Police Monday questioned the parents of a 11-year-old girl found dead in her
bedroom on May 10. Victim of an apparent suicide, the girl is suspected to have
committed the act over distress from the death of her "virtual pet" Tamagotchi,
an egg-shaped device worn on a keychain that that displays a pet-like icon on
its screen.
The girl was found with a handwritten note and an empty bottle of pills
nearby. Autopsy results are pending.
Owners must use the three buttons on the face of the egg to feed, play with,
discipline and clean up after their pets. If Tamagotchi is ignored, it takes
on an angry look and returns to its "cyberspace" home.
Tamagotchi have been popular with child psychologists. Some believe that the
device reinforces responsibility traits in children. "Apparently there is a
more sinister side that has not been considered," said Dr. Arnold Hartsok, a
Des Moines clinician.
Tamagotchi has ignited a Tickle-Me-Elmo-like craze across the United States and
Japan.
Parents of the the girl are distraught. "No one died over Tickle Me Elmo,"
said her mother. "We thought it was just a harmless toy." Bandai America,
importer of Tamagotchi, declined comment.