Back to Piep

My Tamagotchi lasted 21 days before it died or flew back to its home planet. I don’t remember which—it was 1997, I was too young to care about the difference. Those little pixel creatures were everywhere that year, piping and beeping during class until every teacher in the building lost their mind. Feed them, play with them, clean them up—it was constant, and I was into it.

Now, over 20 years later, they’re coming back. The new Tamagotchi 4u costs around 60 euros and comes in pink, white, blue, and purple. You can sync them with other devices, hook them to your phone, or visit special stations to buy them food, toys, and outfits. Fully networked now. Which is weird because the whole appeal before was that they were so simple, so deliberately useless.

I don’t know when they’ll show up here, or if I’ll get one. There’s always something strange about rediscovering something you loved as a kid. You know it won’t hit the same way. What felt urgent at nine just looks quaint now. But a toy that won’t let you forget about it, that keeps piping no matter what you’re doing—there’s something honest in that design. I’m curious what it would feel like to keep one alive this time. Maybe I’d make it past 21 days.