Tamagotchi – little toy with a big impact

Lucas Crandall / Staff reporter

Just over 25 years ago, on November 23, 1996, the first Tamagotchi by Bandai came out in Japan and shocked the kids of the country. This tiny toy was only a 32×16 pixel screen with 3 buttons in an egg-shaped plastic case, but kids went wild for them. The influence of this tiny toy is still being felt today

Tamagotchi machines contained a virtual pet that owners had to take care of by doing simple tasks such as feeding or playing a game with their pet. Fail to do these tasks and their Tamagotchi would pass awat. If this happens, the machine simply showcases how young their pet was with some stars.

At the time, Tamagotchi’s were one of the biggest kids toys while also being one of the smallest. These toys were not only very appealing to kids, but also to parents who’s children were begging for this toy. Tamagotchis were cheap, around $18, and they can out just around Christmas time which made them a great choice for a Christmas present.

Even though this virtual pet was just 10 pixels on a tiny screen and wasn’t even real, kids were willing to get sent to detention just to check on their tiny friend.

“We thought it would do well,” said Nobuhiko Momoi, managing director and chief Tamagotchi officer at Bandai. “but we didn’t expect it to be such a huge success, to the point that production could not keep up with demand,”

A big difference between Tamagotchis and many video games at the time was how Bandai tried to market this toy as something girls and boys can enjoy. Before Tamagotchi, video games were thought to be something that only boys are supposed to play with. Bandai saw an opportunity and made it clear how girls can have fun with this toy as well.

“After the first Tamagotchi launched in 1996, it became not just a toy fad, but a social phenomenon,” said Momoi.

Bandai has sold over 82 million units of this toy since its release and still releases new models to this day.These new models have a considerable increase in graphic quality and functions, while still only having 3 buttons. Graphics were fancier and extra colourful and an apartment editor was added along with a built-in camera. Owners could even connect to other Tamagotchis and compete in activities and play games.

This toy went on to impact how video game companies created and marketed their games.It could be argued that Nintendo took inspiration from this toy and came up with the idea for Pokemon. While Pokemon is different enough to not be called a copy, it still has large similarities, especially in newer titles which introduces a way to take care of Pokemon instead of just fighting with them. In fact, a Pokemon Tamagotchi was produced at one point. This further the similarities.

In conclusion, Tamagotchi’s impact on companies, kids of the era and after the era, and the whole world was astronomical. It changed how people viewed video games by telling people that girls can enjoy games just like. This toy changed how companies make and sell games for kids in the present and adults who bought Tamagotchis as a kid. Without this toy, our society could be vastly different that it is today.

Cites:

The Tamagotchi Was Tiny, but Its Impact Was Huge | WIRED

Images:

The Tamagotchi Was Tiny, but Its Impact Was Huge | WIRED

A Brief History of the Tamagotchi | Mental Floss

Pokemon Unite review: an intense MOBA with a friendly skin – Polygon