Tamagotchi’s first ever official London store has just opened

For those of us that grew up at the turn of the millennium, juggling learning the alphabet with taking care of your Tamagotchi was a full time job. Hatching eggs, requiring constant changes and beeping whenever it was hungry, the virtual pet was fun for about five minutes until custody was inevitably handed over to a more responsible adult.

But these days the ’90s gadget is officially back, with the BBC reporting that sales more than doubled between 2022 and 2023. And for the first time since its release in 1996, creator Bandai Namco has opened a store right here in London, making it a whole lot easier to get your hands on a new virtual pet. 

Located in none other than Camden Market (the nostalgia is starting to really kick in) the classic egg-shaped toy is available to buy in the Tamagotchi store, but it comes with a bunch of new updates. As if we needed any more screen time, the updated version can connect to Wi-Fi, letting you download items for your pet and connect with friends. 

Now that some of us old school Tamagotchi users are grown up enough to think about having real pets, maybe it’s time we gave the toy another shot in preparation. We’ve brushed up on our alphabet and are (hopefully) a lot more responsible. Mum and dad, we promise to take care of our Tamagotchi this time. 

If you fancy a trip down memory lane, the official Tamagotchi store is located within the Bandai Namco Cross store in Units 16-18/100-101 Stables Market (NW1 8AH). It’s open daily from 10am to 7pm. Find out more on the official website here.

Openings in London 

There’s plenty of new arrivals in London, here’s what not to miss. A new Wetherspoons might be opening in the old London Dungeon, the capital’s ‘first dedicated LGBTQ+ cinema’ is coming to Bermondsey and a Dolly Parton musical is making its way here just in time for Christmas. 

Did you see that London’s design museum is getting a massive Wes Anderson exhibition in 2025?

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