Tamagotchi

Tamagotchi (Japanese: たまごっち; IPA: [tamaɡotꜜtɕi], "Egg Watch") is a brand of handheld digital pets marketed since 1996 by Japanese toymaker Bandai, a division of Bandai Namco Holdings. Most Tamagotchi are housed in a small egg-shaped handheld video game with an interface consisting of three buttons, with the goal of raising the pet as it goes through different life stages. The original Tamagotchi, released locally in 1996 and worldwide in 1997, quickly became a major global toy fad for a period of time. Tamagotchi was brought back in 2004 and since then has received more new versions while Bandai has also expanded the franchise to other media and merchandise.