Millennials rejoice! Gen Z declares that Tamagotchis are back – and they’re the must-have toy

Gen Z has revived a pocket-sized toy that many millennials remember fondly.

Tamagotchis – “digital devices in which users can take care of a virtual pet” are hot products among the younger generation recently, going back to 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 opened its first brick-and-mortar store in the UK this year, according to the BBC.

While the Tamagotchi trend is growing — style mavens have even modeled the key fob capability into their purses as a playful handbag accessory — the $20 toy has undergone a much-needed makeover since it launched nearly three decades ago.

“Now you can connect with friends, you can play on Wi-Fi and download different things, and it’s really combating that feeling of fatigue that you might have gotten with some previous models,” said Priya Jadeja, manager of the Tamagotchi brand, for the BBC.

The premise of Tamagotchis is simple: Users are charged with the responsibility of caring for a virtual pet, but neglecting their pixelated creatures can cause them to perish.

“It’s about resource management, it’s about education, it’s about taking care of a little virtual pet and the basic human emotion of taking care of something that I don’t think ever goes away,” Liz Grampp, vice president of brand management at Bandai America. , previously told the Daily Mail.

“I think for kids who have grown up only playing on iPhones and iPads, it will feel unique, but the game will still feel very familiar,” she added.

Tamagotchi enthusiasts tell the BBC that nostalgia is also playing a role in the return of the game, which was launched in 1996.

A host of elderly fans are bragging about their Tamagotchis on social media.

“I got my first Tamagotchi in primary school, my best friend had one at the time and I have fond memories of playing with them together,” said Emma, ​​who goes by Emmalution on YouTube.

She no longer had her original Tamagotchi and quickly bought a modernized version of the toy last year, which she said “started an obsession”.

“I started a collection, curious to know what I had missed while I was too busy growing up,” she said.

“With the way the world is right now and the way it’s been for the last few years, it’s nice to look down on your little pixel pet every now and then, forget about it all for a moment to feed it a snack or play a little game and remember a much simpler time.”