Remember those little egg-shaped toys from the 1990s called Tamagotchis? Most people just think of them as old toys, but for Rachel Liew, they’re much more than that. Rachel got her first Tamagotchi when she was 7 years old. Her dad bought it for her because she couldn’t have a real pet. Now at 34 years old, Rachel lives in Singapore and has the biggest Tamagotchi collection in her country. She has almost 200 of these digital pets!
Some of Rachel’s Tamagotchis are super rare. She has one called a gold Suntec City Mall Tamagotchi. It’s so rare that you can’t even find it when you search on Google. Rachel’s collection is so special that the National Museum of Singapore put it in a show about vintage toys. This shows how important Tamagotchis were to many people growing up.
Guess what? Tamagotchis are becoming popular again. Bandai Namco sold twice as many in 2023 as they did in 2022. Kids today are falling in love with these pocket pets, just like people did back in the 1990s.
Rachel’s story isn’t just about collecting toys. It’s about how something you love as a kid can become a big part of your life as you grow up. It’s also about how a hobby can help you meet people all over the world who love the same things you do.