Collection Overview
Welcome to my Tamagotchi Collection! Yes, it is a lot, but please note I’ve bee collecting these since I was a kid, and at least 1/3 of them I bought at thrift stores for very cheap. Tamagotchis are very sentimental to me. There have been many times I’ve attempted to part with my collection, and just couldn’t. I have sold a couple of my Tamagotchi Friends shells, and even that was a bit difficult to part with.
If I were to offer advice to anyone wanting to get into the hobby of collecting tamas, just know unless you find them at thrift, they are considered to be a collectors item, as all shells are limited production and once they’ve sold out their season, they do not return unless Bandai decides to do a rerelease. Because of this, and depending on the version, tamas can range anywhere from $30-$800+ depending on rarity and demand for shells no longer in production. But, if you’re like me and frequent thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, and yard sales quite often, it is not difficult to land a heck of a good bargain.
Tamagotchi Connection V1
This one is and always will be my most sentimental shell. It is the very first Tamagotchi I’ve ever owned. When I was little, I remember I used to always watch kids in my neighborhood playing with the original generations, and I always wanted a Tamagotchi. I thought they looked so cool. Years later, the connections were released and for the very first time, my parents got me one and I was ecstatic! I was probably 10 or 11 years old when I got this one, and I have really fond memories playing with it with my friends whom also had their own tamagotchis, and we would connect them and exchange gifts.
Years later, I discovered there was a way you could hack this model to get ANY character you want. It required scatching a certain part of the inside board with a pencil, and it worked! I was successfully able to hack this tama and get any character I want. However, I did unfortunately damage it in the process it would seem as it is a bit glitchy now. I still think it’s very cool anyhow.
I don’t use this tama anymore, so I decided to bedazzle it. 😆
Tamagotchi Connection V2
These are my V2 shells! I did at one time have the Red Hearts shell when I was a kid. Unfortunately, it got lost when we moved which I am so sad about. I would love to have that shell again.
These two shells I actually found thrift shopping! It’s amazing the things you can find at thrift stores for practically nothing. Had I have purchased these online, I would likely be paying $60+ CAD.
Tamagotchi Connection V3
These are all of my V3 shells! The Zebra shell I actually got when I was a kid as well. I remember there was some kind of contest or something around that time and I emailed in and suggested they release a zebra striped Tamagotchi! I didn’t win, but I assume it was a popular suggestion. I was so thrilled to get my hands on this one, and at the time being a kid I thought they released it because it was my idea. 😆
The other three tamas don’t have any special story behind them, but I did get them all from thrift shopping and they were a steal of a deal!
Tamagotchi V4
These are my V4 shells. Again, these are ALSO thrift shop finds. All of my thrift shop tamas work as well which is really fortunate!
Tamagotchi V4.5
More thrift shop finds! These are my V4.5 shells. I don’t really have too much to say about them except that I’ve never played with them. Strictly a collection purchase. 😆
Tamagotchi V5
These are all my Tamagotchi V5 shells. Again, ALL thrifted! I think this version is known as familitchi. I’ve never played with them, can’t remember all the features these have but I love that I’ve found these to include in my collection because the older gen tamas are quite rare.
Tamagotchi V5 Celebrity
Another thrifted shell, believe it or not! I’m actually quite surprised I thrifted this because it wasn’t released in North America, according to the Tamagotchi Fandom Wiki.
Tamagotchi
V6 Music Star
Last but not least in this list is my Tamagotchi Music Star in the Disco Rave shell. This one I actually purchased from Ebay, and it isn’t in the greatest condition. Note, the one in the picture isn’t mine. I forgot to take a picture of mine when I lugged all my tamas out of their display case for pictures and I’m just too lazy to lug it all out again a second time lol. Maybe one of these days I’ll just do it because this pic sticks out like a sore thumb on this page, but that day is not today. 😆
Image credit goes to the Tamagotchi Fandom Wiki.
Tamagotchi
Gen 1 Re-release
These I purchased brand new when they first came out! The re-releases aren’t my favorite, if I’m honest. Possibly because I didn’t grow up with this gen even though I really wanted to. But after testing them, I’m just not a fan. The Connection line are what I love and if the Connections ever get a re-release, you can best believe I will purchase EVERY single shell lol. It will cost a fortune but I will do it.
Also, side not about why these two are separate from the ones below, is because they are different. These are about the side of the Nano shells. I’m not sure why they are smaller, but these releases are.
Tamagotchi
Gen 1 Re-release
These re-releases of Gen 1 are larger shells than the previous ones. The translucent one is a special anniversary edition, and the pink shell I got off of Facebook Marketplace for $5 CAD.
Tamagotchi
Gen 2 Re-release
Another great Facebook Marketplace find! Again, this one was only $5. It’s so cute it looks like an Easter egg!
