- The Tamagotchi was a virtual pet that you kept alive by feeding and looking after them. Adults, along with kids, had to have their own one to look after. So it’s no wonder that it became the top selling Christmas toy in 1997.
The aim was to keep them healthy and they needed constant attention. In the next 13 years, more than 76 million of them would be sold to people all over the world. They are not quite as popular these days but can be seen on smartphone games and on the Nintendo 2DS console.