Gen Z has revived a pocket-sized toy that many millennials remember fondly.
Tamagotchi – digital devices in which users can care for a virtual pet – are becoming popular among the younger generation nowadays, reminiscent of their heyday in the 90s.
Bandai Namco, the brand behind the popular toy, reported that worldwide sales doubled from 2022 to 2023, with demand so high that the company even opened its own stores. First brick-and-mortar store in the UK This year, per BBC,
While Tamagotchi is trending It is increasing — even by experts in style Make a keychain for your purse As a playful Bag Accessories , 20 dollar toy It has undergone much-needed improvements since its launch nearly three decades ago.
“You can now connect with friends, play over Wi-Fi and download different items, and it really combats that feeling of fatigue you might have had with some of the older models,” Tamagotchi brand manager Priya Jadeja told the BBC.
The premise of Tamagotchis is simple: users are tasked with caring for a virtual pet, but not taking care of their pixelated creatures can result in them perishing.
“It's about resource management, it's about raising a little virtual pet, taking care of it, and that basic human emotion of caring for something that I don't think ever goes away,” Liz Grampp, vice president of brand management at Bandai America, previously explained. daily Mail,
“I think for kids who have grown up playing with iPhones and iPads, this will be a unique experience, but the game play will still feel very familiar,” he said.
Tamagotchi enthusiasts told the BBC that nostalgia also plays a part in the comeback of the game, which began in 1996.
A group of elderly fans are bragging about their Tamagotchis On social media,
“I got my first Tamagotchi in primary school, my best friend also had one then and I have fond memories of playing with them,” said Emma, known as Emalution on YouTube.
She no longer has her original Tamagotchi, and she didn't hesitate to purchase a modern version of the toy last year, which she said “started her obsession.”
“I started a collection, curious to find out what I was missing out on growing up,” she said.
“With how the world is at the moment, and how it's been over the last few years, it's nice to look down at your little pixel pet sometimes, forget about everything for a moment, feed it a little snack or play a little game, and remember a much simpler time.”