Tamagotchi Nano
These are my Tamagotchi Nano shells! The middle yellow one is a bit old and beat up. I used to take that one with me to work to help kill time, so the shell design has started to wear off a bit.
There’s one Tamagotchi Nano I really wish I would have picked up when it first released, because it is worth a fortune now, which is the Eevee Pokemon Nano. Oh well. Lesson learned.
Tamagotchi Nano
My husband surprised me with this one one day. I still have never opened it. While I don’t exclusively follow the K-pop group, this appears to be an exclusive release from Bandai x BTS. I do enjoy a few BTS songs, but these days I don’t listen to too much K-pop. I’m more into pretty mellow music. Back in the day when I did listen K-pop, I was a really big fan of 4-Minute. I used to listen to them all the time during my high school years. The group eventually disbanded, Hyuna ended up going solo and made a pretty big name for herself after being featured in Psy’s Gangnam Style music video.
ANYWAYS, I’m getting way off topic lol. This is my K-pop exclusive Tamagotchi Nano.
Tamagotchi
Sanrio M!x
I don’t buy too many Japanese imports because personally, I prefer the language to be in English so I can understand all of the dialogues. BUT, I made a special exception as I LOVE Sanrio characters and the idea of being able to mix their genetic was incredible to me. I purchased the Sanrio M!x before I got any of the Tamagotchi ONs.
One thing I am really disappointed with Bandai about, is that after the M!X/ONs, they did not continue to release genetic mixing in their new models, which, in my opinion, was revolutionary feature for the Tamagotchi brand and really raised the bar for them. I really hope they will bring it back for future releases because this feature is why the Tamagotchi M!x/ONs are my favorite releases of ALL TIME. 😀 I am so glad I stocked up and got several lol.
Tamagotchi ON
Pink Fairy
This is the very first Tamagotchi ON I bought. It’s the fairy model and I love everything about it! The color and the sparkles are SO so pretty. I’m really thinking about running this one again soon.
Tamagotchi ON
Purple Magic
This was the second Tamagotchi ON I got, because after I got my Fairy ON, I thought I could mix genetics with my Sanrio M!x but sadly they weren’t compatible. I am really glad I got the Magic ON though because both the Fairy and the Magic have areas that can only be unlocked by connecting the two together, if I remember correctly. So it made sense to have one of each version.
Tamagotchi ON
Wonderland
Boy oh boy am I GLAD I did not pass this one up because it is worth a fortune now. This is the Wonderland shell and I actually got it for a really great bargain at Toys R Us here in Canada. At the time I bought it, Toys R Us had these on clearance for I think half price. I contemplated not buying it but this is definitely one impulse purchase I don’t regret.
Tamagotchi
Tama Town
ALL thrift, yardsale, and dollar store finds! I got ALL the figurines brand new at the Dollar Store (which is a great place to get brand name toys when they’re going out of trend). I got the black/pink Tamatown Tamagotchi from a thrift store, and I got the one beside it from a yardsale.
Tamagotchi Friends
More thrift store finds! I got these two in a package of four, believe it or not. I sold the other two recently because I needed some extra cash to pay off some debts. The other two I sold was pink/silver and blue/silver. The pink one didn’t work due to battery corrosion on the inside. The person I sold it to got it for a steal and was actually able to clean it and get it working again. The blue one I sold on Ebay recently for good profit considering what I originally paid for it was very cheap thrifted. I kept these two in the picture because their shells are more rare. Both work.
Tamagotchi IDL 15th Anniversary Edition (Import)
This was, I think my first Japanese Tamagotchi Import. Hard to believe I got this about a decade ago now. This was the royal purple shell, but the IDLs had an issue with discoloring when left in the package, and unfortunately my tama is a victim of this discoloring. As you can see, the right half of the tama is mostly gold colored now. T_T It is what it is.
These tamas are actually quite special, because you can use an old cell phone to download user created custom content as well as an English patch! Because of this, I think that’s what still makes this my favorite tama, next to the M!x/ON models.
Tamagotchi P &
Pocket Designer
And last but definitely not least, is the Tamagotchi P and Pocket Designer. I received the Tamagotchi P as an anniversary gift from my husband, if I remember correctly. For a long time it was my favorite tama and I’ve gotten a lot of play out of it. I never got any pierces for it, just kept the one that it came with. One day I’d really like to acquire all pierces but given how expensive they are I’m not holding my breath.
The Pocket Designer is something I got quite awhile after I got the Tamagotchi P. The purpose of the Pocket Designer is to create custom content which can be sent directly to the Tamagotch Ps. Hence, why they are photographed as a pair. 😀
MameMame Library is an independent fan project aiming to act as a central repository for preserving and documenting all known Tamatown files, as well as providing the current status of all lost files. If you happen to have any of these files saved, consider contributing to the archive so that all tama fans may potentially enjoy Tamatown for older versions once again. 🙂