In 1996, millions of people began carrying a small plastic egg and feeling responsible for a creature that existed only on a tiny screen. It needed food, attention and care. Ignore it long enough, and there were consequences. Somehow, a handful of pixels became something people genuinely worried about.
Thirty years later, Tamagotchi is celebrating that unlikely bond on a very large scale. Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America has announced a free anniversary gathering in Times Square on Sunday, November 22, along with a New Jersey pop-up at American Dream in East Rutherford from November 7 through 29.
The Times Square Spectacular runs from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Duffy Square, with interactive displays, product demonstrations, photo opportunities, fan gatherings, giveaways and meet-and-greets with Tamagotchi characters Mametchi and Mimitchi. At 7 p.m., multiple Times Square screens are scheduled to synchronize for a 30-minute anniversary presentation. The celebration is free and open to all ages.
Across the Hudson, a MINISO Tamagotchi pop-up will run at American Dream November 7–29. On November 22, the mall’s Bandai Namco Store is also scheduled to offer a limited-edition gift-with-purchase promotion. In Manhattan, an FAO Schwarz anniversary experience is planned for November, with additional retail promotions around the region.
According to Bandai, more than 100 million Tamagotchi devices have shipped worldwide. The franchise will also appear in Roblox’s Main Street RP throughout November, introducing its virtual creatures to players who may never have held the original keychain toy.
That generational handoff may be the most revealing part of the anniversary. The children who once checked their Tamagotchi during class are old enough to introduce those same characters to their own children.
But the younger audience may meet them in a game world instead of on a dedicated device.
What felt unusual in 1996 now seems familiar. People develop attachments to game characters, online communities and digital identities. Tamagotchi did not invent those relationships, but it offered an early, remarkably portable demonstration that an emotional commitment does not have to involve something physically alive.
There is an appealing reversal in the anniversary plans. Tamagotchi originally took the experience of caring for a pet and compressed it into a screen. Now its fictional creatures are moving outward into storefronts, public gatherings and the towering displays of Times Square. The pixels are still there. The attachment, apparently, never left.
Event details
- New Jersey: MINISO Tamagotchi Pop-Up, November 7–29, American Dream, 1 American Dream Way, East Rutherford. Separate Bandai Namco Store gift-with-purchase promotion on November 22; purchase conditions apply.
- New York: Tamagotchi Times Square Spectacular, Sunday, November 22, 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m., Duffy Square, Times Square (Broadway/Seventh Avenue area, between 45th and 47th streets). Screen takeover begins at 7 p.m. and lasts 30 minutes. Free; all ages.
- Online: Tamagotchi experience in Roblox Main Street RP, November 1–30.
Sources
Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America, October 8, 2026: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tamagotchi-takes-over-times-square-for-its-30th-anniversary-302902572.html
Official Tamagotchi anniversary announcement: https://tamagotchi-official.com/jp/news/01_1721/
Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America, October 8, 2026: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tamagotchi-takes-over-times-square-for-its-30th-anniversary-302902572.html