Tamagotchis are back in fashion

When it comes to authentic Y2K aesthetics, the Tamagotchi cannot be left out. The game represented a big part of the youth of entire generations—Millennials and Gen Z—between joys and traumas. Produced by the Japanese company Bandai in 1996, the Tamagotchi was popular among both children and teenagers: some bought it for the game itself, while others used it to decorate the belt loop of their low-rise jeans with the colorful egg. The game became so popular that in the year of its release, 400,000 units had already been sold, and this number grew to 13 million by 1997. The cultural relevance of the Tamagotchi ensured that it continued to thrive over the years through collaborations with various brands, from Star Wars to BAPE. However, its popularity did not always remain the same; in the 2010s, Tamagotchis became mere objects of collective nostalgia, but that changed in 2019 when Bandai decided to relaunch the product in Europe, the UK, and the US. With brand new versions of the egg and a recent collaboration with Sanrio, sales between 2022 and 2023 were so profitable that this year Bandai decided to open the first flagship Tamagotchi store in London, at Camden Market.

The new Tamagotchi arrived at the perfect time for a perfect generation. As Priya Jadeja, the brand manager of the game, said, after the 2019 relaunch, they expected that most of the sales would be driven by nostalgia, but that wasn’t entirely the case. Jadeja noticed a significant increase in sales among younger audiences who had never experienced such a device before. The Tamagotchi has now evolved from a game to a device, as the new version launched in 2023 is a wearable, fully living up to its name: a Japanese play on words between "tamago", which means egg, and "uotchi", wristwatch. With a touchscreen LED display, ultra-clear graphics, and vibrant colors, the 2024 version of the game is a far cry from the original 8-bit graphics. Nevertheless, the craze has already started on social media.

The Tamagotchi revival has had a significant impact on social media, where the hashtag #Tamagotchi has accumulated millions of views on platforms like TikTok and X, with 788.4K monthly searches worldwide. Users share videos and photos of their experiences with the game, from strategies on how to take care of their virtual pets to aesthetic customizations of the device itself. This digital resurgence has helped create a global community of fans, bringing together different generations through both nostalgia and innovation. The new versions of the Tamagotchi offer advanced features such as online connectivity and access to the Tamaverse—the metaverse dedicated to the game—allowing users to interact with each other in ways previously unimaginable.

Today, the Tamagotchi is not just a game but also a fashion accessory that has found its place in contemporary trends. Many fans have started using the Tamagotchi as a decorative element for bags and backpacks, blending nostalgia and style. This practice reflects the current trend of "birkinification", where luxury brand bags are hyper-personalized with figurines, pearls, and various "kawaii" items. It’s no surprise that companies like Bandai are capitalizing on this trend, expanding the Tamagotchi brand into new markets and collaborations. The perception of Tamagotchi as a perfect mix of nostalgia and innovation has led to collaborations in recent years with brands like Sanrio and a capsule collection with Max Mara. Thinking about it, the brand's life cycle mirrors the game itself: born, grown, died, and then reborn under a new light.