Bandai brings back original Tamagotchi in Japan
たまごっちが今年で20周年という事で買いに来ました。 pic.twitter.com/BWI1NnYz64
— よしる (@YOSHIRU_jp) April 8, 2017
Brace yourselves, the original Tamagotchi is making a comeback.
The so-called ’90s kids will definitely experience extreme nostalgia, as the famed hand-held, digital pet device is back on Japanese stores once more.
Twenty years after it first came out, Japanese toy manufacturer Bandai has released the first-edition Tamagotchi—complete with the original six “pets” that captured the hearts of many children.
Screen Grab from YouTube/Bandai
Aside from bringing back the esteemed characters, Bandai also stayed true to its original “egg-shaped” design, which was altered in numerous versions through the years. The new Tamagotchi, however, is half the size of its predecessor.
As expected, Japanese Tamagotchi fans lined up in toy stores to get their hands on the iconic toy.
“I got the Tamagotchi! It’s smaller than I thought it would be but oh the memories!” one netizen tweeted, according to Mashable.
“I came to buy this immediately at Tamagotchi’s 20th anniversary,” another one posted on Twitter.
The Tamagotchi craze first swept Japan in 1996, and quickly gained international notoriety after being released in the US and Europe a year later.
Image: Twitter/@YOSHIRU_jp
Although multiple variations with different characters sprouted over the years, the original version remained the most popular and beloved among the bunch.
The rare 1996 version even became a prized item on online stores, going for as high as $130 (over P6,000).
The Bandai-released Tamagotchi is now sold at 1,500 yen (P680), but is exclusively available in Japanese stores.
No word has been released yet if it will be sold internationally, but the item is available on Amazon Japan for $17.36 (P862). Khristian Ibarrola /ra
