I was born in 1998- do I count as a 90's child? Probably not, but there was no doubting that many of the 90's and early 2000's trends shaped my childhood and early teens. The thing I remember most from this ill-styled period of time, besides all of the Rugrat reruns and Suite Life of Zack and Cody episodes, were the toys. Polly Pocket, Mr. Beanz, My Little Pony, Betty Spaghetti, Littlest Petshop- they were the craze, the obsession, and if you had them you were probably the envy of all of your friends. There's one toy though, that was the coolest (in my opinion) and the probably the one that taught you the most about responsibility (this is more fact than opinion, as anyone who's ever owned one probably knows how hard it was to keep the bugger alive): it was the Tamagotchi.
Egg-shaped, brightly colored with three little buttons, and housing a small and utterly adorable creature inside, Tamagotchis were a craze not so easily forgotten. Originating in Japan, these little toys swept the nation and eventually made its way overseas to the United States. The brainchild of toy giants WiZ and Bandai, they were available in so many different versions and it quickly became the bee's knees to own one. One of my earliest and clearest memories from my childhood was watching Becky (it was always Becky) parade by with not one, or two, but a whole of, ten Tamagotchis hanging from her bag. I stood sadly by, clutching my knockoff "digital pet" and longed for a day when I would own one.
Like all nice things, we didn't deserve them and Tamagotchis faded as we entered a new era- going the way of chunky highlights and wearing jeans with dresses
Until, now.
Because.
They're back.
And no, it's not the crappy miniature 20th-anniversary "nostalgia" version released a year ago- it's the real, dang thing.
This is an excerpt from the official Bandai website:
"The Original Tamagotchi digital pet you loved back in 1997 is back with the original generation 2 programming! Feed it, turn lights on/off, play with it, give it medicine, flush after it's used the bathroom, check it's health and discipline your Tamagotchi if he bothers you when he's happy, fed and all cleaned up."
It's back baby, and it's better than ever. Emulating the original 1990's design, these happy and finicky little friends are also coming in millennial colors like Mermaid, Rainbow, and white/black.
"So," you ask, "Where can I get one?" Well, slightly sad news- they're not quite available yet. For those wanting to relive the golden years of Saturday morning cartoons, Webkinz, and these little egg-shaped friends constantly reminding you to feed them, pre-orders start September 30th on Bandai's website and Amazon. They'll be retailing for $19.99 a pop- well worth the price for nostalgia if you ask me.
Mark your calendars and check your bank accounts friends because this is a drop not worth missing.
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