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The original Tamagotchi has been rereleased, kind of

The original Tamagotchi has been rereleased, kind of

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Hello, fellow humans who were alive and conscious in the ‘90s. Remember Tamagotchis? Just like Beanie Babies, the digital pets never really went anywhere after the craze ended. Last year Tamagotchis were a hot fashion accessory; an updated version of the keychain, Tamagotchi Friends, was released in 2013; and there's even an Apple Watch app for gosh sakes.

But what about the original Tamagotchi keychain? The one that made us fall in love with doing mindless tasks for thankless, virtual pets for the very first time? Well, Bandai Namco has you covered. It's rereleasing the original Tamagotchi, with the original pets, features, and colorful egg designs (via Mashable). They're available now in Japan for 1,920 yen (about $17 dollars, which is right in line with the original price).

Except, the new Tamagotchis aren't exactly the same as the original. They're about half the size, the LCD display is square rather than rectangle, and those helpful icons on the top and bottom of the screen seem to be gone now.

It seems strange to make so many tweaks to a nostalgia play, but this Japanese YouTuber doesn't seem bummed out about it at all:

And yes, before you ask, I had a Giga Pet, and I'm still a little sore about it.