It's time to hatch, feed, and clean-up after your virtual pets yet again — Tamagotchi is back in honor of the toy's 20th anniversary. | IGN

Tamagotchi vs. Giga Pets: The Ultimate 90s Virtual Pet Showdown Tamagotchi: The OG virtual pet from Japan, created by Bandai in 1996. It had alien-like creatures, egg-shaped designs and simple 3-button gameplay. Focused on evolving quirky pets based on how you cared for them. Giga Pets: America’s answer to the craze, released by Tiger Electronics in 1997. Featured real-world animals and licensed characters (Star Wars, Rugrats, etc.), with more tasks like grooming and discipline. Giga Pets design

Welcome to the World Video Game Hall of Fame, Tamagotchi! Launched in 1996, Tamagotchi bridged toys and video games. The handheld, electronic game created a digital pet for its owner to nurture and raise by the press of a button. Tamagotchi spurred the popularity of the pet simulation genre of video games, yielding popular games such as Neopets, Nintendogs, and many other social media and app-based games. | The Strong Museum