Tamagotchi

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Image:Tamagotchi 0124 ubt.jpeg The Tamagotchi (たまごっち Tamagotchi) is a handheld virtual pet created by Aki Maita and sold by Bandai. Three buttons (A, B, and C) allow the user to select the options to feed or play with the virtual pet. There are a wide range of "characters" that the Tamagotchi can evolve into, depending on how well the user takes care of it.

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Name Origin/Pronunciation

The name combines the Japanese word for egg ("tamago") and the syllable "chi" which denotes affection, so it could be taken to mean "loveable egg". It is also a pun on both "wotchi" (ウォッチ; borrowed from English "watch", as in the time piece) and "tomodachi" (Japanese for friend). Also, because "tamago" is Japanese for egg, and "tomodachi" is Japanese for friend, Tamagotchi could be taken to mean "egg-friend."

In Japanese and most other languages it is pronounced with a long "o" sound — ta-ma-goh-chee — although in the United States it is typically pronounced "ta-ma-GAH-chee". In Japan, the final "i" is usually elided, thus becoming Tamagotch. This is a common occurrence in the Japanese language.

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The Tamagotchi

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The Original Tamagotchi

  • The original Tamagotchi had a total of 7 characters.
  • There was Generation 1 (also known as P1) and Generation 2 (also known as P2). They had different characters, and a number of other minor differences, such as different games and different Meal and Snack options. The screen was small.
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Tenshitchi no Tamagotchi (Tamagotchi Angel)

  • Released in August 1997 with three different colors.
  • Featured a motion-sensor, used to scare away bats that tried to steal your Angelgotchi's snack and call it back when it went on a walk. Discipline for the pet was replaced by "praise" for this pet only.
  • The Japanese version has a secret character called Sabotenshi (Cactus Angel) but the U.S. edition replaces Sabotenshi with Kitsutenshi (Smiling Angel). Also available is the secret character Futengotchi (twins). The twins are not available in any other Tamagotchi.
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Mori no Tamagotch (Tamagotchi Garden)

  • Released in February 1998 with four different colors. It was scheduled for release in America as "Tamagotchi Garden" but was later canceled.
  • This Tamagotchi premiered the "predator" function also used in the later Umi no Tamagotch (Tamagotchi Ocean). Occasionally, a predator (one is a foot and one is a frog from the ocean) would attack, and you would have to use the voice and touch-sensitive functions by shouting and tapping at the screen to scare away the predator. If its attack succeeded, the Tamagotchi could be made sick or even killed.
  • Another notable function of the Mori no Tamagotchi is its teenager phase: It is replaced by a cocoon, which stays for 24 hours, during which time you had to control a temperature dial. If the environment was mostly hot, the Tamagotchi would change into the "warmer" creature for that quality of care, and vice versa for cold.
  • There are two types of eggs that can be chosen to hatch in this Tamagotchi. The white egg is more like a traditional Tamagotchi, where it changes based on how it is cared for. The spotted egg always changes into kabutotchi, the stag beetle, where the goal is to make it as large as possible (a "length" meter is displayed to track this).
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Umi no Tamagotch (Tamagotchi Ocean)

  • Released in March of 1998 in Japan with four different colors.
  • Released in the United States in 1998 with four colors as "Tamagotchi Ocean"
  • This is known as one of the hardest Tamagotchi to raise, needing near-constant attention.
  • Included a "water quality" meter in the status screen. Flushing the screen could make the screen cleaner, but if all four skulls on the meter were filled, the water would become black and it had to be flushed to see the Tamagotchi again. This was a secondary use for the cleaning function which is not used in any other Tamagotchi.
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Mesutchi and Osutchi

  • Released in December of 1997 in Japan only.
  • Featured interlocking mating using the same concept that Digimon premiered to have Tamagotchis give birth.
  • Both Mesutchi and Osutchi featured 31 characters each. Five different generations of Tamagotchi were available, but only one had a growth chart that was affected by caretaking skills. The other four were linear.
  • If one was to become lazy on his or her care for their Mesutchi/Osutchi, the Tamagotchi would become an unmateable creature.
  • If the player fed the Tamagotchi too much food and it got to be 99 pounds, it would turn into a "Debutchi" which took up the whole screen. The player would then have to help lower the weight of the Tamagotchi before anything else could be done.
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Tamaotch

This was named after Japanese actress Tamao Nakamura and released in April 1998.

