world by storm when they were launched in 1996. Archive photo of the original toys from the 1990s.
However, an official re-release in 2019 saw the toys slowly start to gain popularity again.
According BBC NewsGlobal Tamagotchi sales doubled between 2022 and 2023.
The brand is so confident in growing demand that it has now opened its first UK store in London’s Camden Market – something they didn’t do during the height of Tamagotchi fever in the 1990s.
Brand manager Priya Jadeja listed some of the ways Tamagotchis have been updated for 2024.
She explained: ‘You can now connect with friends, you can play games over Wi-Fi and download different items, and that really combats that feeling of fatigue that you might have had with some previous models.’
After creating a digital creature, users must care for their virtual pet as it progresses through the different stages of life.
Users have to feed him (either a “meal,” consisting of a bowl of rice, or a sweet “snack”) and clean him up after he goes to the bathroom.
If not properly cared for, your pet can become sick and even die.
Pictured: Video game fans queuing outside Brent Cross shopping centre in 1997 to get their hands on a Tamagotchi
The colorful egg-shaped device housed a virtual pet whose owners had to remember to feed and play with.
If cared for by the player, the Tamagotchi pet will grow up and want to have a baby, but it may also die or run away if neglected.
“It received a tremendous global response from fans knocking on our door to bring it back to the US, so we brought it back,” Liz Grampp, vice president of brand management at Bandai America, told Dailymail.com last year.
The toy was released in six different shell designs, from pale orange and transparent blue to bold contrasting two-tone schemes straight from the ’90s.
Each Tamagotchi came with six virtual pets.
“It’s about resource management, raising and caring for a little virtual pet, and that basic human emotion of caring for something that I don’t think will ever go away,” Grampp added.
“What’s different is our delivery style. It’s a more classic pixel game, which has a bit of a twist of its own.
“I think for kids who grew up playing only on iPhones and iPads, it will be a unique experience, but the game will still feel very familiar.”
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