2019 Year In Review
To say 2019 was an AMAZING year for Tamagotchi would be an understatement. Bandai America surprised everyone by announcing and releasing the first english color Tamagotchi, the Tamagotchi On, Bandai Japan released a bunch of Tamagotchi Meets versions, and Bandai Korea released their very first Tamagotchi, the Tamagotchi Some! Let’s take a look back and see what made 2019 so special!
1/23/19
Tamagotchi Featured On ABC’s Schooled
Tamagotchi received some airtime on the new ABC Series Schooled. It was a super cute episode that featured a throwback to the Tamagotchi craze that took over the school hallways back in the late 90’s.
1/26/19
Bandai Japan Releases Eevee Tamagotchi
The Eevee Tamagotchi was highly anticipated by both Tamagotchi and Pokemon fans all over the world. The interest sparked once the device was leaked in late 2018 and around the release in January of 2019. The device was released in Japan and sold out pretty much everywhere which sparked rumors of the device being discontinued.
2/2/19
Bandai Japan Announces Tamagotchi Meets Pastel Version
Leaked months prior, Bandai Japan officially announces the Tamagotchi Meets Pastel version. Beautiful pastel colored shells, adorable characters and locations, little did we know we would have to wait a bit more than we anticipated to get our hands on this version. Delays in production caused the release date to be bumped almost a month, owners of the pastel version know the bugs and glitches on this device are absolutely present.
2/15/19
LEAKED: Tamagotchi Meets Sanrio Version!
Nothing like starting off the new year with a leak, and what better than a Meets version leak? It’s no surprise that Tamagotchi fans LOVE a Sanrio collaboration, so the Tamagotchi Meets Sanrio version got everyone super excited. Sanrio characters, locations, and even exclusive event functionality on the Tamagotchi Meets app! The device would later be released on June 15th, 2019 after officially being announced in April.
2/25/19
Bandai Booth at New York Toy Fair 2019!
As usual Bandai America attended the New York Toy Fair. Tamagotchi had a table which featured the Tamagotchi Original, Gudetama Tamagotchi, and the 20th anniversary Digimon Digital Monster - which was something not announced and came as a surprise to everyone, even us! Now what we didn’t know is that the Bandai America representatives had brought the Tamagotchi On with them, but of course was not shown to anyone!
3/10/19
Tamagotchi Gets Another Primetime Television Appearance
Although no Tamagotchi was present on the set, Tamagotchi was mentioned on an episode of the fifth season of Schitt’s Creek! This was the second but not final Tamagotchi appearance featured on broadcast television.
3/16/19
My Tamagotchi Forever App Celebrates First Anniversary
Doesn’t it feel like this app was released last week? The My Tamagotchi Forever app celebrated a big birthday in 2019 and there were lots of activities to help celebrate!
4/13/19
Disney Japan Announces 2019 Usatama & Usapiyo!
Disney Japan surprised us by releasing a sequence to the original Usatama, a collaboration with Bandai and Disney originally released back in 2017! However like any release, the device was leaked a few weeks prior in MAY magazine. The 2019 version introduces two devices one with Usatama, and another with Usapiyo! New animations and accessories make made this device a perfect Easter gift.
4/19/19
LEAKED: Tamagotchi Meets Fantasy Version!
Another month, another leak. This leak revealed a super cute and totally new version. New fantasy based characters, locations, oh and a totally adorable shell that features jewels! The device would later be announced in early June and released in August and become an instant favorite.
4/26/19
US: Tamagotchi Merchandise Coming Soon!
After seeing licensed merchandise released in Europe such as the Tamagotchi socks & squishy toy, fans in America were wondering if they would ever get their hands on some licensed merchandise. Bandai America informed us we would see some goodies soon, and they did not disappoint! Licensed merchandise release later in 2019 included the Hot Topic t-shirts, and heat change mugs.
5/4/19
20th Anniversary Digimon Digital Monster FAQ’s
After seeing the Digimon Digital Monster at Bandai America’s booth at the 2019 New York Toy Fair Digimon fans went wild. This device was never really officially announced, and they wanted as much information as they could get. Although the device is not technically a Tamagotchi we decided to cover the device since it of course is from Bandai. We reached out to Bandai directly and got fans questions answered, there was even a sequel of the FAQ’s too.
