Sun damage?

ffpikachu91 · May 23, 2018

You know when sometimes the old white Tamagotchis have a yellow tint to them? I was told that was sun damage. But, how long did they have to sit in the sun and how strong did the light have to be for that to happen? Also, does anyone know if they fixed that with the newer models so that doesn't happen?

Nazotchi25 · May 23, 2018

I'm by no means an expert on this kind of stuff, but I always thought the yellow tint was simply from dirt and use

TheYatagarasu · May 23, 2018

Yeah, the primary cause of plastic yellowing is UV light exposure. But the thing is, even short, intermittent periods of UV light exposure over the years, like if a school kid brought their Tamagotchi outside with them at recess, or someone left the Tamagotchi near a window where it just gets an hour of sunlight a day, etc. can kickstart the chemical reaction that causes the plastic to yellow. The plastic polymer can also start breaking down simply due to age, causing it to yellow a little, and that's really unavoidable. Although, the yellowing is usually to a much lesser extent than that caused by sun exposure.

The thing is, strong, direct sun exposure can wreak havoc with LCD screens sometimes, so if you are asking because you are thinking of buying a sun-damaged vintage Tamagotchi, I would ask the person selling you the Tamagotchi to show you that the screen functions properly!

A more modern Tama won't have nearly as much of a problem as the old ones - plastics are no longer made with the chemicals they used back in the '80s and '90s, and don't turn yellow nearly as quickly.

ffpikachu91 · May 23, 2018

Thank you so much for the detailed answers. This helps a lot! Now, one specific instance I was worried about(and this might sound completely crazy) was that I had my 2017 white mini out on the couch for a little while (maybe 30 mins) and there was a strong beam of light coming in from the window. Do I have anything to worry about?