Tamagotchi Digital Pet Returns As An App




Today's last word in business is: '90s nostalgia strikes again. And here's what it sounds like.



This is not a Casio calculator watch. It's a Tamagotchi. And its beeps are cries for attention.

MONTAGNE: A Tamagotchi is a handheld digital device. It sort of looks like a plastic Easter egg with a little digital screen. And that little egg-shaped toy is a robotic pet. Owners press certain buttons to feed it, to play with it, get its medical attention - you get the idea. If you neglect the Tamagotchi, the digital pet dies.

WERTHEIMER: The Japanese toy became a sensation in the U.S., right along with Beanie Babies and Furbies. Tamagotchis are still selling, but now the company is releasing a new breed of pets - a mobile app.

MONTAGNE: Just like the original ones, you have to take care of them. But instead of living in a plastic egg, these virtual pets are kept in smartphones or tablets.


WERTHEIMER: And I'm Linda Wertheimer.





