It’s been nearly thirty years since Aki Maita and Yokoi Akihiro released the first-ever Tamagotchi, the egg-shaped virtual pet that became one of the biggest fads of the early 2000s.
I, like tens of thousands of kids globally, was the proud owner of the pocket-sized pet (before a blanket ban was enforced across my school) and dedicated my heart and soul to giving my digital critter the love, care, and attention 10-year-old me naively thought it needed, before it would ultimately die days later no matter what.
Tamagotchis were (and still are) notoriously hard to keep alive. In fact, they were pretty needy regardless of the amount of attention you gave them and their constant perishing was near on guaranteed no matter which buttons you pressed and when.
Feed them on time, they'll die. Potty train them, they'll die. Pour every moment of your existence into keeping your virtual pet alive and, yes you guessed it: they'll die.
Despite the major technological advances we’ve had since Tamagotchi's simple arrangement of pixels graced our keychains in the early noughties, they look to be back for 2023 and have a duo of pocket-sized collaborations to prove it.
Back in March, it was Supreme’s turn to release a handful of nostalgia-infused Tamagotchis as a part of its Spring/Summer 2023 collection, a trio of which will now set you back $180 on StockX.
Hiroshi Fujiwara’s fragment design. now looks to be getting in on the fad too, that’s after the Japanese designer shared an image of a boxfresh Gen 1 via his personal IG.
Historically, inline Tamagotchis have ranged anywhere from $19.99 - $39.99 but, like Supreme’s, which landed at retail for $49, FRGMNT’s will likely come with a premium too.
With over 82 million units estimated to have been sold as of 2017 (a number which is undoubtedly higher six years on), it’s no wonder brands are looking to cash in on the ongoing Y2K trend.
A world with more Tamagotchis is ultimately a needier one, but for me, 10-year-old me anyway, the pocket-sized fad offered a stern and important lesson in the values of life and death (remember the Tamagotchi Cemetery?), and one I’m still thankful for to this day.
