RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Today's last word in business is: '90s nostalgia strikes again. And here's what it sounds like.
(SOUNDBITE OF DIGITAL DEVICE)
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
This is not a Casio calculator watch. It's a Tamagotchi. And its beeps are cries for attention.
MONTAGNE: A Tamagotchi is a handheld digital device. It sort of looks like a plastic Easter egg with a little digital screen. And that little egg-shaped toy is a robotic pet. Owners press certain buttons to feed it, to play with it, get its medical attention - you get the idea. If you neglect the Tamagotchi, the digital pet dies.
WERTHEIMER: The Japanese toy became a sensation in the U.S., right along with Beanie Babies and Furbies. Tamagotchis are still selling, but now the company is releasing a new breed of pets - a mobile app.
MONTAGNE: Just like the original ones, you have to take care of them. But instead of living in a plastic egg, these virtual pets are kept in smartphones or tablets.
And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
WERTHEIMER: And I'm Linda Wertheimer.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.