Tamagotchi

Feed it, play with it and don't forget about it! Tamagotchi put a tiny virtual pet right on your keychain.

Feed it, play with it, clean up after it, and even give it medicine. Just don't ignore it for too long - your little pixelated pet is depending on you.

Tamagotchi arrived in the United States in 1997 inside a little egg-shaped electronic device small enough to hang from a keychain. A tiny black-and-white screen and a few buttons were all it took to give you a “pet” that needed surprisingly regular attention (or bad things happened).

Tamagotchi became a huge craze almost immediately. When it was first introduced in the U.S., FAO Schwarz reportedly sold thousands in a matter of hours. Kids were carrying their virtual pets everywhere - including school, where a toy that started beeping because it needed attention was NOT appreciated by the teacher. I remember a mild uproar at the local elementary schools for just that reason - so many Tamagotchis needing attention during class time.

Unlike most electronic games, you couldn't just shut off Tamagotchi and expect everything to be exactly where you left it when you came back. That little electronic creature kept living its life while you were living yours.

Original-style Tamagotchis are available today, complete with the familiar egg-shaped case, little screen and three buttons, as well as a lot of themed variations. So if you've ever thought taking care of a real pet was too much work, you can always try keeping a few pixels alive instead.