Return of the Tamagotchi
It took over our lives in the ’90s and now the pocket pet has made a return. So how does it stack up in a digital age?
YOU feed it, love it and clean up its poop. Nope, we’re not talking babies. Remember the musthave toy the Tamagotchi? Well, it’s back – and it’s all set to dominate your life again! Bandai, the maker of the original digital pocket pet, has revived the toy that mesmerised a generation – just in time for Christmas.
It was pretty groundbreaking when it was first released in Japan 20 years ago. Those were the days before smartphones and tablets and this needy interactive device was an instant hit.
The goal was simple: to keep the thing alive by showering it with love and food and attending to its digital dung while it beeped and bleeped and generally ordered you around.
It became so addictive and distracting it was banned in many schools. Hands up how many parents had to babysit their kid’s Tamagotchi at work just to keep it alive until suppertime?
To recap, the story went like this: Tamagotchis were a tiny alien species that dropped eggs on Earth to see what life was like here. Players were tasked with raising their eggs until they became adult creatures. But the eggs’ growth and development value depended entirely on the quality of care you gave them.
Devoted attention resulted in a happier, smarter and less needy creature. Treat the creature carelessly and it was tickets for the little guy.
Initially it was sold only in Japan but when it reached stores worldwide a year later, the digital pet flew off the shelves. By 2009 more than 44 spin-off versions had been created and by 2010, 76 million Tamagotchis had been sold, making it one of the biggest toy fads of the decade.
The phenomenon was so great its inventor, Aki Maita, won the Ig Nobel Prize for Economics in 1997.
How to get your hands on one
The new Tamagotchi is set for release on 5 November to coincide with its 20th anniversary. Although it won’t hit South African shelves then, the toy can be preordered online before its official release date. You can order it from Amazon.com for shipment to SA. It will go on sale in the US for $15 (R204) and £9,99 (R179) in the UK.
If you happen to be in one of these countries before Christmas, you just might have found the perfect gift. Thank us later!
“I’m not going to pretend it’s the best, latest, greatest everything, and it’s going to compete with your constant social media,” says Tara Badie, Bandai director of brand management. But “when you take care of something, you start to love it and want to take care of it. You want it to grow. You have that connection with it, so you want it to succeed and survive.”
One thing’s for sure: in an age of apps and smartphones, the Tamagotchi has fierce competition. In fact, it could spell carnage for the little guys.