Tamagotchi turns 25 with a nostalgia-fuelled wearable pet

1996 was a big year for ’90s kids. It was the birth year of streaming platform Yahoo! Kids, the Nintendo 64 console, and staple household cereal French Toast Crunch. But perhaps the greatest invention of the ’96 lot was the Tamagotchi, first introduced on this day 25 years ago.

Yes, the original handheld egg watch/digital pet was released by Japanese toy maker Bandai on Nov. 23, 1996. Many ’90s children will recall this needy being, which sat impatiently in our pockets, constantly ready to be nurtured and cared for (it was, indeed, hard work).

We knew it was due for a comeback, then it was indeed updated in 2018, then later again. Today, the company marks the anniversary of the original digital pet with the release of the Tamagotchi Smart, a wearable Tamagotchi first announced in June and the next addition to the brand’s dynasty. Here’s the ad from Bandai which gives you a look at the device:

And here’s a hands on look:

According to Bandai’s website, the watch will feature our needy digital pets once again but this time with enhanced technology. This includes an LCD touchscreen and microphone, which you can use to stroke or speak to your pet (within limits, it’s not Alexa). The screen is in color, unlike the original Tamagotchi, which was monochromatic. You can dress up your pet, feed it snacks, and take it to the bathroom — probably a good idea (ahem) to keep on top of, as any Tamagotchi user – past or present – can confirm.

Because it’s 2021, food is available as delivery through a playable mini game. Toys and accessories are available to shop, giving your pet mini-makeovers on the daily. Tech advances aside, the watches still hold that distinctive retro aesthetic.

Bandai has also released a special edition Original Tamagotchi for the anniversary, which is available for pre-order on Amazon. They’re priced at $19.99, and come in bright, one-off casing.

As cultural icons, the popularity of the Tamagotchi is undeniable. In the first year after its release, 10 million units of the toy were sold. By 2019, more than 82 million Tamagotchis had been sold. In turn, some schools even having to ban the toys from their premises, cited kids with Tamagotchis in hand being both distracted and experiencing intense mourning if their digital pets “died.”

What made these little pets so addictive in the first place? It’s a unique toy in itself: essentially, the owner of a Tamagotchi is responsible for the life and wellness of the tiny digital pet. For example, if you didn’t clean the digital poop of the pet, they would die. With this level of required attention, it’s unsurprising the obsessive nature of Tamagotchi ownership became a well documented phenomenon. It was a candy-coated, life-or-death situation, really. Tamagotchi creators Akihiro Yokoi and Aki Maita reportedly wanted to replicate the reality of being a pet owner, believing kids wanted this responsibility, but in a minuscule, lower-stake sense.

The original egg-shaped Tamagotchi, pictured here in 1997.
Credit: Ralf Lutter/ullstein bild via Getty Images

These newly-released Tamagotchi treats point to our ongoing collective yearning for yesteryear, the reinvention and revival of this beloved toy yet another sign of the unavoidable trend cycle. It seems we’re reliving the ’90s and early 2000s more and more each day, with the Tamagotchi a core component of this comeback, re-entering our cultural consciousness and finding new life on social media. People are playing with the digital pets, both original and reformed versions of them, and sharing their experiences platforms like Twitter.

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Whether you’re opting for a new and improved pet or still loyal to the original digital baby, be sure to treat your Tamagotchi extra special today. 25 is a big one.