By last February, folks at Tiger Electronics were already planning for the holiday season.
That’s when the electronics toy and gamemaker put its key-chain gizmos called Giga Pets on display to retailers. Digital Doggie, Compu Kitty, Baby T-Rex, Virtual Alien, Big Critter and Virtual Alien, all creatures of the computer revolution, have been flying off shelves ever since.
By now, everybody knows only too well that the beeping critters must be fed, petted and scooped up after, lest they die.
“They’ve really been a home run for Tiger,” says promotions manager Lana Simon. “When the buyers came through, we had an indication we were definitely on to something.”
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Privately held Tiger, which markets six of the tiny key-chain toys at about $10 each, doesn’t divulge sales figures. But industry analysts say Tiger and a handful of other virtual pet manufacturers will have put at least 6 million key-chain and computer units on the market by the holidays and expect to rake in as much as $80 million.
Bandai’s Tomagotchi sold 4.5 million of its $15 eggs within four months of its U.S. introduction.
“This is the first worldwide toy for both boys and girls,” says Andrew Levin, a marketer of Cool Tec’s $15 Pocket Puppy, noting past hits like Power Rangers and Cabbage Patch dolls appeal primarily to one sex.
With proper parenting, more babies will be born to Playmates Toys’ $15 Nano Baby about every 12 days, creating the potential for a virtual family.
And don’t think your computer screen need be void of pet poop. In October, P.F. Magic introduced its second generation of Dogz and Catz, which can play together and live indefinitely, company spokeswoman Brooke Boynton says.
The company has sold 1 million of its original $20 pets worldwide since they were released in 1995, Boynton says.
Virtual pets are available at virtually anyplace toys are sold.