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Devilgotchi

  • Released in September of 1998 in four colors.
  • Some aspects of the care is similar to the Angelgotchi, only the Devilgotchi Power is supposed to be kept at a minimum, while the Angelgotchi Power is supposed to be kept high.
  • Care was almost exactly the same as Angelgotchi, but the characters in Devilgotchi went out to do evil deeds, unlike the Angelgotchi characters, which went out to do good deeds.
  • Used a touch screen and a voice sensitive unit, similar to Umi no Tamagotchi.
  • These Tamagotchis are worth from US$80-US$150 today
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Yasashii Tamagotchi

  • Released in October of 1998 in three colors.
  • Acting as an "Easy Tamagotchi," it has slightly different evolutions than the first set of Tamagotchi toys, and also features a larger case.
  • In the place of icons, backlit buttons were used, and the number of buttons at the bottom of the case were reduced to two.
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Santaclautchi

  • A Santa Claus and Christmas-themed Tamagotchi.
  • The Santaclautchi character did not evolve, but could be changed by receiving different items. If it was taken care of badly, Santaclautchi would return to his house and "Super Kuchipatchi" would have to return him to the screen.
  • You had to go to each Tamagotchi's house, and give them a present. If you didn't deliver the presents in time, the Tamagotchi would get mad, Santaclautchi would get upset, and you would have to start over.
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Genjitchi

  • Also known as the Caveman Tamagotchi.
  • Genjitchi was released only in theatres playing the movie "Peking Man", which is the movie the virtual pet is based on.
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Mothra Tamagotchi

  • The character was a winged beast called Mothra Tamagotchi.
  • Released only in Japan
  • Is a rarer Tamagotchi
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Tamagotchi Plus

  • Released only in Japan on March 20, 2004.
  • Mostly the same as the Tamagotchi Connexion/Connection Version 1, the only difference being the language.
  • Includes characters from the original Tamagotchi as well as several characters new to the Tamagotchi series.
  • Implements an infrared port to connect to other Tamagotchi to "make friends," play games and exchange presents with other Tamagotchi Version 1's (Tamagotchi Plus, Connexion, and Connection), including later models, and also breed and create a new generation of Tamagotchi.
  • Can also connect to deka (huge) Tamagotchi in Japanese retail stores and restaurants for an exclusive "friend".
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Tamogotchi Connexion

  • This English-language version of the Tamagotchi Plus released in Oceania, Asia, and Europe. It is mainly the same as the later U.S.-released Tamagotchi Connection, with slight changes in the wording of menu screens (such as 'style' instead of 'gender', and 'absent' instead of 'away').
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Tamagotchi Connection

The English-language version of the Tamagotchi Plus released in North America on August 15, 2004.

  • Also called "V1" or "Version 1".
  • Changes the language from Tamagotchi Connexion to conform to the U.S. variation of English (e.g. 'gender' instead of 'style')
  • Allows players to connect via infared to other players systems and become friends, get married, and produce offspring.
  • There are six stages of life: egg, infant, child, teenager, adult and senior, the senior stage being new to the Tamagotchi product. The egg stage lasts only around a minute, an infant: 1 hour, a child: 24 hours, a teen: 2-3 days, an adult: about 5 days, and a senior: 3-5 days. (Once the Tamagotchi reaches the senior stage, it can no longer mate except with other seniors.)

Connection tips

  • To give a present, go to the heart at the same time, and then only the person who is receiving the present presses B button (Sometimes you may both need to, but the one who's receiving needs to press B first. Also, it is random whether they will choose to play a game or give a present, this only works if giving a present is chosen.)
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Keitai Kaitsuu Tamagotchi Plus (K-Plus)

  • Connects to Japanese mobile phones.
    • In order to connect the Tamagotchi with cell phones, cell phone users first had to download a Tamagotchi game onto their phone. Afterwards, when connecting, the Tama could do many things, such as visit its parents, play games, and even find a mate.
  • Connects to the original Tamagotchi Plus and Deka Tamagotchi models.
  • Ten digit passwords unlock foods from each region of Japan and items for each character.
  • Features old characters as well as new characters not in the original Tamagotchi Plus.
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Hanerutchi

  • Features characters from the Japanese show "haneru no tobira" and a small amount of Tamagotchi characters
  • Debuted in two colors with identical designs (white with green or red stripe and back)
  • Limited-edition metallic white with blue stripe was also released.
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Chibi Tamagotchi (Tamagotchi Mini)

