When the Wall fell, popular culture rose to a new level of social relevance. Wind of Change? More like a tsunami! The Nineties washed over the increasingly globalized media landscape in a tidal wave of catchy tunes, cult movies, TV series and show stars. FACES rolls up the decade – and publishes an encyclopaedia on the age of grunge, girl groups, GZSZ and – Tamagotchi.
Eieiei, what have the Japanese put into our nests again? A beeping mini-computer with animal traits – and human needs.
Eat, sleep, play, shit. The digital being the size of a key fob masters these four “activities”. Incidentally, it has a famous big brother: Pacman. Both originate from the laboratories of the Japanese game think tank BandaiNamco. In 1996, he launched the Tamagotchi, which was originally reserved for the domestic market. The hype is followed by export, and a year later thousands of European children become temporary parents. For one summer.
As abruptly as the trend takes off, it dies down again just as quickly; a re-launch in 2004 fizzles out hopelessly. It’s definitely a case for the graveyard (or at best for hardened nostalgics), the ex-cult object whose name is made up of the Japanese kutamago (“egg”) and wotchi (“watch”). However, this is not a timing aid for three-minute eggs, but the solution for those adults whose offspring want pets but don’t have the space for a cat, a horse allergy, too little money for bird food – or no desire to pick up dog poop.
