The Guardian

The next Tamagotchi? Meet Peridot, the AR pet app from the makers of Pokémon Go

From the unlikely return of Gladiators to the resurgence of the layered blowout hairstyle beloved of Rachel from Friends, 90s nostalgia is in rude health. It was only a matter of time, then, until we witnessed the return of the era’s most baffling toy – the Tamagotchi.

Created by Akihiro Yokoi and Aki Maita in 1996, these keychain-sized gaming devices became an instant playground phenomenon, seeing millions of children neglect their real-life pets in favour of cleaning pixelated poop. Then, just as quickly as they arrived, these pocket playthings disappeared. While Nintendo channelled the Tamagotchi spirit into the hugely successful Nintendogs series, the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian6 min readRobotics
Robot Dogs Have Unnerved And Angered The Public. So Why Is This Artist Teaching Them To Paint?
The artist is completely focused, a black oil crayon in her hand as she repeatedly draws a small circle on a vibrant teal canvas. She is unbothered by the three people closely observing her every movement, and doesn’t seem to register my entrance int
The Guardian4 min read
‘Still A Very Alive Medium’: Celebrating The Radical History Of Zines
A medium that basks in the unruliness and unpredictability of the creative process, zines are gloriously chaotic and difficult to pin down. Requiring little more to produce than a copy machine, a stapler and a vision, zines played a hugely democratiz
The Guardian4 min read
Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m

Related Books & Audiobooks