  • This model is a miniature Tamagotchi 80% of the size of the original toy which has limited features and is promoted as a fashion accessory.
  • In Japan, the three colors available are identical to three of the six colors of the original Tamagotchi (pink, light blue, and white). The keychain attachment is a small ball-chain loop.
  • In America, it debuted with four colors (black with flames, light blue, pink, purple, and light blue) and several months later followed with four more colors (yellow with dots, purple with dots, a darker blue, and yellow with stripes). The keychain attachment is a short link-chain with a lanyard clasp at the end.
  • The following characters are available on this Tamagotchi: marutchi, mametchi, masukutchi, kuchipatchi, ginjirotchi, nyorotchi, oyajitchi, and rakki unchi-kun (lucky poop, Japan-only)
  • On the Japanese version, it shows a grave with a little ghost when it dies. In America, it shows the Tamagotchi Planet.
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Tamagotchi Connection Version 2

(Also called Version 2, Vr. 2, Ver. 2, or V2) Version two of the Tamagotchi Connection (the cousin to Japanese Tamagotchi Plus) was released on June 21 2005 in the U.S. with new features. It included:

  • Newer Characters and ones taken from older tamagotchis like Osutchi and Mesutchi and the original Tamagotchi.
  • New games, including Jump, Bump, Heading, and Slot.
  • "Gotchi points" earned by playing the games are used to buy items from a shop which is re-stocked three times a day. The maximum amount of points is 9999. (The shop restocks at 12:00 A.M., 3:00 P.M., and 7:00 P.M.)
  • One could connect (using IR capability) with other users, the user able to choose whether to play a game or give a present.
  • The option to connect to either Version 1 or Version 2 Tamagotchi was introduced.
  • Five codes are available on the V2 that unlock special items. These codes would be entered by entering the shop, pressing "A" until the shopkeeper looks surprised, and pressing the corresponding buttons in a limited time. The first use of each of these codes results in a free item; after that, the code gives the player the option to buy the item. They are as follows:
    • CBAACABC, steak [400p]
    • ACBCABAC, hair gel [400p]
    • BCBACABA, love potion [3000p]
    • BACBCACB, cake [1300p]
    • ABBACBCC, costume [600p]

When the fifth (last) code is entered, a special prize (a Mimitchi costume) is obtained in place of the usual item, and then you have to pay for the item that was replaced.

  • The ability to turn the sound off or on by holding buttons A and C.
  • The ability to pause by holding the A and B buttons. Hitting the A and B buttons together again removes the pause.
  • It has the ability to make up to 50 friends, and raise multiple generations of Tamagotchi up to 99. It is still capable of breeding but the generation number doesn't go up after that.
  • You now could choose between game and present, and you could wrap a present, and 2 new games were added: A game that appears to be either a racing game or football without a ball, and tug o' war.
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Tamagotchi Plus Akai Series

  • Released July 23 2005 in Japan.
  • Mono-color red LCD.
  • New red-theme characters including a tomato, daruma, tengu, heart, and cherry.
  • New red-theme foods including pizza, wine, peaches, and red rice.
  • Same games as the Keitai and Hanerutchi Tamagotchi with different graphics.
  • Connects with Japanese mobile phones, Keitai Tamagotchi, Deka tamagotchis at stores in Japan, the home Deka, and Hanerutchi.
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O-uchi no Deka Tamagotchi

O-uchi (home) version of the Deka (huge) Tamagotchi.

  • Released July 2005 in Japan.
  • Currently the rarest Tamagotchi of the new generation to date.
  • Features a stand for tabletop display and three-position volume adjust.
  • You play games and receive Gotchi points that you can transfer to a Keitai, Hanerutchi, Akai series, or Entama. You can also spend it on gifts for your Deka character, or upgrade the character's house. Items you buy alter the little room it lives in.
  • When you upgrade the house, the way the house looks is altered. Sometimes you also receive a special item, and sometimes you also receive pets to take care of. You odn't have to feed or clean up after your pets, but they do get lonely if they aren't played with and petted for a long time.
  • Special green-colored edition sold at Japanese Toys-R-Us stores available either paired with an Akai series Tamagotchi or alone.
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Chou Jinsei Enjoi Tamagotchi Plus (AKA. EnTama)

  • Released November 2005 in Japan.
  • A small strand of beads is attached rather than a keychain or mini-strap.
  • Interacts with the Japanese Tamagotchi website and WAP page via 14-digit passcodes.
  • Features include: school, jobs, online interactivity, and cooking. There are only cooking-specific items that you can buy which are separate from the general foods and snacks.

