- Title: UK: FUNERALS HELD FOR DEAD TAMAGOTCHI CYBERPETS
- Date: 17th January 1997
- Summary: PONTSMILL, CORNWALL, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JANUARY 17, 1997) (REUTERS) LV/ZOOM: GENERAL VIEW OF HILLS IN CORNWALL TO WIDE OF PET CEMETERY MORTUARY 0.14 GV: TAMAGOTCHI MOURNERS AND PET CEMETERY OWNER WALKING INTO MORTUARY 0.25 MV/ZOOM/CU: TAMAGOTCHIS BEING PLACED IN WOODEN COFFINS 0.40 SCU: MOURNERS LOOKING ON 0.43 MV/TILT: NAILS BEING HAMMERED IN COFFIN 0.48 LV: W
- Embargoed: 1st February 1997 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PONTSMILL, CORNWALL AND LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Quirky,People,Technology,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA5EWRZXHC0MWWIT56QPZI7M5PP
- Story Text: A small field in the United Kingdom is quickly establishing itself as the last resting place for Tamagotchis - the electronic pets which have become the world's most successful toy.
At the weekend another two owners buried their cyberpets in a special cemetery there.
Since the cyberpet craze began to sweep the world last year millions of owners have pampered to the electronic needs of the toys - feeding, bathing, exercising them. But the pets life spans are not long - anything from a few days to several months. Now it seems when they die many owners want them buried.
And the British - well known for their love of domestic pets - are leading the way.
At a pet cemetery in the beautiful Cornish countryside of southern England, where the more usual animals such as cats and dogs have their graves, a special area has been fenced off to cater for dead cyberpets.
On Saturday (January 17) two teenage girls, whose tamagotchis called Sid and Arty had passed away, had them buried.
Although the electronic gadgets can be resurrected - they die if they are left alone too long, or not fed properly - fourteen year old Danielle Perren wanted to remember her pet as he was and not as he would be if she had reset the device.
And many owners obviously feel the same way. Cemetery owner Terry Squires says he's carried out burials for tamagotchi lovers in Switzerland, Germany, France, Canada and America and he's even had queries from Japan, where the cyberpet craze began.
Since its launch in the UK last May more than one million of the egg-shaped playthings have been sold in Britain alone. The worldwide figure has topped forty million.
And as technology advances further we're likely to see new cyberpets for generations to come. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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