John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 03.24.2022 06:Mar AM EDT

#ToyTech: The History and Evolution of the Tamagotchi

If you were living in the 90s, then you've probably heard of or even played with Tamagotchis. Having these nifty little gadgets on your bag or in your pocket made you extremely popular in class, as was discovered by the kids of that time worldwide.

However, what is a Tamagotchi?

Tamagotchi History, Details

According to Wellcome Collection, a Tamagotchi was a handheld digital pet that was developed by Aki Maita and Akihiro Yokoi of the Japanese toy company Bandai.

Yokoi was struck by inspiration when he saw an advertisement in which a boy wasn't allowed to bring his pet turtle on vacation, which Yokoi sympathized with.

As an owner of various pets, Yokoi identified with the boy's sadness, and therefore came up with the idea that if it wasn't possible to take a real, living pet along, why not bring a virtual one instead?

After founding a creative firm of 42 employees that would design and pitch toy concepts to larger companies, Yokoi contacted and worked with Aki Maita, who worked for Bandai's marketing team at the time, to develop the toy that would later be known as Tamagotchi.

The name "Tamagotchi" officially comes from the combination of the Japanese word for egg, "Tamago," and the English word "watch," per the Tamagotchi Fandom page. However, a common misconception states that the name came from combining the Japanese word for friend, "Tomodachi," and "Tamago," meaning "egg friend."

These digital pets were first sold in Japan in November 1996 and were an immediate hit, only taking less than a year for 10 million Tamagotchi units to be sold, per Mental Floss' article. Children were begging parents to get them one, leading said parents to camp out in front of stores to buy one. Some teenagers and adults got into the action as well; some businessmen even canceled meetings just to take care of their digital pet.

Tamagotchis eventually made their way to the U.S. in May 1997 for $15 to $18. American toy brand and store FAO Schwarz noted that they sold 30,000 digital pets in the first three days alone, while TV shopping channel QVC sold 6,000 Tamagotchis in five minutes.

These digital pets are digitally contained in egglike cases in a self-contained world of their own.

However, these digital pets aren't just a group of black and white pixels. In many ways, they are living creatures, just like real-life pets. Tamagotchis have to be fed, cleaned, played with, and treated at regular real-time intervals to grow and survive. These intervals are signaled by six beeps from the device, meaning a Tamagotchi needs attention.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, these digital pets would grow up mean or ugly if neglected and could die if left unattended for too long, while administering tender loving care to the Tamagotchi would result in a well-mannered adult one.

Japanese versions of these digital pets would display a tombstone if the Tamagotchi within dies, while the Tamagotchis in American versions will return to their home planet as a euphemism for death.

Tamagotchis can also die from old age if cared for properly.

The deaths of these digital pets weren't taken kindly by their caretakers, who reportedly mourned them and regretted their part in their passing if they neglected it to attend to real-life uninterruptible duties, such as classes, sleeping, and studying. Bandai eventually added a pause button to minimize the required interactions for a period.

Modern Day Tamagotchi

Tamagotchis aren't a fad that came and went overtime. Bandai eventually marketed it to its growing market, introducing new features like gender and the creation of new digital pets through procreation and birth, which the owners of the newly-made Tamagotchi parents will have to take care of in a pseudo-joint custody arrangement.

These digital pets stuck around long enough to shed their black-and-white displays and jump into colored ones. People can buy the newest Tamagotchis, such as the Tamagotchi Pix and Tamagotchi On, on the Official Tamagotchi website and mobile app stores, respectively.

Bandai's Tamagotchi smartwatch, Tamagotchi Smart, is only available in Japan for 円6,380 or around $53, according to a separate Tamagotchi Fandom page. Interested customers in the U.S. will have to ship these digital pets from Japan to acquire them.