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Nostalgia, new fans sustain Tamagotchi craze

A JAPANESE toy giant Bandai employee displays the tiny toy of virtual pet ‘Tamagochu,’ composed by a pair of small gadgets like Bandai’s mega hit toy Tamagotchi, at the Tokyo International Gift Show 13 February 2007. Nearly half of all Tamagotchi unit sales were in Japan and in 2025, British retailer Hamleys ranked it as one of the top 100 toys of all time, alongside the likes of Lego and the Rubik’s Cube.
A JAPANESE toy giant Bandai employee displays the tiny toy of virtual pet ‘Tamagochu,’ composed by a pair of small gadgets like Bandai’s mega hit toy Tamagotchi, at the Tokyo International Gift Show 13 February 2007. Nearly half of all Tamagotchi unit sales were in Japan and in 2025, British retailer Hamleys ranked it as one of the top 100 toys of all time, alongside the likes of Lego and the Rubik’s Cube. YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Tamagotchi toys were a 1990s playground craze and the virtual pets that demand food and attention are still a hit among retro-loving Gen Z and nostalgic parents.

The digital pets, which need attending to when they are hungry, sick or have defecated on the virtual floor, grow up as users care for them — but can die if they are neglected.

More than 100 million of the pocket-sized plastic eggs have been sold worldwide since their debut, manufacturer Bandai Namco says.

The company is showing off the Tamagotchi’s evolution from bouncing black-and-white pixelated characters to color screens and wifi connectivity at a special 30th anniversary exhibition that opens in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Swinging from keychains, the Tamagotchi — whose name is a portmanteau of the Japanese words for “egg” and “watch” — has become a popular fashion accessory among young people in recent years, according to Bandai.

Sales of Tamagotchi merchandise rose around sevenfold in five years from 2019, it says.

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