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Japan - Police Detain 4 Over Tamagotchi Electronic Pet TheftTOKYO, JAPAN, 1997 MAR 3 (NB) -- By Martyn Williams. The craze over Bandai's Tamagotchi electronic pet has elevated the game into the same category as Nike "AirMax" sports shoes among Japanese youth. Police reported the detaining, on Friday, of four high school boys for the theft of a Tamagotchi from a fellow student. The incident occurred in Yokohama, south west of Tokyo, and involved the bullying of one student and theft of his Tamagotchi. The game, a small key-chain type, involves the raising of an electronic chicken from chick to old age. The chick reaches old age if given a good life and fed regularly. Owners must also play with and clean up after the chick if they want to prevent it dying. Impossible to buy in shops, street prices of Tamagotchi have rocketed to 20 or 30 times the retail price of just under 2,000 yen ($16.60). The toy's makers, Bandai, promise new stocks in Japan in April. This shortage, and their now high price, have made them a very desirable status symbol among Japanese youth and, apparently, have led some to theft. This type of incident has been seen before in Japan. Nike AirMax shoes are incredibly popular and several incidents of shoes being taken off owners have been reported in the past. Bandai announced plans recently to launch Tamagotchi in the United States in the summer and onto CD-ROM and Nintendo Game-Boy versions in Japan in the spring. According to reports, police used several patrol cars and a helicopter in their pursuit of the four. All, including the victim, were 14 years old. Exchange rate: Type='PageContent' = 120.50 yen Copyright © 1997 Newsbytes News Network. |
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