Will tamagotchis ever be very popular in America again?

[Tama Queen]

I wish I would have started liking tamagotchis since the begging (I started liking tamas when the v.6 music star came out). I still love tamagotchis a lot and I bring them with me everywhere. Whenever I meet new people they are always like "what is a tamagotchi?", and my friends are like "those things are old!" and why do you still like those?". It makes me so sad!!! I wish they would make tamagotchis popular again! I remember when the tamago came out. I liked it (not as much as the original tamagotchis though). Sadly the tamago didn't sell very well, and that was the end for tamagotchis in America. I am getting an English IDL soon, but I wish they would make like a tamagotchi music star family version or something. I also heard they made a tamagotchi app. Do you think tamagotchis will ever be popular again?

 

[robodog]

The Tamagotchii P's show that handheld pets can still be fun and appealing. They are not obsolete and anyone who thinks that is a short sighted fool. They have the capacity to improve as technology does. Imagine a Tamagotchi with a touch screen so you could pet it. Imagine a Tamagotchi that can be transferred to a phone or computer to care for it and customize it and transferred back to the device when you are done. The L.I.F.E. app is too limited. A Tamagotchi has to exist in the real world. A better way is to have an app that works with the Tamagotchi rather than an App that IS the Tamagotchi. Furby pulled it off, so could Tamagotchi. I still believe that an English P's would do well in the States if marketed right. And now that I own a P's I am even more convinced of this fact. Bandai America are idiots. They abandoned a product that has been profitable for close to 15 years because they had a misstep with the TamaGo. They threw the baby out with the bathwater. There is nothing wrong with Tamagotchi. The problem lies with a lack of creativity on Bandai America's part.

 

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

The Tamagotchii P's show that handheld pets can still be fun and appealing. They are not obsolete and anyone who thinks that is a short sighted fool. They have the capacity to improve as technology does. Imagine a Tamagotchi with a touch screen so you could pet it. Imagine a Tamagotchi that can be transferred to a phone or computer to care for it and customize it and transferred back to the device when you are done. The L.I.F.E. app is too limited. A Tamagotchi has to exist in the real world. A better way is to have an app that works with the Tamagotchi rather than an App that IS the Tamagotchi. Furby pulled it off, so could Tamagotchi. I still believe that an English P's would do well in the States if marketed right. And now that I own a P's I am even more convinced of this fact. Bandai America are idiots. They abandoned a product that has been profitable for close to 15 years because they had a misstep with the TamaGo. They threw the baby out with the bathwater. There is nothing wrong with Tamagotchi. The problem lies with a lack of creativity on Bandai America's part.

Well, Bandai may not have the money to make a fancy Tamagotchi. I love the Tama-Go, but everybody hates it because of its size and because it's not in color. If people buy more Tama-Go's, Bandai would get more money, and be able to make better Tamagotchis, and then Tamagotchi would be popular again instead of a lame app and clothing line.

 

[Brittygotchi]

Fads come and go. Tamagotchi was once a very popular fad. Maybe one day it will circle back around, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

 

[robodog]

Well, Bandai may not have the money to make a fancy Tamagotchi. I love the Tama-Go, but everybody hates it because of its size and because it's not in color. If people buy more Tama-Go's, Bandai would get more money, and be able to make better Tamagotchis, and then Tamagotchi would be popular again instead of a lame app and clothing line.

I don't hate the TamaGo. I have two. And considering that TamaGos are no longer in stores it's pretty much impossible to buy them in a way that Bandai will profit from. Bandai doesn't get any money from Ebay and Amazon marketplace purchases. Believe me, if ANY Tamagotchi was still in stores I'd buy them by the truckload. Even TamaGos.

 

[Skygryph]

I honestly don't think it'll ever be as big as before, unfortunately. There was certainly a time when it was beyond popular in the US, but that was before the onset of iPads, smart phones, and highly advanced game consoles. Japan can get away with it because of their culture and lifestyle; the population density is higher, and public transportation is much more common. There's a far bigger chance of running into someone who has another Tamagotchi, so it makes it more accessible (and fun) then it would be here. You can bump into a random stranger with a Tama on the subway, connect with them, and be done a minute later. It's the same reason handheld gaming is so much more successful in Japan. It's just a different culture.

That being said, I still think it would be possible if Bandai advertised Tamagotchis once again in the US. There was that short popularity spike back in 2004 when they actually put effort into it, after all. They haven't bothered advertising much since then, which really is a pity. Tamagotchis will most likely never be as popular here as in Japan due to the culture difference again, but that doesn't mean they can't be a well-known, wanted toy like they once were if they went about it the right away. The Tamago wasn't the right way at all. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it quite a bit, but most kids today would see it as completely out-dated. On the other hand, I could see kids begging their parents for an ID L if it was released here with a decreased price tag (products are usually more expensive in Japan then the US anyway). Bandai America has to catch up with the times and what's in demand. Color toys with tons of options and interactivity are it. 8-bit or grayscale that haven't changed much from the originals...that's not going to cut it.

So, in short: It'll likely never reach the peak it was once at, but it could do well if Bandai actually tried. No offense to Bandai America, but they could do better.

 

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

Something good IS going to happen to us Tamagotchi fans, and it's not related to Tamagotchi LIFE! That's just a little secret my and my friends share. Just don't give up hope!

 

[Minecraft Addict]

The Furby circled around and got popular. So hopefully Tamas will too someday.