TOKYO -- A key player in the mid-2000s revival of Bandai's Tamagotchi virtual pets has left her executive officer post at the famed entertainment company to strike out on her own with customizable stuffed dolls.
Kazue Murase envisions her new Jibungurumi -- or "self doll" -- as akin to the virtual avatars people use to interact online. "I want people to enjoy interacting in the real world through Jibungurumi" in the same way, she said.
