91原创

Tamagotchis, those听egg-shaped virtual pets that fit into pockets or clip onto backpacks, were released in Japan by Bandai in 1996 and hit the Canadian market in May 1997, igniting a buying frenzy that generated millions of dollars and caused all kinds of problems in schools. But as electronic pets became another casualty of school bans, like today鈥檚 cellphones and vapes, the routine of caring for them outside the classroom grew tiresome, and the craze died out.

But don鈥檛 tell that to the 91原创 Tamagotchi Club, a 100-member group that has helped spark a resurgence of the iconic toys.听The all-ages club听began in late 2022 as a response to pandemic-induced loneliness and regularly hosts meetups in the city.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 so beautiful to see the joy it brings people,鈥� founder Twoey Gray, 28, told the Star at the club鈥檚 meetup on April 28.

鈥淵ou see people from all different professions, parts of the city, and various ages, genders, races and sexual orientations. Everybody is just playing.鈥�

Each Tamagtochi has a small screen and three tiny buttons, which allow you to perform such activities as feeding your pet, giving it medicine, cleaning up and disciplining it.听

Since launching, 91原创鈥檚 Tamagotchi听club听has inspired the formation of听chapters 鈥� even a Furby club 鈥� all across North America.听

William Maneja, 28, a collector and one of the group鈥檚 first members, rediscovered his love for Tamagotchis after finding his virtual pet from 2004 while cleaning his room听during the pandemic.

鈥淚 was going through a tough personal time,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut playing the Tamagotchi helped me look forward to the next day.鈥�

Maneja has launched an Instagram page, sharing his collection of about 24 Tamagotchis with more than 750 followers. He recently started documenting his experience tackling the so-called 100-generation challenge,听with the goal of raising 100 generations on a single device.听

Since January 2023, Maneja has raised 52 generations. If his Tamagotchi dies, the cycle ends, and he must start again.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I鈥檇 make it this far,鈥� he said.

The rise of the Tamagotchi

The story of the Tamagotchi is one Michael Feraday knows well. The general manager of Bandai 91原创,听Feraday was instrumental in bringing the cyber-pets to market here.听

He first laid eyes on a Tamagotchi at a toy convention in Japan. He said the 鈥渨ow鈥� factor wasn鈥檛 the product itself, but the social phenomenon it represented.

In the toy industry, a new product rarely听becomes a news story. But听this one was making headlines everywhere.听Tamagotchi proved to be one of the earliest examples of virtual reality and went on to听become the basis for video games and TV series.

鈥淚t caught the imagination of the public,鈥� Feraday said.

If you didn鈥檛 own a Tamagotchi between the late 鈥�90s and early 2000s, you probably knew someone who did. Kids would play with them at all hours听鈥� at summer camps, during sports games, and in class.

Taryn Parker, 27, remembers getting together with her friends at recess and connecting their Tamagotchis.

鈥淚t was that weird era where technology was听really听fun听and interesting and cool,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚t was like, 鈥榃ow, this is a whole new world. Here鈥檚 a little pet I can connect with people.鈥欌��

Schools get tough

But like all good things, the Tamagotchi came to an end 鈥� and somewhat abruptly.听

Schools started forbidding听kids from bringing virtual pets to class,听and suddenly, the responsibility for keeping them alive听fell to adults.听

Concerned, many started calling Bandai for help. 鈥淗ow do I stop the beeping?鈥� 鈥淲hy is the screen black?鈥� 鈥淲hat do you mean I have to clean its poop?鈥澨�

鈥淭hese parents are thinking, 鈥楴ow I have to take care of these digital pets,鈥欌�� said Sandra Bekhor, head of Bandai 91原创鈥檚 marketing at the time. 鈥淎nd they鈥檇 get in big trouble with their kids if they didn鈥檛 do it right.鈥�

The routine of caring for them grew tiresome and led to many difficult conversations. Kids would come home to news that their beloved pets were dead.

Eventually, sales听began to slow and orders came to a halt. Many Tamagotchi owners听ended up storing their toys away or throwing them out.

Tamagotchi makes a comeback听

Since 1996, Bandai has sold more than 91 million Tamagotchi devices worldwide and released several different versions,听including Tamagotchi Nanos that feature characters from 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� and 鈥淛urassic Park.鈥澨�

If you asked Feraday 20 years ago if Tamagotchi was a fad, he wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to agree. But now,听he questions whether interest in the product ever听went away.

His 10-year-old granddaughter recently entered a drawing contest to win Tamagotchis. And they have continued to exist through playing cards and toys inspired by the virtual pets.

Then there鈥檚 the 2022 Pixar movie 鈥淭urning Red,鈥� in which the main character, Mei, induced nostalgia through her connection to her Tamagotchi.听

And it鈥檚 not just millennials throwing it back. Gen Z and Gen Alpha have jumped on board, too. Last year, Bandai tapped 19-year-old TikTok star Charli D鈥橝melio as the face of Tamagotchi Uni, a Wi-Fi version that听connects to other devices to play together, exchange items, even propose marriage.听

Tara Badie, senior director of brand strategy of Bandai America, said in an email that the various models, partnerships and pop culture references helped fuel the toy鈥檚 recent resurgence.听

鈥淭he rate at which we are witnessing these fan clubs pop up across North America is tremendous,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e love engaging with our fans and have enjoyed seeing all the awesome content from the fan meetups.鈥�

Bekhor believes cyber-pets are popular now for the same reason they听were 27 years ago. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just an attachment to a toy,鈥� she said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 an actual experience.鈥�

At the recent 91原创 Tamagotchi Club听quarterly meetup at an event space in Kensington Market, about听40 people gathered to show off their collections, take photos, share friendship bracelets, eat snacks and connect over their love for the toy.听

Not everyone needs听to have a Tamagotchi to be part of the club, said Gray.听鈥淲e welcome the Tamagotchi-curious.鈥�

Maleeha Rahman, 19, and her friend fit into that category. The pair decided to attend after learning about 鈥� and entering 鈥� a contest to design a new logo for the group.

Rahman said she enjoyed seeing people foster connections through a toy from the past. 鈥淚 love it. We need more clubs like this.鈥�

The next meetup is scheduled for June 2 at听Allan Gardens. Gray said听the club plans to host what it hopes will be 鈥渢he world鈥檚 largest Tamagotchi wedding鈥� in September.听

The group is trying to get Guinness World Records to validate, and Bandai has expressed support for the initiative.听

鈥淚’m hoping we all dress up and pretend it鈥檚 like a real wedding, too,鈥� Gray said.