Parents everywhere, brace yourselves: the Tamagotchi is back. Well, sort of. Sega Toys has just released a cute little "Sound Carrier" that incorporates a Tamagotchi-esque pet mode, along with a music player, a voice recorder, and games—so it's basically Tamagotchi on speed. You can also get fancy interchangable faceplates for them. It'll sell for 3,990 Yen (around USD$33) and will no doubt be on plenty of Japanese schoolgirls' wishlists later this month. Who knows if it'll ever make it to the U.S., but if the Tamagotchi's popularity is any evidence, it probably will.

Sega Toys Sound Carrier (in Japanese) [SegaToys via I4U]

Contact information for this author is not available.