It was 1996 when a small plastic egg became part of the lives of millions of children and kids around the world. Thirty years after Tamagotchi’s international market launch, Bandai has decided to celebrate by turning it into an accessory you can always keep within reach.

Unveiled a few days ago at the Tokyo Toy Show and available for pre-order from August 27th, the Tamagotchi Ring is, by size, the most compact device the franchise has ever made. Twenty-eight millimeters tall, twenty-three wide, a 0.56-inch color LCD screen, three control buttons scaled down to near-miniature proportions. The virtual pet that once hung from middle-school backpacks now slips directly onto a finger, with the same ease as any ordinary ring.

Behind the miniaturization lie two years of development and one precise technical choice: Bandai cut the device down to just 64 components, compared to 116 in the current Tamagotchi Paradise, doing away with the USB port entirely in favor of a dedicated charging case, the same way wireless earbuds work.

The Tamagotchi Ring is available in three colorways: Pink x Pearl White with a pearly aurora finish, Light Blue x Metallic Gold, and Black x Metallic Silver, both plated. It comes in two sizes, corresponding to Japanese ring sizes 10 and 14, with an adapter included. 

Living in the device’s memory are thirty characters drawn from thirty years of the franchise’s history, manageable through the classic care cycle, with the addition of mini-games and a room decoration feature that lets you personalize your Tamagotchi’s space. 

Thirty years ago, Tamagotchi taught us how to take care of another being and be fully responsible for it. Maybe we’ve lost everything it taught us, and maybe the Tamagotchi Ring will teach us again what we’ve forgotten.