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The history of Tamagotchi

Mysterious alien egg babies? Sounds like a commercial juggernaut to me!

Tamagotchi YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/Getty Images
Russ Frushtick is the director of special projects, and he has been covering the world of video games and technology for over 15 years. He co-founded Polygon in 2012.

This week on The History of Fun, we are exploring the world-wide phenomenon that was Tamagotchi. Yes, for a surprisingly long period of time, the planet was enraptured by mysterious alien egg babies, and there was simply nothing we could do to fight back. Let’s take a trip down memory lane!

Special thanks to everyone who participated in our new segment, Reader Only Memories, wherein we share listener stories about the topic at hand. Here is the full thread of responses:

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New to The History of Fun? Every Monday, Russ Frushtick, Allegra Frank and Chris Plante explore the hidden backstories behind the things we love to do. Ever wonder where dodgeball came from? Or the origins of the creepy Chuck E. Cheese robots? Or how about why Beanie Babies exploded and then vanished into the sands of time? We’ll seek to answer those questions and have some fun along the way! Subscribe and join us — we’d love to have you.