On Monday, Micah made us all feel old by pointing out the difference between our childhood experiences and those that members of the class of 2017 (and younger) have had. We had CD players and Walkmen; they had iPods. But perhaps the greatest device they missed out on was the electronic pet known as Tamagotchi.

The app version closely resembles the version we held in our hand during the ’90s

You couldn’t call or text anyone on this egg-sized device, yet, Tamagotchi was a major milestone for me: it marked the first time I was connected to an electronic device – literally (as you see in the video below) and emotionally. My Tamagotchi went everywhere I went and, anytime I wanted to avoid awkward situations on the playground I would just pretend to be feeding my Tamagotchi. Despite my lack of responsibility even at an early age, my short-lived relationship with my “pet” sparked a romance with interactive mobile technology that is now flourishing.

Sixteen years after Japanese toy company, Bandai, gave hope to children whose parents refused to get them a cat or dog, or even a fish, they’ve created an app form for Android devices, called Tamagotchi L.i.f.e., which stands for “love is fun everywhere” – how fun is that?

The app is free, but can you afford the inevitable emotional toll when you lose your pet to neglect? Maybe you learned from your childhood traumatic Tamagotchi loss and will be a better parent this go around.

Don’t worry, Apple users; the app will soon be available for us as well. Personally, this news makes me very happy; I just hope no one decides to resurrect the Furby from whatever pet cemetery that thing’s buried in. That’s the last thing I want on my phone.

1996 was a long time ago so our memories are a little foggy, but members of our creative team here at Verge Pipe Media were all able to recall at least one distinct and fond memory of our original Tamagotchi pet.

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Author: Gray Gill is our Spring Editor & Word-Smith here at Verge Pipe Media. Verge Pipe Media assists public institutions, enterprises and the non-profit sector with Imaginative Inbound Marketing strategies + campaigns. We also have a development team chock full of Marvelous Mobile Migrators, poised to help transition our clients into a mobile + social world with custom software, iOS and Android mobile apps.