Little plastic toy eggs with three little buttons… oh, you know you were guilty of at least having one clipped on your backpack in elementary school.
Dangling from a keychain, these mini-computers simulated the life cycle of a pet. Proud owners would care for their digital pets with the hope that all of those hearts on the happiness meter would stay filled. With its introduction of the Tamagotchi in 1996, Bandai launched a pop culture phenomenon.
In addition to a rocking 40 million units sold worldwide, these digital pets flew off the shelves at a record rate of 15 per minute in the U.S. and Canada at their peak. And when schools started banning them as distractions, some mothers could be found cruising the supermarket aisles with a Tamagotchi strapped onto their purses.
For those wishing to relive the days of virtual feeding and grooming, there's a new generation of Tamagotchi, this time with infrared communication between Tamagotchis, special training for your pet's future job and an online Tamagotchi Town. So if you miss livin' the Tamagotchi life, visit tamagotchi.com for the latest v.4.
