’90s Nostalgia And The Tamagotchi
Brace yourselves, millennials. Tamagotchi is turning the big 2-0 and celebrating the only way a ‘90s fad knows how: by making a comeback.
If you, like me, were a kid when Tamagotchis first hit toy stores back in 1997, you definitely remember how incredibly popular these digital pets were. The Tamagotchi remains a symbol of a much simpler time, as iconically ‘90s as a Furby, a Tickle Me Elmo, and an N64. In retrospect, I’m not entirely sure why we were so obsessed with “feeding” and “playing with” these little monsters, but so help me, I had a Sabrina The Teenage Witch-inspired Salem the Cat Tamagotchi and felt like the coolest kid on the block. Again, it was a much simpler time.
New Miniature Tamagotchi Will Be Available Next Month
Bandai America announced on Tuesday that it will be launching a smaller version of the toy—because, duh, it’s 2017 and everything must be smaller, sleeker. These miniature versions were first released in Japan earlier this year and will be available in the United States on November 5 for $14.99.
Tara Badie, Bandai America director of brand management told The Verge, “We’re going after that nostalgia,” and that certainly seems clear. The new Tamagotchi won’t sync up to your smart phone, they won’t connect to your Wifi. What they will do is hatch, wake you up at ungodly hours demanding to be fed, and die a week later. Just like the good old days. Even the design, available in six different colors/characters, is the same as the original. In short, the integrity of the Tamagotchi remains intact.
The cynics among us will probably chalk this release up to a money-grab, banking on nostalgia to make a quick buck. And honestly, they’re probably right. Still, more credit to Bandai for seeing the opportunity, because nobody looks back on their childhood more fondly than a now twentysomething-year old ‘90s kid.
