Jan 24, 2018 The nostalgic virtual pet march continues on into 2018. Clear some room on those keychains and backpack zippers, ‘90s kids, because Tamagotchi is returning to store shelves—again. Dec 13, 2018 I’ve experienced some strange things while running my 2018 Gen 2 Tamagotchi: The first time, my Tamagotchi was acting really weird. During the number game the sound effects were way too loud, to the point where the device shook in my hand. It also randomly died on day 3. Nov 24, 2017 But, the festivities don't end there, as the virtual pet is (at long last) making the leap to smartphones in 2018. My Tamagotchi Forever for iOS and Android gives the pixellated blob with a.
90s kids, assemble! Now is the time to redeem your poor, prepubescent parenting skills because the original Tamagotchi is back, and it probably already needs to be fed. Can you hear the little blips and bloops of cleaning up your digital pet’s poop already ringing in your ears?
Bandai, the brand responsible for our beloved Tamagotchi, has re-released the classic version of everyone’s favorite virtual pet. The Tamagotchi is now available in 16 of the original styles (eight styles for each generation available) including translucent blue, purple and pink, mermaid, and green glitter. I’m already breaking out in middle school anxiety sweat trying to figure out how I’m going to give my Tamagotchi its shots during locker breaks.
You won’t need to travel to the depths of the internet or your parents basement to get your little digital pet bag. You can buy the Tamagotchi through various online retailers including Target, Amazon, and Walmart. Prices vary depending on the style and version of Tamagotchi, but it looks like Amazon has the largest variety of the OG Tamagotchis available for $19.99. Many are also Amazon Prime eligible in case you can’t wait the standard shipping time. (No judgement, if that’s the case. In face, my 12-year-old self salutes you.)
A new version of the Tamagotchi came to the U.S. late last year after being re-released in Japan in early 2017. According to Game Spot, that Tamagotchi had some notable differences from the original Tamagotchi. Namely, it was smaller in size and had fewer features. As Bandai America Director of Brand Management Tara Badie told Game Spot, the minimalized version of the Tamagotchi was intentional: “We’re targeting your generation, who are online and [lead] crazy busy lives. It allows you to kind of relive it, but in a more simplistic way.”
The demand to bring back our digital pets apparently hadn’t diminished since their original launch. “Since the 20th anniversary of Tamagotchi, we received an overwhelming demand from fans to bring the devices back,” Badie said in a press release for the mini Tamagotchis. “By releasing the mini Tamagotchi in these cool colors and new textures, we’re able to reach new fans that come to love nurturing play of Tamagotchi, while also giving existing fans what they’ve been clamoring for – more to add to their collection.” Obligatory props to anyone who still has their original Tamagotchi and extra props if that Tamagotchi is still kicking.
The 2017 mini-Tamagotchi were released in limited quantities. However, it’s still available via some online retailers (Target.com has some for sale for $9.99).
Just this week, a news leak appeared to allude to a collaboration between Pokemon and Tamagotchi. While still unconfirmed, the leak initially spotted by Serebii showed visual assets of a Tamagotchi Nano with Eevee. Those assets also appeared to show Eevee evolving into one of eight evolutions: Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Umbreon, Espeon, Leafeon, Glaceon or Sylveon. If you heard something, that was just the collective nostaglia of 90s children everywhere exploding into one million joyful butterflies.
This all begs the question: why did we love a toy that did pretty much nothing but poop and die so much? According to VICE, part of the appeal is in that simplicity. As Melissa Batchelor Warnke wrote for VICE, Tamagotchis had needs that were relatable and understandable to kids. Plus, they were dependent on us; “us” likely being a pre-teen just learning the ropes of responsibility and starting to pose questions about their role in other people’s (and pets’) live. “I’m sure even in ancient Greece, the children wished their dolls were alive. It’s a human dream,' Adrian David Cheok, Director of the Mixed Reality Lab, told VICE. “But until the technology caught up that couldn't happen. This was the intersection of what children have desired for millennia, and what technology could provide.”
And unlike Tamagotchi, our love for all things nostalgic will never die.
Tamagotchi is the latest toy from the 90s poised for a mini-sized comeback.
Bandai America, its parent company, announced on Tuesday it will launch a smaller version of its iconic digital pocket pet.
Its arrival coincides with the 20th anniversary of Tamagotchi in the U.S., which launched in 1997.
Just as it did back when, the egg-shaped gadget simulates having a real pet. It goes through different life stages, such as hatching from an egg, and demands attention, like asking to be fed or played with. It dies a few days later.
The mini Tamagotchi, available for pre-orders now, goes on sale November 5 for $14.99 each.
Earlier this year, Bandai released a limited number of the anniversary edition Tamagotchi in Japan.
Tamagotchi Connection Tamatown
The U.S. version of the toy includes six different shell designs, as well as six characters. The packaging design is the same as the original.
Since its initial debut, the company said it's sold over 82 million Tamagotchis globally.
This isn't the first time Bandai has revived the toy. In 2014, itlaunched Tamagochi Friends, a spinoff toy lets users raise a virtual baby into an adult rather than a pet. Meanwhile, the company released a Tamagotchi app for the Apple Watch in 2015.
Nostalgia packaged in tiny form is in these days. Nintendo has launched miniature-sized consoles like the NES Classic Edition and the Super NES Classic Edition -- both feature the same look and feel of the original systems in smaller, more portable bodies. The NES Classic Edition sold out and was a hot item during the holiday season last year.