Tamagotchi Target Audience

[Spooky Tanuki]

What is all this nonsense about so many of you being embarrassed of your interest in Tamagotchis? You like them, right? If you didn't, then you wouldn't be posting here on TamaTalk. Don't be ashamed of who you are or what you're into. Be yourself, unapologetically, and anyone who takes issue with it can either get over it or leave you alone. Why would you want to keep friends around who wouldn't like the real you anyway?

I'm nearly twenty-one years old, and I'm not the slightest bit embarrassed of my Tamagotchi. My wife, and most of my closest friends all have Tamagotchi Connection 4.5s. We play with them together all the time. We like the designs too. I picked out the one with the fall leaves and acorns on it, and I think it's really neat looking. My wife chose the peacock feather design because she really likes peacocks. It suits her perfectly.

I guess a lot of the promotional art and actual Tamagotchi designs are very feminine, but so what? What's wrong with that? Owning something considered to be feminine doesn't make you any less male.

I don't understand why everyone seems to dislike the packaging and artwork. The Tamagotchi characters, even when they first came out back in '97, have always been drawn in a cute and simplistic art style. I like the eyes on everything! It's cute! The Super Mario series has eyes on just about everything too, and I'm a huge fan of Mario.

I'm really surprised by a lot of what I've read so far while lurking on TamaTalk. Are your friends, parents, and significant others really so ignorant as to think that fun is something reserved for the very youngest of children? Yes, of course Tamagotchis are toys. So what? Toys are fun! There's nothing wrong with liking toys.

 

[Ichigotchi_and_Maidtchi]

I agree with all this stuff. Every time I go to a store that sells 'em I have to go into the girl aisle just to look. Once my bff and I were at Target, and I wanted to look at the tamas. She asked which aisle and I told her the little girls aisle. She gave me a strange look. I ended up going in alone. We met by the littlest pet shop stuff. I feel sorry for my tamas. All I can use is my V4 because I honestly don't want a V4.5 (In my opinion I think there sort of a tamagotchi disgrace, but that's just me), and my parents wont by me batteries for my V3; they apparently cost too much. And I can't play with my beloved V1s because they no longer work 'cause one day while I was gone my little brother was jealous and dunked them in pickel juice. My V4 is almost always paused because I am not bringing it to school, and I have little time Mon-Fri. to play with it. Last year everyone had one, but now no one does. Allthough last year no one really seemed to care about them... They were just accessories to people. I love tamas, and I wish I could've had the old ones. People just think they're for little girls. My mom has even asked me if I think I'm too old for them(that's how she hints that she thinks I'm too old for them)

 

[vernon]

I keep looking at the tamagotchi section even if someone sees me.

I'm 13 yrs. old.

 

[WhereEaglesDare]

I'm 16 and I also wish they'd put some older kids, especially boys, in the commercials. None of my school friends know that I like Tama's, except one who came over to my house and I showed her my P1 that was still in the box so I'd look like I just collected them at some point. I wouldn't dare bring one to school after the type of publicity this toy has gotten lately. I know I shouldn't be so self-conscious, but I'm a self-conscious person! If there was a way to bring my Tama's out in public that was socially acceptable for a 16-year-old, I'd do it.

 

[tamagirl99]

This is a very interresting subject. Last year (when I was ten) I read this and I was infuriated by it. I thought that not all girls who are ten like barbie and flowers and pink ect. But now I have realised. I went into Sainsburys and it's clearly labled GIRLS TOYS. ITs kind of on the edge near some 'boy' stuff but whatever.

 

[jgoreham]

I like my new Tamas, but agree that it'd be nice if they were a bit more gender neutral in design and packaging (and in the way they're marketed too). It doesn't embarass me to be seen with my Tamagotchi (my workmates seem to encourage my eclectic taste in keychains and like to ask me how my Tama is doing) or anything, and I do quite like pink and sparkly bits, but I'm sure there are people who would otherwise be the target audience for these things that are a bit put off by Tamagotchi's appearance. I think all kids should be able to play with whatever toys they want, and they way toy manufacturers market toys to boys OR girls (but rarely both) isn't helpful at all.

