Meta’s Muse Charm looks like a Tamagotchi, but it’s tapping into a much newer trend

Meta’s Muse Charm is a small, dangling AI gadget whose appearance has drawn comparisons to 1990s virtual pets like the Tamagotchi and to the current vogue for bag charms. The device is presented as a customizable character — users design an avatar that acts as a personal AI agent — and its pendant-like form positions it as both a tech product and a fashion accessory. The device arrives amid a wider cultural moment in which Gen Z consumers have turned various everyday items into decorative charms. Examples cited include beauty-product accessories such as Hailey Bieber’s viral Rhode lip case and Pop Mart’s Labubu creature, both of which helped popularize the idea of attaching products to bags or phones. Rhode reached about $212 million in annual net sales across roughly 10 products before selling to Elf Beauty, while Pop Mart’s Labubu helped drive the company to $1.8 billion in revenue in 2024. Retailers and marketplaces have leaned into the trend: Apple Watch keychains, charms and repurposed older devices are widely available across platforms like Amazon, Walmart, eBay and Etsy, and TikTok videos have amplified how people wear or display small tech items as style statements. Observers link this shift to a broader retro-tech movement that embraces tactile, familiar devices — from flip phones to cassette tapes — as a counterpoint to algorithm-driven, attention-grabbing platforms. Meta plans to monetize Muse by taking a small fee from transactions, positioning the product within the company’s advertising and commerce ecosystem. That commercial angle comes alongside reputational headwinds: the company has faced FTC scrutiny and settlements over privacy practices and has been criticized in public and regulatory forums for its handling of user data and harms to minors. Those issues, the article notes, could shape whether consumers embrace Meta’s latest attempt to make AI feel personal and fashionable.