Future Now

The above picture is probably the weirdest, ugliest, scariest little thing I’ve ever seen. The scariest part is that it’s real. It took me a while to realize that the whole thing wasn’t some elaborate hoax. But apparently, Genpets Inc. is ready to mass produce these little guys.

The futuristic package contains a small pet. According to their website: That’s right, Genpets are not toys or robots. They are living, breathing genetic animals.

Genpets™ have limited mobility. Like dolls, puppies or human babies, they must be looked after and cared for. Upon waking from its dormant state the Genpet™ will immediately bond or imprint to your child.

The Genpet™ line-up pulls its basis from a natural1 stage of evolution in the market. Dolls and robotic toys quickly become tiresome, while traditional pets require a high level of upkeep. Genpets™ however, learn and adapt. They are living pets, but better, modified to be as reliable, dependable and efficient as any other technology we use in our busy lives.

Scared yet? I’m teaching my grade seven science class about the requirements of all living things. They must eat, drink, find a habitat (shelter) and exchange gases. According to the textbook, all living organisms must meet these four needs to stay alive. Genpets barely need to eat or drink. You feed them a special ‘nutrient mix’ once a week. They can live in a little plastic sleeve in some weird hybernating state until you ‘open them’. Apparently they’re breathing in their little packages until you open them. They live for a predetermined length of time. You can purchase the 1 year or 3 year model. When they die, you are allowed to bury them in your back yard, or send them back to genpets to be recycled. Freaky!