Uniqlo to launch Tamagotchi women’s T-shirts in homage to the virtual pet toys

SINGAPORE – Japanese apparel giant Uniqlo is bringing the Tamagotchi to its T-shirts with a collaboration collection paying homage to the pebble-sized devices.

The Tamagotchi devices were first released in Japan in 1996 but soon became a worldwide fad. They housed virtual pets their “owners” could care for as they grew, ate and excreted.

Uniqlo will launch on Dec 15 a collection of four women’s T-shirts, each displaying a different Tamagotchi character or logo, and retailing at $19.90. The shirts’ designs are inspired by the pixel art of the first generation Tamagotchi released in the 1990s.

An actual Tamagotchi device will also be sold as part of the launch for $39.90, with the white handheld gadget designed to look like the original devices.

The launch comes as the electronic toys are making a comeback as fashion accessories, with some people attaching them to their bags or around their waists as decorative charms.

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website with Uniqlo original mini-games

has been set up to mark the collaboration and 30th anniversary of the virtual pets. One game allows players to control a Uniqlo-wearing Mametchi, the virtual pet in a Tamagotchi, as it gathers food, among other things.