This Tamagotchi has many new features added since the Keitai. This, as mentioned, can link to the internet address: http://e-tamago.com/pc/flash/tamago.html. From there, you can enter Tamagotchi Town and take part in many activities and play many games. You can even shop and buy things for your EnTama. The Entama can connect to the Home Deka, but can only trade points and not items.

This Tamagotchi also features three character groups: Intelligence, Kindness and Style. In Japanese, these are the Mamezoku, Kutchizoku, and Memezoku groups.

Three new games too: 1)Catching clothes and dodging the poo, 2)the Hammer game, and 3)the matching cards game.

  • In the first game, you have to catch 100 clothes in total while dodging the poo to get 500 Gotchi points and ten Style points
  • In the second game, you have to hammer a total of 30 stories of a building to rescue the baby on the top to get 500 Gotchi points and ten Kindness points
  • In the third game, you have to choose 2 cards to flip out of 4 face-down. Match the same cards 6 times to get 500 Gotchi points and ten Intelligence points.

-NOTE- If you would like a preview of the Japanese Tamatown (link is above) type in :3214134, 0150204 w/e

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Tamagotchi Connection Version 3

(Also known as Version 3, V3, Ver. 3, VR3, or Tama V3)

The third generation of the Tamagotchi Connection series was released at the end of January 2006. Like the Version 2, it borrows some features from the latest version of the Japanese toy, but greatly simplifies them. This means that the V3 does not go to school, get a career, or receive a salary.

  • Debuted with 6 new colors: Green with Tropical Flowers, Blue with Waves, Translucent Yellow, Arctic Camouflage, "Ice Cream," and Silver with Black Buttons. However, even newer colours were released on the official Tamagotchi Connection website, such as Blue with Bubbles.
  • Adds 20+ new characters, many from Osutchi, Mesutchi and P2, bringing the total number of Tamagotchi Connection characters to 52. Although some characters from the V1 and V2 were not included, this is the highest number of characters on a Tamagotchi Connection.
  • Version 3 can connect with Version 1 and 2, as well as other V3 Tamagotchis.
  • Offers connection to Tamatown.com which, similar to the Japanese counterpart, generates codes which you can input into the toy and receive souvenirs, which are items that you can look at, but not much else. Passwords also give shop items and food, which cost Points.
  • Other than the code from the Nintendo DS Game, the passwords unlocked on your pet or on TamaTown.com will not work on any other Tamagotchi.
  • 6 new games:
    • Get, a game where one must collect falling music notes into a bag, and dodge the falling messes(read: Tamagotchi poop)and other bad things, in order to get a score of 100.
    • Bump, which is the same as the Connection Version 2 game, where your Tamagotchi becomes an almost sumo-like wrestler. However, point amounts are doubled from the Version 2.
    • Flag, a kind of "follow the leader" game, in which a flag appears on-screen, and one must press the corresponding button(s). However, there are imitation flags that will end the game if pressed. So be careful of them.
    • Heading, which is the same as the V2 version's heading, where the player must hit a falling ball back into the air. However, point amounts are doubled from the Version 2.
    • Memory, in which a sequence of arrows is played, and one must follow that sequence. You need a good memory for this game.
    • Sprint, which is essentially a button-mashing game where one must press any button continuously to help the Tamagotchi win.
  • New games on connecting: Ball balancing, flag, block tower building, and Rc car racing. The new prize feature is added: the winner gets a certain amount of points depending on what stage the connecting Tamagotchis are in.
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Tamagotchi Spin-offs

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Game Boy

Three Tamagotchi games for the Nintendo Game Boy portable game system were released in Japan. The first one, also released in the United States, corresponds to the first two generations of the original Tamagotchi and had similar gameplay. The second game featured characters from the Mori and Umi (Forest and Ocean) Tamagotchi. The final game released was based on Osutchi and Mesutchi, and featured a unique cartridge with a user-replaceable battery and independent peizo buzzer that would alert players to turn on their Game Boy system and care for their virtual pet.

Each had the smile game (to make them happy) the study game (to make them smart) and the sports game (to make them strong).

