Case Study: The Resurgence of Nostalgic Toys
The Tamagotchi Game
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Tamagotchi was one of the biggest toy fads that had a grip over children in Japan and in the United States. This phenomenon began on November 23rd, 1996 when Bandai released their first Tamagotchi in Japan.
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It originally consisted of a 32x16 pixel screen and three buttons to be used to take care of the Tamagotchi - the name of the creature and the device it was in. These buttons controlled simple tasks such as playing games with your pet, feeding it, or turning the lights on/off in its room. If you failed to complete these tasks, the Tamagotchi you raised would end up dying.
The Rise and Fall of the Game
Due to the unique detail of the pets ceasing to exist if they did not receive constant attention, children became infatuated with the game and would spend every waking minute taking care of their Tamagotchi, going as far as to chance getting caught by their teacher during class. Regardless of how fast society moved, their Tamagotchi's life was not like the games of the time that could be paused, instead featuring continual play, and thus, they could take no risks.
According to Bandai, the success of this game, selling over 91 million units with new versions being released every year, was due to this feature. It appealed to the human instinct to nurture while giving young children a chance to embrace responsibility harmlessly - trying to keep their pixelated friend alive. Tamagotchi also targeted a market that wasn't usually noticed when it came to video games - girls. In a period when games such as Nintendo targeted boys, Tamagotchi was the perfect game to give girls a way to break into the video game realm.
However, even if they were groundbreaking at first, they did not last very long. They were soon replaced by smartphones and similar concept games, such as Nintendo's Nintendogs.
The Revival of Nostalgic Games
Though the Tamagotchi games were unable to keep the traction they had going, the current market has opened up an opportunity for them to make a comeback. Recently, there has been an uproar in bringing back everything Y2K and retro, and games are no exception. From Hot Wheels to LEGO to My Little Pony, games and toys associated with these concepts have drawn a strong emotion out of the generation that were the youths 20 to 30 years ago.
Over the last few years, many unfortunate events have occurred back to back, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the average consumers are trying to take back the wheel of their lives by finding joy in their everyday lives - something that the fond memories of the past tend to help with.
Tamagotchi's Comeback
In this new era, Tamagotchi has made a comeback, riding the recent wave of nostalgic memories and toys. The new Tamagotchi, according to the press launch by Bandai, is created for the "modern digital world" and will possess the ability to "connect fans globally."
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They debuted their all-new Tamagotchi Uni at Tokyo's Toy Fair in June 2023 and stated that it would give fans the ability to connect to the metaverse for the Tamagotchi world, the Tamaverse, and play together within the various Tamaverse features such as Tama Fashion and Tama Parties. The characters will feature different looks, personalities, and hobbies while also giving users the ability to connect to the internet. From there, they have access to new content and updates while also being able to customize their characters to their heart's desire.
Tamagotchi further stepped into the modern world by choosing Charli D'Amelio, one of TikTok's biggest stars, as its global ambassador. From TikTok videos to Instagram posts and reels, and even an event preview in New York, they've made sure to cover all their bases.
Tamagotchi has solidified its position in the toy industry and consumers' hearts and serves as a lesson that toy creators should always be looking out for opportunities in the various, ever-changing trends in the toy industry. Keep scrolling to discover some more Tamagotchi products!
Shop Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi Original - Garden Poppies - Click here to buy on Amazon!
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Tamagotchi Original - Sprinkles - Click here to buy on Amazon!
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Tamagotchi Uni - Pink - Click here to buy on Amazon!
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
