Tamagotchi
A digital pet that died while you were in double maths.
An egg-shaped keyring with three buttons and an alien creature that demanded feeding every few hours, forever.
Schools banned them en masse because the beeping was constant and because children were genuinely distressed when their pet died during assembly.
The trick of handing it to a teacher, a younger sibling or the dinner lady for safekeeping was widespread and rarely successful.
Cost back then
£9.99
Goes for now
£25–£150 for original 1997 units
