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Tamagotchi time! The '90s toy is back, at least in Japan

Pump up the jam, and pass the Dunkaroos. The digital pet you forgot somewhere in your sixth-grade locker has returned.

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Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
CNET freelancer Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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Pass the Dunkaroos. This Tamagotchi revival has put us in a '90s state of mind.

 Amazon Japan

Put on your slap bracelets and Hammer pants, kids of the 1990s. Tamagotchis are back -- well, at least in Japan, which means they might slowly work their way to the rest of us eventually.

Remember Tamagotchi? The egg-shaped toy, released in the US back in 1997, is an electronic pocket pet that kids (and, uh, some adults) feed and care for. Players "hatch" and name their Tamagotchi, and tend to it by pushing buttons to fill up the pet's hunger meter, clean up its droppings and play with it. Tamagotchis that are properly cared for transform into adults -- that is, assuming you didn't get bored and forget about them in your middle-school locker.

If you're longing to relive the era of Pauly Shore and POGs, you can buy one at Amazon Japan for ￥2,000 (about $18, £15, AU$24). They're smaller than the originals, but the memories are big.