 

[oneidkat]

Like many here I too think schooling and work on the Tama's is a bit of a stupid idea but you do find that these companies will engage the services of educational specialists and psychologists in the hopes of providing a toy that is more than simply functional which might explain why they've added these features. A great many parents these days are expressing a need for their children to come away from they games and toys with some kind of benefit. More often than not they want to see that it will TEACH something... As a parent I fail to see the educational properties on an intellectual level but possibly there is emotional growth in children and a stronger sense of responsibility but that is through incidental learning rather than active learning. It is active learning that makes a toy educational, even then how the child benefits is based on who they are and how they think. And of course parents are relying more and more on society/toys and tv to educate their kids rather than doing it themselves and there is a lot of research to back up my comment about this 'parental laziness'... Mind you I am going off topic...

We only hooked onto Tama's a few weeks ago and started with the v3 which was not bad to look at. We has silver, red, blue and this weird yellow colour but they were nothing to feel ashamed of. Since moving up to the v4's it was an uphill battle to find one that had a case that would be acceptable to my son. Sheesh even I, as his mother, thought if I have to buy a prissy gotchi for him it'd be minutes before I teased the heck out of him. LOL. To quote my son's opinion of most when we were shopping for his v4 "Mum that is gayer than the 80's"... 'nuff said! (Lets not debate the political correctness of my son's comments or my parenting skills-we had a chat about his gay comment but it's hard to police when my gay friends use the same comment-where do you think he got it?) I also have a 6 year old girl who is exceptionally girly in every way and there were gotchi's even she felt were to baby-ish. There is a solution to the crappy casing and that is to jazz yours up in a way that YOU like it.

I've tried a couple of things on some older Gotchi's that I found in an op-shop... Some things work and most dont... The best way I have found to jazz one up is with NAIL POLISH! I recommend pulling your Tama apart if you know how, I don't so I relied on tape to protect the screen, infa-red and buttons. A light sanding with fine grade sandpaper isn't necessary but it does help. My first attempt was re-pained all in one colour and I glued some little diamonties on and it looked pretty rad. You HAVE to use GOOD quality nail varnish, none of that 99cent store rubbish and any decals that you choose I again suggest you buy ones designed for nail use as they are designed for hard wear. A little acrylic varnish over the top and viola! I've also painted little pix on the back of others and again they worked out pretty good. Now these were NOT working Tama's I tried them on but I figure if it holds up on a broken one it should be ok on a working one... Of course I have a lot of free time in the evening and love to do little crafty things so it might not be an option for everyone... OOOOOhhhh maybe someone should specialise in jazzing up seriously ugly Tama's...

 

[dancinkayley]

I've just had another think about this.

Sterotypes, labels, etc. really annoy me. They almost get rid of something that I think everyone should have- the right to choose. People get called stupid just because they can't do something that everyone else can (even if they're amazing at something else). People get called tomboys if they read books that other boys like to read. Worst of all, some people actually believe all this. Some people take it to heart when they are told they are stupid. I'm sure that there are some people who were called stupid, idiotic, etc. when they were young and years later still think that they are what people called them years ago.

"Boys' toys" aren't toys that are just for boys. "Girls' toys" aren't toys that are just for boys. "Girls' toys" are toys that are usually played with by girls and vice versa. I'm female and I used to play with toy cars. I know some females who used to catch spiders and fight them (well they'd put them on a lid, make them face each other and the one that backs off first is the weaker one). Nobody should ever give up what they like to play with just because they're said to be "girly," "boyish" or "babyish."

I feel as though what other people say can really make you feel down, maybe even make you feel that nobody cares about you and that nobody loves you anymore. I, personally, have quite a few bad memories. In pre-primary there was another girl I really liked to play with and she was playing a game with four other people where they were pretending to be cats. I wanted to play too, but she said, "Only four people can play cats!" Apparently she used to do that sort of thing a lot and I would get very unhappy. I must have felt like I was unwanted. It may all seem a bit strange to you, so I'll tell you that I'm a sensitive person. I've been told so anyway.

