#HTE

Tactile Toy: A Touchable Tamagotchi

This strange Japanese amusement device walks the line between innovative and creepy. The Punirines Touchable Digital Pet is, like the original Tamagotchi…

…a digital pet trapped inside an electronic case. But there’s a finger-sized hole in the Punirines’ case, so you can insert a digit and “pet” your Punirines. An animation of your finger appears on-screen, and you feel a texture—described as “squishy” in the product copy below—on your fingertip.

“The award-winning Punirunes features more than 50 characters that are very squishy and addictive to touch!”

“There are lots of modes and scenarios, including eating, bathing, and cleaning, and there are also several mini games. As you look after your Punirunes, it grows up, gets bigger, and transforms into other characters.”

Ways to make it grosser:

- Insert your finger and it’s hot: The Punirunes is running a fever.

- Insert your finger and it’s wet: The Punirunes is sweaty.

- Insert your finger and it’s cold: Well, you didn’t feed the thing for two weeks, what did you expect?