The Chronicle

1990s must-have toy is returning

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IF you grew up in the 1990s, there’s a good chance you had one of these.

The Tamagotchi was a virtual pet and a musthave gadget at the end of the last millennium and the start of this one.

Launched in Japan in 1996, the craze spread across the rest of the globe the following year.

By 2010, a whopping 80 million units had been sold worldwide.

And now they’re making a comeback.

Japanese toy maker Bandai has relaunched the small handheld game, featuring the six original pets.

Catherine Arthur, 27, a gamer from South Shields, was a fan of the original Tamagotchi.

“Basically it was like looking after a small animal - but without the mortality,” she explained.

“You fed them, played with them, and looked after them.

“I had about four of five and got new ones as they advanced.

“My grandad even got into the craze and bought one.

“They became so popular, they were banned at my school. Then my mum had to take it to work to look after - and they were banned there too.”

The 2017 version of the cult game will retain its low-resolution retro graphics, but comes in newly created brightlyco­loured eggs in two sizes.

Twenty years ago a Tamagotchi would knock you back about a fiver.

Today they are available from Amazon Japan for £14.

 ??  ?? Tamagotchi toys were must-have in the late-1990s and early 2000s. Now they’re making a return
Tamagotchi toys were must-have in the late-1990s and early 2000s. Now they’re making a return

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