Yes, I did say, "I've been told so." I've been told I'm sensitive by pretty well everyone. It feels so much like everybody is against me and that nobody loves me, not even myself. However, I have got a friend who is two years younger than me. She seems to have those types of thoughts as well. She says that for her, every day is a bad memory. It's sad, but unfortunately some people just seem to be made to feel that way.

I've seen people constantly teased for who we are. I believe that those people who tease are those who do not accept everyone as individuals. I'm not the same as anybody else. Not even identical twins are the same. They may look alike, but they truly are different.

To get back on topic, Bandai has played a part in putting Tamagotchi in the Barbie aisle at some stores (though I think I saw a Tamagotchi in the same aisle as action figures today). They have made the American commercials without any boys so it seems like only girls can play with it. I've never seen the Australian commercial but how a girl I know makes it out to be it's kinda stupid (I wanna be a rock star! A florist! A chef!). They have made some designs pink and "girly" as some people call them. It is alright to have some pink designs but they should bear in mind that there are some boys and adults who like them as well as girls who don't like pink. I would say if a design is ugly in your eyes then don't buy it, though sometimes the country in which you live does not have any designs that appeal to you. The first few waves of designs in Australia were really nice (Green TMGC Mametchi, Sky, Night Sky, Blue Diamonds...) and I know several boys who had them. Once I saw two boys walking together, caring (I refuse to use the word "playing") for their Tamagotchi and talking about them.

Hopefully one day Bandai listens to us with a warm heart and open mind and learns that loving and caring for something is not restricted to girls. Boys can love and care for something too. It's just that Bandai hasn't realised that yet, or so it appears.

 

[Tamanika]

I agree. I completely do!

 

[Tamaworld95]

Well if I think that is just wrong if someone makes fun of you for liking tamas.I am ten I love them.

 

[0o-Chocola-o0]

I also agree, why tease someone for liking Tamas? What's so bad about Tamas? There are adults who play with Tamas.

People tease you because they conider them "just a toy" I consider them a hobby or a pet.

Chocola

 

[~kawaii-chibi~]

i feel ur pain. i need to hide mine from my friends beacause if i dont they would tease me. i wish they would make it less childish.

thank you for posting this!

 

[BeemerBabe]

Yes, I agree how childish the designs appear and how eyes and mouths are on everything seem weird. It should be unisex

 

[PockyGirl]

Are your friends, parents, and significant others really so ignorant as to think that fun is something reserved for the very youngest of children?

I live at home and my mother thinks my "Toy" habit is very childish and a waste. You'd be surprised how many people see you when you walk around with a tamagotchi at Twenty-two years old. I always get nagged about growing up and getting rid of the toys. When I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. Maybe due to always dreaming of toys I wanted so badly growing up I'm like this. Who knows, I don't and I'm not about to stop being who I am. I've moved on to collecting Vintage and new LPS. I display them on my computer desk for the heck of it.

 

[tamaMamita]

i get nagged to

 

[ETHAN1994]

Well, Tamagotchis were originally aimed at girls in the 90s, but they just became popular with boys.

And I don't think that they are aiming them at girls today. Well, they are aimed more at girls, but not directly at girls.

But does it matter if they are girly and your a boy? I'm a boy and I actually used to play with Bratz! But did I care? No! I only stopped because I thought they were getting boring.

 

[misstama12]

THE SITE IS BORING!!!!!!!! [me talk about bandai.com not tamatalk] and its too girly its PINK AND FLOWERY AND STUFF!!!!!

 

[Yasashii]

[SIZE=14pt]I have noticed this in America.[/SIZE]

In commercial spots,The girls are always playing with the Tamagotchi.

They are just trying to appeal to little girl who maybe has pocket full of allowance cash.

NOTE:Read the part of my signature that says,NOTE to fully understand my situation.

 

[tama_mermaid88]

Some of the design are ok but the packets and site shouldn't be packed with flowers and happy smiling creatures who do happy things. They should show them with skulls and just a few happy things!

 

[TamaWendy234]

When I go to buy a tama usually they are in the electronic section and so I make it look like I am going to buy/grab another toy or object and then grab the tama. Only 1 of my friends plays with tamas anymore and hers all need batteries.