Bandai Tamagotchi (1996-1998)

✅ Bandai Tamagotchi

🥇First Mass-Produced Virtual Pet 

The Bandai Tamagotchi, launched in North America in 1997, was a massive global phenomenon that single-handedly ignited the "virtual pet" craze. Created in Japan, the device was a tiny, egg-shaped computer on a keychain featuring a low-resolution pixelated screen and a simple three-button interface. Players were tasked with hatching an alien creature and raising it from a baby to an adult by feeding it digital snacks, cleaning up its droppings, and playing a simple guessing game to keep its happiness meter full. The Tamagotchi was notorious for its demanding, high-maintenance nature; if neglected for too long, the creature would fall ill or "die," leaving only a small tombstone on the screen—a feature that led to it being banned in schools worldwide as students desperately tried to keep their digital pets alive during class.

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