Tamagotcha

Wanting in on some of the action that rival Bandai is getting with their Tamagotchi (“cute little egg”) virtual pet toy, Japan’s Takara Co. Ltd. is bringing out Neko Unjatta (“I produced a cat”), which allows players to “mate” their electronic pets together to breed offspring. By using the “love-love communication function,” two toys (“You have to be careful, because you cannot communicate’ two males together or two females together,” Takara says) can produce kittens which can themselves mate after a week of growth. Cute? Think again: an 8-month-old Yorkshire Terrier was turned in to a London animal shelter in favor of a Tamagotchi. A shelter spokesman said two children dumped their pet, and their father “was very shamefaced when he explained that his children loved their computer pets more than a real dog” after they found the dog “needs a lot of attention.” (AFP, 2) ...He should have dropped off the kids instead.