Tamagotchis are back, in Toronto at least: Why the popular 90s virtual pet is finding new life today

When Twoey Gray recently rediscovered her Tamagotchi from 2004, she had no idea she'd soon find a community of people reaching for the now-retro digital pets that set off a toy craze years ago.

Gray says she first got a Tamagotchi in 2004, but only rediscovered it while on a long, solo trip.

The hand-held electronic pets were all the rage in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but have largely been forgotten in recent years. But this year – well after the heyday of the virtual pet game and arrival of smartphone apps and new fads Gray, 28, decided to form her own Tamagotchi club.

And she says it's thriving.

"When I got back to Toronto, I was still playing it," she said. "And I thought, I can't be the last person in Toronto playing with a Tamagotchi."

For those who've hung on to them, the Toronto Tamagotchi Club is holding its third meeting on Sunday, where fellow Tamagotchi owners can bring their handheld digital creatures to Allan Gardens to meet in person. 

Gray said she started playing with her old Tamagotchi a few years ago to keep her company on a trip from Toronto to Halifax. 

So she put up hand-drawn posters around town and posted an ad for the first meeting online.

"I had no idea who was going to be there," she said. "I honestly just made a poster that said, 'My Tamagotchi has no friends: friending event,' and a date and time."

Surprise turnout

Over 10 people turned up to that first meeting – a sizeable number by 2023 standards – including an old friend she hadn't seen in years.

"The next meeting [in May] we had even more, and lots of people who reached out and said they wanted to be there and weren't able to make it that day."

The group now has an Instagram account, and Gray says members stay in touch between meetings through their own group chat.

William Maneja, 27, was one of the people who came to the first meeting. Like Gray, he says he got his first Tamagotchi in 2004. Unlike Gray, he didn't stop there. He's since collected 24 of them.

"It's cool to see that other people still play with them," he said. "Even though it's not the trendiest thing at the moment."

Maneja and Gray say they've built a small community of like-minded strangers through the now-retro toy, and their two Tamagotchi pets are even getting "married" at this Sunday's meeting.

It might seem a little strange that Tamagotchis would appeal to adults all these years later, but one professor says they provide something that today's endless array of apps and entertainment largely can't

Dr. Seung Hwan Mark Lee, professor and associate dean at Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, says nostalgia is a major marketing tool. 

"We're not really buying [Tamagotchis] for the functional value," said Lee, whose research interests include consumer behaviour.

"What it provides is that emotional attachment that we have had when we were young. These new digital apps that are coming out cannot provide that."

Lee says companies are recognizing this, and are focusing lots of marketing on "brand attachment" because of it.

Not just nostalgia, says fan

Tamagotchi may be a prime example of that.

A new version, Tamagotchi Uni, was released by Bandai Namco Toys and Collectibles this year. It updates the Tamagotchi for the 2020s, complete with wifi connectivity, a "Tamaverse" – the Tamagotchi's answer to the Metaverse – and TikTok star Charli d'Amelio as brand ambassador.

But Gray suggests the success of the Tamagotchi club goes beyond nostalgia and "emotional attachment."

"It's nice because it's a little bit anti-algorithmic," she said. "It is a virtual pet, but it feels very analog."

The original Tamagotchis aren't connected to the internet or social media or any other modern distraction, Gray said, and that's part of the appeal for a Tamagotchi owner in 2023. 

"Part of the reason that I created the club was because, to make friends or even marry your Tamagotchi, it's something that has to be done in person."

The group's next meeting takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. at Toronto's Allan Gardens. Gray says all are welcome. Just keep your Tamagotchi alive until then and bring it along.