When I say I like electronic kids toys what I mean is I like Tamagotchis. Tamagotchis had their first come back when I was a kid and I was completely enamored with the idea of having a little electronic creature to play games with and feed and keep alive. The fact that it was the Connection model and I could have them play together was even more iconic in my child brain. Now as a full grown adult I find that I still want the toys from when I was a kid. And boy am I lucky because they are back AGAIN! And it’s not just Bandai’s Tamagotchi breaking back into the mainstream.
Go back in time ten years and try to buy a Tamagotchi here in the United States of America. Go on, I dare you. If you were into collecting these niche toys your choices were between private sellers no longer wanting their toys, or resellers from Japan. I won’t talk bad about them though, I grew a large part of my collection through these kinds of shops and I am eternally grateful. Back then Tamagotchi units only came from Japan and were written in the Japanese language. I got very good just memorizing what each option was and using the internet when I couldn’t figure something out.
Tamagotchi first launched in Japan back in 1996, then launched worldwide the following year, then returned in 2004 with the new Connection model. After eight versions of Connections (V1, V2, V3, V4, V4.5, V5 Familitchi, V5.5 Celebrity Family, and V6 Music Star) Bandai tried one more model called the Tamagotchi Friends, then the same but updated model, Tamagotchi Friends: Dream Town. Then they STOPPED. And my heart broke.
In 2017 Bandai decided to dip their toes in the American Market after withholding EIGHT different and distinct Tamagtochi versions all updated with colorful, backlit screens. Did they bring any of these beauties across the sea? No they did not. Instead they opted to rerelease the Originals from 1997 with better screens and battery life. Not a lot went into this launch, as it wasnt until 2022 when they redid their marketing when they started getting attention in American markets and started showing up at Walmarts, Targets, Barnes and Noble, as well as various other shops. Bandai started to see the value of bringing back their old favorites, and thus in 2024 started rereleasing my favorite rendition of Tamagotchi, the Connection.
Pink Tamagotchi’s From Each Color Models Both Released and Not Released in The United States.
Meanwhile, as of today, Bandai has also released FOUR new color models through the last handful of years including the Tamagotchi On, Tamagotchi PIX, Tamagotchi Uni, and the most current model, Tamagotchi Paradise.
I could talk about Tamagotchi for hours but they’re not the only ones at the V-Pet table anymore. Bandai’s own Digimon is still creating Digivices that look stunning as well as have their own unique play, but classics like Giga Pets are also selling regularly on sites like Amazon, opening people up to other play styles while being super affordable.
A specific toy entered the shelves next to Tamagotchi’s here in the United States sometime last year called the Punirune. Another electronic pet situation; feed, clean, play games, however it had its own twist I ended up liking more than I thought I would. There’s a small squishy pad inside of the unit that you extend your finger into so you can “feel” your squishy pet. Sounds a little strange but the execution is better than I would have expected. The games are well integrated with the squishy pad, which is also a button itself. Instead of being an annoying gimmick its a central part of how the toy works. It’s nice to be able to see a toy inspired by tamagotchi but not cloned as many copycats usually are.
With the accessibility of games and computers and phones these days to kids its up to us to make sure this last resurgence of Tamagotchi and other V-Pets doesnt die out. To give kids the high of hatching a new friend, only to come crashing down when we forgot to feed them before we went to sleep. Or if you were like me, lost on the Christmas tree among the ornaments.