  • The first game's smile game is the "Left or Right?" game. The object is to guess whether or not your tama will look left or right by pressing the direction on the directional buttons. The study game is a collection of easy math problems are asked, and your Tama needs to answer them by running onto the square with the correct answer. You control the Tamagotchi with the directional buttons, although sometimes your tamagotchi will not listen to you and run elsewhere. The sports game is you have to catch a certain amount of balls. You simply move the character with the directional buttons.
  • The second game's smile game is a memory game. try to remember where the hearts are and avoid remembering where the skulls are. The study game is the same as the first one. The second one's sports game is the same too, except you catch some thing different in a garden or rocks, depending on whether you're raising a Morino or an Umino.
  • The third one's smile game is a rock, paper, scissors game. The third one's study game is a memory game. there are 3 cards, and it tells you to find the Mimitchi, Ginjirotchi or the Zukitchi card. The third one's sports game is... you're on your own....
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Nintendo DS

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop is not a virtual pet game, however it has characters from Tamagotchi and ties in with the "TamaTown" concept presented in the chou jinsei enjoi series in Japan and the Version 3 series in the United States and Europe.

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Digimon

  • Digimon are made by Bandai, and are similar to Tamagotchi in design.
  • Digimon had different releases, like Tamagotchi. There were five in all, and each progressing release had different characters and different evolutions(stages in life), but nonetheless the care functions similarly.
  • After the initial five releases, Bandai released a line of Virtual Pets(V-Pets) called Pendulums which introduced a feature called Jogress (Dub: DNA Digvolution ); pendulum-type counter, and a new evolution level: Ultimate( Japan )/Mega ( Dub ) , which comes after Perfect(Japan )/Ultimate( Dub ). The pendulum is used to count the amount of times the device has been shaken.
  • 5 versions of the Digimon Pendulum were released, each of these being followed by a .5 version which contained a slightly-altered charater lineup. A Version 0 was also later released.
  • The newest series of Pendulums are called Pendulum Progress. There are three in total; the Pendulum Progress is an upgrade similar to the Tamagotchi Connection/Tamagotchi Connexion/Tamagotchi Plus. The character lineup on each is expanded and it retains the pendulum feature that became a series standard; it also has the ability to have the current monster fight a computer monster in battle as opposed to linking up with another device.
  • The Pendulum Progress was followed by the Pendulum X. The Pendulum X combines the classic pet raising with the adventure and RPG aspects of the "Digivices". The Pendulum X is the first device to use the new three-prong type of connector. It was remade by Bandai Asia and marketed as the "D-Cyber"; this version is similar with a slightly different translation and classic two-prong connector.
  • The Digimon Mini is modeled similarly to the original pets but at a much smaller size. The character set has been minimized and functions are limited. It uses the three prong connector.
  • This Tamagotchi premiered the feature of interconnecting Tamagotchi which could communicate data to each other. In this case, the connecting was called "Dock 'n Rock" early on in America (and possibly Europe; the term is absent in Japan) but was faded out in favor of "Battle Connect". Later, the connectors would also be used to "jogres" (literal Japanese term, a combination of the English words "joint" and "progress".). For years afterwards digimon pets and digivices would continue, to an extent, to use the D-Link System. This system of compatability encompasses the pets, pendulums, digivices, devices such as the Digimon Analyzer and D-Terminal, WonderSwan games, and special action figures. The Pendulum X, Digimon Mini, and Digimon Accelerator are excluded because they have different connectors; in certain cases functions will not work between same-type connectors due to an alteration in battle system or other errors, though.
  • The American and similar Bandai Asia versions of Digivices are typically an entirely different product with a smaller screen. They register with pets, and certain other devices, as a pet.
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Criticism

There has been much criticism over the years over the Tamagotchi. One common criticism includes children taking them to school and using them during classes. This has led schools to ban the product from being allowed to be brought to school. Bandai eventually added a "PAUSE" feature to the Tamagotchi line to solve the problem, but it is still a common issue.

On August 03, 2005 South Australian No Pokies MP Nick Xenophon attempted to ban the Tamagotchi Connection Version 2 due to the Slot Game featured on it, fearing that it will make kids wish to gamble in the future. This backfired, as millions of Australians went out and bought Tamagotchis. In the end, Nick decided not to ban the virtual pets, but to let parents be aware of the toy's contents.

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External links

Expert advice from a Kid's perspective

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