<START TAMAGOTCHI ON MADNESS>
5/6/19
Tamagotchi ON: What We Know
We remember this day like it was yesterday. Tamagotchi fans pulled up a listing on Amazon of the upcoming Tamagotchi On device. Fans were SHOCKED to see that the device looked identical to the Tamagotchi Meets released back in November of 2018 in Japan but in english! The device was not announced by Bandai America yet, but that did not stop everyone from preordering! Little did we know that we were in for quite the summer.
5/7/19
Bandai America Tease Upcoming Device
Bandai America took to social media to tease an upcoming Tamagotchi, there were actually three teasers. The joke was on them as we knew that the Tamagotchi On was the surprise they were about to announce, but we played along, right?
5/13/19
Tamagotchi ON Press Release
As promised by Bandai America in their social media teasers, the official press release announcing the Tamagotchi On device. The first color english Tamagotchi to be released in North America. Fans were so happy that this was becoming a reality. After 11 years of importing color Tamagotchi’s from Japan, we too would have our very own color device, a localized version of the Tamagotchi Meets. Words cannot describe how significant this moment was for anyone in the Tamagotchi community. We asked, believed, and received.
5/13/19
Tamagotchi On Commercial
What’s a new Tamagotchi without a commercial? We hadn’t seen a Tamagotchi commercial since 2015 for the Tamagotchi Friends, so this was a big deal. Bandai America had to get the word out that a new Tamagotchi is in town, and this one is drastically different from the one you had in your childhood. We thought, and still think the commercial is top notch! More versions, or spots, of this commercial would are released and and grace our television streams a few months later.
5/25/19
20th Anniversary Digimon Digital Monster Unboxing
After getting our hands on the device we booted it up and starting filming our unboxing video. This was a bit different than our other unboxings, as we were not too familiar with the Digimon programing. Much to our surprise our pre-production unit did not arrive with an instruction manual. It took us a few hours to film because we were waiting to see if the second generation allowed users to select between different egg types which determines the character of the next generation.
5/29/19
Our Tamagotchi On Has Arrived!
We were so happy to get the our hands on the Tamagotchi On device months before the release, and it was amazing! Having the device first allowed us to post our unboxing video, pictures, and answer some of your questions!
6/5/19
Bandai Japan Apologizes for Eevee Tamagotchi Problems
Bandai Japan released an official apology for the Eevee Tamagotchi problems that users were experiencing. This was released right on the TamaTV.com website, and is actually still posted there too. The apology does not go into detail about the problems, but encouraged users to reach out to Bandai Customer Service Center for a replacement device if there were any issues with theirs.
6/6/19
Tama-Palace Featured in CBS News Article!
The announcement of the Tamagotchi On was HUGE for the Tamagotchi community, and the media was looking to capture the attention for an article. CBS News got in touch with us about the upcoming device and we were interviewed about how the community has reacted to the device, and how it effected our website and fanbase.
6/15/19
Tamagotchi Featured on ABC’s Jeopardy!
Did you ever think you would see Tamagotchi on Jeopardy? Well it happened! Back in June Tamagotchi was featured in the “Remember the 1990’s?” category on the popular ABC prime-time show. The first contestant called it a tomato-gotchi, silly Becky. Right after E.J. answered it correctly, Tamagotchi.
7/4/19
Tamagotchi Classic App Being Retired July 17th!
Bandai announced that the Tamagotchi Classic application available on both iOS and Android would soon be retired. If you have the app you can of course continue to use it, but after July 17th it would no longer be available in the App Store or Play Store.
7/8/19
Tamagotchi On First Impressions
What would a new device launch be without our first impression article? We had our hands on the device for a little over a month and we wanted to spread the word about how amazing this device is! This device has set the standard for upcoming Tamagotchi releases worldwide!
