Tamagotchi is back, with sales increasing

The Tamagotchi was a rage in the 90s, and anyone who lived through that time knows it very well. The idea of ​​having a virtual pet to take care of became a phenomenon and everyone wanted to have their own. But apparently its glory days are not over yet.

It turns out that the Tamagotchi has been returning to the spotlight recently, and between 2022 and 2023 its sales doubled as its popularity increased once again. Now, there is even a physical store dedicated just to selling the virtual friend.

Also read:

This Tamagotchi is made with real eggshells
Bitzee, the “interactive tamagotchi” now features Disney and Pixar characters

Tamagotchi is back, and with new features

This is great news and shows the true potential of the return of the Tamagotchi craze, as not even in the golden age of the virtual pet in the 90s did it have its own physical store. Now it is possible to enter a true Tamagotchi universe and choose between different types, pet styles, shapes and sizes.

But, of course, today’s Tamagotchi models aren’t exactly the same as they were in the 90s, as technology has come a long way since then. Not that this changes the feeling of the toy, on the contrary, it just brings more motivation and makes the virtual pet more complete.

With Wi-Fi connectivity, the Tamagotchi now has the world of the internet at its feet and can adapt to the needs and tastes of today’s new audience, both new and nostalgic. Nowadays, for example, it is possible to connect with other friends via Tamagotchi and even download different items to make the game even more dynamic. This prevents it from becoming tedious too quickly.

Not to mention that nowadays the Tamagotchi also has something it didn’t have before: competition. Currently, it is possible to list some other virtual pets that could become rivals in this market, such as Bitzee, which brings several technological improvements such as the fact that the pet is a holography that even reacts to physical movements. There are even versions with Disney characters.

Furthermore, there are also applications that simulate virtual pets on their own smartphones, as is the case with Pou, which has also been very successful.

Bringing back nostalgia

But even so, much of the Tamagotchi’s appeal today still comes from a large part of the public that came into contact with the toy in the 90s, and therefore even in the face of these innovations and the new public, there is the appeal of nostalgia.

The store will feature versions inspired by hits from the 90s such as the Digimon versions, a design that was also a rage at that time. This version already existed before, and is also from Bandai Namco, but at the time it was sold as “Tamagotchi for boys”. Nowadays this type of division no longer applies, as toys appeal to all sexes.

Some Tamagotchi fans who delve into the issue of nostalgia are very happy with the news and the return of virtual pets.

Youtuber Emma, ​​known for her channel Emmalution, revealed that she started to miss that nostalgia.

“I got my first Tamagotchi when I was still in elementary school, my best friend had one back then and I have fond memories of playing with them together.”

As she no longer had her Tamagotchi from the past, she ended up buying a more modern one last year.

“That started an obsession, absorbing a lot of information about every release that came out after my first Tamagotchi. I started a collection, curious to know what I had missed while I was busy growing up.”

Physical store in the United Kingdom

The Tamagotchi store is currently located in the United Kingdom and if its success continues it could end up spreading to other locations. Here in Brazil, unfortunately, there is no official channel directly from Bandai Namco, but it is possible to find it through export through some e-commerce sites, such as Mercado Livre.

The price varies, generally reaching an average of R$250 this way.

Fonte: BBC