You guys remember Tamagotchi, right? The little virtual pets, a smash hit import from Japan, took the world by storm way back 1997, when they were unleashed from their homeland and became a holiday must-have. These beloved gadgets kicked off the virtrual pet craze here in America--everybody from kindergarten students to CEOs cared for their digital companions with nigh-obsessive fervor. Since Bandai's e-critters required regular attention (and heaped praise and/or scorn on their owners, according to their competence as virtual parents) they managed to digitally cuddle their way into the hearts of both children and adults. Video games, snazzier devices, and innumerable tie-in toys followed the original Tamagotchis in their frenzied flight from store shelves, sealing the toy's place in legend along with Furby and Tickle Me Elmo.
Now, virtual pets have all but disappeared, following their successful jump to the Internet (NeoPets, anyone?). You don't see people carrying around plastic eggs on the subway or bemoaning the transformation of their expired pixelated pet into an angel. Tamagotchi, ever the graceful innovator, stepped aside to let its successors claim glory as soon as it saw the changing face of the virtual pet landscape. Now that fifteen years have passed since its 1996 debut in Japan, the original gangsta has returned to devour its errant brood. Bandai's just released the 15th Anniversary model of the current iD L. Each device comes with 32 different characters as well as connectivity options, allowing owners to swap items and match their creatures up for dates and/or matrimony. (Fighting, it seems, is the exclusive province of Digimon.) The devices come in either purple or pink and will run you $112 plus shipping from Japan Trend Shop. Is that too high a price to pay for nostalgia? You'll have to decide... or maybe wait until another release?
I am positive that every kid of the 90s has a Tamagotchi memory to share. Hit up the comments or I will get sick and you will have to skip soccer practice to figure out what's wrong with me.
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Follow Josh Harrison on Twitter: @geekologized.
[TDW Geek]
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