Tamagotchi opens first UK store in time for Christmas

The Nineties nostalgia is strong

Millennials reading this will have fond memories of the iconic egg-shaped device which housed a virtual pet that almost always needed some sort of care and attention.

Sometimes it needed cleaning, other times it needed the toilet, and a lot of the time it was hungry.

The toys were all the craze after their launch in 1996, and seemed to be attached to every schoolbag in the land.

And in the last couple of years, they've been making an impressive comeback.

Global sales of the toys more than doubled between 2022 and 2023, and the Japanese brand has now decided to open its first ever UK store.

The store can be found in the Camden Market, London, and is stocked with numerous variations on the classic toy, the Standard reports.

Whilst the tech has developed since the 1990s - giving the toy much more functionality - the Tamagotchi's of 2024 are still the same recognisable shape and design, with a small digital screen and buttons.

Tamagotchi brand manager Priya Jadeja explained to the BBC that now, users can "connect with friends, play on Wi-Fi and download different items."

The company has been growing ever since it officially relaunched in the UK in 2019, appealing to both younger demographics who weren't alive when the toy first launched and millennials looking for a dose of childhood nostalgia.

Jadeja said it's "really exciting" to see "kids who've never had this sort of device before" embracing the toy.

All we need now is a new Game Boy and a Spice Girls reunion to complete the 1990s reboot.