'90s nostalgia alert: Old-school Tamagotchi making a comeback

Bandai's relaunched Tamagotchi pocket pet is shown in this image from video. (Bandai / YouTube)

The makers of a once-popular digital pet are aiming to rekindle some nostalgia for children of the '90s, in hopes they aren't already tired of parenting their own real-life pets or children.

Japan-based toymaker Bandai is relaunching its line of Tamagotchi pocket pets, with the same low-resolution graphics and egg-shaped design as the original toy from 1996. The new devices will be slightly smaller and cheaper than the original items, but the experience will be much the same as people remember.

Tamagotchis were part of the pocket-pet craze of the mid-1990s, when children would essentially "raise" their digital creature from a hatchling. Users were required to feed their pet, play with it and even clean up its mess on a regular basis, or it would die. You know, like caring for an actual living thing. Only for fun.

The toy is now out in Japan for the equivalent of about $24 on Amazon, although it's unclear when it might be available in Canada.

It'll be the second Tamagotchi relaunch for Bandai. The company previously resurrected Tamagotchi in 2013, rebranding the creatures as cartoon children and updating graphics on the devices.

The retro Tamagotchis of 2017 may bring back fond memories for those who played with the originals.

But with today's kids already accustomed to high-definition smartphone games, it remains to be seen how many will want an eating, crying, pooping keychain pet.