7/14/19
LEAKED: Tamagotchi Some, Korea’s Tamagotchi Meets
We were shocked to see an english color Tamagotchi being released in North America, we had no idea that Bandai had additional plans to a country they’ve never sold Tamagotchi in before. The leak revealed that Bandai Korea was preparing to announce the Tamagotchi Some, a localized version of the Tamagotchi Meets & On but of course in the Korean language! Upon announcement the device was noticeably missing a key feature, bluetooth - so Tamagotchi Some users are unable to use the application. This is super exciting to see Tamagotchi making its way to new countries!
7/28/19
Tamagotchi On Launch Day!
This is a huge launch in Tamagotchi history! Finally an english color Tamagotchi outside of Japan, oh yes and it’s available on retail shelves. Huge accomplishment for the Bandai America team has they worked tirelessly on this device which included a unique partnership with the Bandai Japan team.
7/28/19
PSA: Tamagotchi On iOS App Now AVAILABLE!
Tamagotchi fans were getting impatient about the Tamagotchi On app. Of course the device was scheduled to be released on July 28th, 2019, but they wanted the app sooner. Bandai America officially released the application on July 28th, 2019 in the afternoon on both the App Store and Play Store.
8/27/19
LEAKED: Tamagotchi Meets Sweets Version
Yet another leak, this time its super sweet. The Tamagotchi Meets Sweets version is everything a Tamagotchi fan with a sweet tooth wanted, chocolate, macarons, and everything in between. The initial leaked image featured a milk chocolate drip on the front shell, after being announced Bandai Japan would later switch it to a pink chocolate drip, this did not settle too well with the community.
9/20/19
Tamagotchi On Scores Spot On The Toy Insider’s 2019 Holiday Gift Guide!
Awesome accomplishment here! The Tamagotchi On was featured on the popular gift guide which would give it the exposure needed to let the world know that Tamagotchi On is here! This also allowed the Tamagotchi On to be featured on various network television shows.
9/21/19
Bandai America Announces White Magical Tamagotchi On
No one saw this coming. Bandai America surprised everyone by announcing the white magical Tamagotchi On! We did not expect to get this device, which is a localized version of the white magical Tamagotchi On. The device remains an Amazon exclusive.
10/1/19
Bandai Korea Releases Tamagotchi Some Commercial
Not only did Korea get their very first Tamagotchi launch, they got a SUPER cute commercial. This claymation commercial was the perfect way to introduce the country to the newest Tamagotchi which is now regionally available!
10/23/19
Tamagotchi On Lands A Spot In The 2019 Target Toy Book!
Tamagotchi On got featured in a major toy book in the United States. You may recall that the 2017 Tamagotchi Mini did get featured back in 2017 too! Not only did the device get featured, but it was also on sale for a good period of time, and with an additional 25% coupon, fans were able to get one for just $37.49!
11/1/19
McDonald’s Announces Return Of Iconic Tamagotchi Happy Meal Toy!
Retro! This was an adorable campaign that McDonald’s launched to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Happy Meal. The Tamagotchi Happy Meal toy along with sixteen other toys returned to help celebrate. Quantities were limited and the promotion only ran for four days. If you were luck enough to get your hands on the Tamagotchi Happy Meal toy you’re probably enjoying its red flashlight functionality or just wearing it as a fashion accessory.
11/3/19
Tamagotchi & Pac-Man Team Up To Celebrate Pac-Man’s 40th Anniversary
Another collaboration? Bring it on! Bandai Namco US teed an upcoming collaboration with Pac-Man to help celebrate the 40th anniversary. A Pac-Man Tamagotchi is very much going to be released in 2020 and we just can’t wait to hear more about it!
12/11/19
Bandai America Announces New Tamagotchi Original Shells
New year, new shells. Bandai America announced four new additional shell designs to the Tamagotchi lineup via their social media profiles. The four new designs will join the existing lineup and will be released in February of 2020! Preorders are currently listed on Amazon.
2019 was PHENOMENAL for Tamagotchi, the best one yet in our opinion. This is the largest and most exciting year in review we have written to this date. Bandai really brought it and expanded the brand to new countries! We are looking forward to an even better 2020, so stay tuned to Tama-Palace for the latest and greatest Tamagotchi news. Happy New Year!
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