Some trends and crazes from Japan manage to get popular all around the world. If you were born in the 90s, you probably came along one of the biggest Japanese toy hypes of the 2000s while growing up, Tamagotchi (たまごっち)

The Tamagotchi is a handheld digital pet, created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of Bandai. It was released by Bandai on November 23, 1996 in Japan and May 1997 in the rest of the world, quickly becoming one of the biggest toy trends of the 1990s and early 2000s. As of 2010, over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-wide. Most Tamagotchi are housed in a small egg-shaped computer with an interface usually consisting of three buttons, although the number of buttons may vary.

According to Bandai, the name is a portmanteau combining the Japanese word tamago, which means “egg”, and the English word “watch”. Consequently, the name is sometimes romanized as “Tamagotch” without the “i” in Japan. Most Tamagotchi characters’ names end in tchi in Japanese, with few exceptions.

A Tamagotchi is a keychain-sized virtual pet simulation game. The characters are colorful and simplistically designed creatures based on animals, objects, or people. Beginning with the 2004 Tamagotchi Plus/Connection, a second wave of Tamagotchi toys emerged, featuring a different graphic design and gameplay which elaborated upon the first generations. 

However, the story behind the games remained the same: Tamagotchis are a small alien species that deposited an egg on Earth to see what life was like, and it is up to the player to raise the egg into an adult creature. The creature goes through several stages of growth, and will develop differently depending on the care the player provides, with better care resulting in an adult creature that is smarter, happier, and requires less attention. For its current 2 decades, Tamagotchi has gained popularity worldwide.

As of 2009, there have been over 44 Tamagotchi versions released since their creation in 1996, several of which were only released in Japan. Along with the original Tamagotchi, the first wave of Tamagotchi toys included Christmas, angel, and ocean themed versions. The newer versions began in 2004 with the Tamagotchi Plus.

Did you own a Tamagotchi growing up? Tell us about your experience with the virtual pet!