cyberpets
Virtual electronic animals
Cyberpets are digital creatures that users care for through a screen—feeding, playing with, and nurturing them as they would a living animal.
The term emerged with 1990s toys like Tamagotchi and Neopets, where neglect meant the pet would sicken or die.
My cyberpet died because I forgot to feed it over the weekend.
The concept persists in mobile apps and virtual worlds.
Handheld virtual pet device
- NeopetsBrowser-based creature-care game
- DigimonDigital monster franchise
- FurbyInteractive animatronic toy creature
- WebkinzPlush toys with digital counterparts
adoptables · hatching · feeding · nurturing · caregiving · discipline · evolution · lifecycle
Final twentieth-century decade
- 2000sFirst decade, 2000s
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- memoriesStored past experiences
- throwbackReturn to ancestral type
retro · vintage · collectible · discontinued · revival · reboot · anniversary edition · nostalgia
Giving food to
- cleaningRemoving dirt and mess
- playingParticipating in recreation
- trainingDeveloping abilities through practice
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
evolving · minigames · coins · points · inventory · customization · accessories · habitat
Simulated cognitive processing
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- responsiveQuick to react
- programmableAble to accept instructions
- BluetoothShort-range wireless protocol
touchscreen · voice recognition · motion detection · digital · electronic · battery · reset button · infrared
Seldom found or seen
- limited editionSmall intentional production run
- tradingExchanging for value
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- valueImportance or price
mint condition · resale · eBay · discontinued · variants · colorways · special edition · hoarding
Tamagotchi
Handheld virtual pet device
- NeopetsBrowser-based creature-care game
- DigimonDigital monster franchise
- FurbyInteractive animatronic toy creature
Webkinz · adoptables · hatching · feeding · nurturing · caregiving · discipline · evolution · lifecycle · death
90s
Final twentieth-century decade
throwback · retro · vintage · collectible · discontinued · revival · reboot · anniversary edition · nostalgia · sentimentality
feeding
Giving food to
- cleaningRemoving dirt and mess
- playingParticipating in recreation
- trainingDeveloping abilities through practice
breeding · evolving · minigames · coins · points · inventory · customization · accessories · habitat · leveling
AI
Simulated cognitive processing
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- responsiveQuick to react
- programmableAble to accept instructions
Bluetooth · touchscreen · voice recognition · motion detection · digital · electronic · battery · reset button · infrared · beeping
rare
Seldom found or seen
- limited editionSmall intentional production run
- tradingExchanging for value
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
value · mint condition · resale · eBay · discontinued · variants · colorways · special edition · hoarding · display
cyberpetslive animals
Organisms currently alive
living creatures · dogs · cats · hamsters · goldfish