Tamagotchi

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Tamagotchi

 

Object name/title: Tamagotchi

Maker(s): Bandai

Released: 1996 (Japan), 1997 (International)

On display: Yes

Object number: SHEVG.2024.8

Credit line: Purchased, 2024

The Tamagotchi was developed by Aki Maita and Akihiro Yokoi, marketed especially to high school girls in Japan. Initially, the egg-shaped toys were intended to be worn on a wrist strap like a watch, so they were given the name Tamagotchi from the Japanese words for ‘egg’ (tamago) and ‘watch’ (uotchi).

They quickly became a fad, and international versions followed in 1997. The popularity of Tamagotchi, along with the PC games Dogz (1995) and Catz (1996), helped launch the virtual pet trend of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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