Rejoice, 90s kids!
The colourful little digital pet that hung from the bags of every 90s kid has finally made a comeback, and kids (or kids at heart) today can experience the joys of owning a Tamagotchi.
The virtual pet, which was a huge craze in Japan and the rest of the world in the 1990s, has just been re-released by Japanese toy company Bandai to create the ultimate nostalgic revival.
According to Telegraph, Bandai first released the Tamagotchi to the world in 1997 after a Japan-only release in 1996, and everyone just Tama-gotta have one. More than 76 million of the eggs have since been sold worldwide.
It gave us kids back then the simulated responsibilities of owning a pet, checking its mood, clearing its poop, feeding it — which the device alerted us to with little beeps. Some probably even remember secretly checking on their Tamagotchis under their desks at school, and upon getting the gadget confiscated by teachers, you wail, “But it will die if I don’t feed it!”
Bandai first teased us about the relaunch with a YouTube video back in January, stating a release in April, and finally the hype has arrived! The new Tamagotchis have been released in Japan stores, or for us global Tamagotchi fans, they are currently only available for purchase on Amazon Japan.
The designs feature the six original characters, each priced at ￥1,988 (about SGD $25), with newly-designed colourful egg cases, and the same three buttons.
On the bright side, since the 90s kids should be well into their twenties now, we no longer have to dig our piggy banks for every last penny to purchase a piece of that retro gadget.
Different versions of the Tamagotchi, including video game and arcade updates, have been released over the past 20 years. There have also been countless knock-offs and imitations, but this is the real deal. This would be the first actual relaunch of the original game.
Bandai has also released more advanced versions like a Tamagotchi that can send text messages, but retro and simple seems to be the beauty of this.
Retro gadgets making a comeback
This Tamagotchi release is the latest hype of retro-fuelled comebacks. Last month, there was news about the Nokia 3310, which is one of Nokia’s most popular mobile sets.
According to Independent, the 17-year-old model will stay true to its original roots for the retro lovers, but will also have enough new features and necessary improvements squashed in so as to make it a worthwhile purchase.
The mother of all Nokias will be fresh but familiar, looking virtually the same but thinner and lighter. Obviously going the retro route, you won’t be able to use WhatsApp or Instagram, but there will be a new version of the snake game. You can also use the Opera Mini browser to surf the web on an extremely limited 2.5G connection.
I’m not sure what kids of today will be making of the original Tamagotchi, after all, it doesn’t have the big screens of their iPads or even the vibrancy of their smartphones. (“What are these, pixels?! I can just download an app to get a pet,” they might say.) Or perhaps, they might consider the challenge of owning a pocket pet to be a fulfilling experience.
Whether it’s for kids getting reintroduced to retro toys or grown-up kids getting a throwback to their childhood again, all I know is that I am definitely asking the next friend who goes to Japan to get a Tamagotchi for me. And unlike 20 years ago, I don’t have to go begging my parents nor promise to do chores for a month to earn my pocket pal.