Looking for a new pet? Tamagocchi, which means "lovable eggs" in Japanese, are tiny, birdlike creatures that live on minicomputer screens. They grow from chicks to adults in 10 days but only with the right care. Owners feed, play with and clean up after the pocket pets by pushing different buttons.
About 500,000 of the $16 birds have flown off Japan's store shelves. Toymakers Sega and Bandai, which just joined forces, will hatch Tamagocchi in the U.S. this spring.