Tamagotchi: 90s craze reinvents itself and has versions that cost R$900

In August 2025, the Tamagotchi franchise surpassed the mark of 100 million units distributed worldwide, according to information from The Japan Times and Asahi Shimbun – showing a booming market for the 'virtual pets' that were a huge success at the end of the last century.

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At the end of March this year, there were still 98 million Tamagotchis worldwide. In other words, in just five months, more than 2 million units of the toy were shipped globally.

Tamagotchi sales growth, however, is not a 2025 phenomenon. Data from Bandai Namco , the company that created the toy, shows that sales doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Last year, the company announced the relaunch of the Tamagotchi Connection in mid-May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that line.

The Japanese company is thus betting on capitalizing on the nostalgia of the millennial generation, who are now sharing the experience with their own children. But, in addition, it is investing in new features and designs and in modernizing the product to make it contemporary.

This year, the big bet was the launch of Tamagotchi Paradise , a new generation of Tamagotchi that allows users to care for an entire ecosystem. Now, users can manage a virtual resort, building and managing a hotel, and attracting different Tamagotchis to stay.

The user needs to take care of the environment, the activities, the guests' entertainment and even the decoration, all in an interactive way, as if it were a miniature resort.

Other upgrades include a 'zoom dial' that lets you peek into your virtual pet 's life from a variety of angles.

The new device, with a color screen and many more features than the old ones, opens new doors—since care now influences several other variables and results in wings, fins, or legs. In total, there are over 50,000 character variations to be created.

On the social side, you can connect your Tamagotchi Paradise with a friend's, and if the pets get along well, they might even have a baby.

In this case, the connection between devices works via infrared, just like in old Game Boys and old cell phones.

The Tamagotchi Paradise, like newer models like the Tamagotchi Uni , comes with Wi-Fi. The internet connection is used to access the Tamaverse, download new items released by Bandai, and perform device updates to fix bugs or add new features.

The toy was officially launched on November 23, 1996, becoming a huge hit especially among high school girls, according to official information from Bandai Namco.

The toy returned in 2004 with the Tamagotchi Connection, which had a built-in infrared communication feature, and in the following years several models were released with new functions and ways to play.

From 1996 to March 2023, approximately 91 million units were sold worldwide. In July 2023, the first model with built-in Wi-Fi, the "Tamagotchi Uni," was launched worldwide.

Akihiro Yokoi, a toy industry executive, invented the virtual pet. He told the New York Times that he came up with the idea after watching an ad in which a boy says he couldn't care for his pet turtle during school holidays.

So, he created a virtual pet that can be taken everywhere.

There is no fixed price for the toy, given that there is a huge range of models.

The cheapest, usually in the range of R$20 to R$60, are the most basic versions, often replicas of the classic 90s design, with a black and white screen and simple care features.

Recent, more modern editions easily exceed R$100 and can reach nearly R$1,000. For example, an Original Majestic Tamagotchi can be found online for around R$250.

The Bandai Tamagotchi Paradise costs over R$900 in e-commerce stores. The Bandai Tamagotchi Pix, with camera, costs between R$600 and R$700.

Tamagotchi can be purchased at online stores such as Magazine Luiza, Amazon, Mercado Livre, and Riachuelo. Looking at physical retail purchases, some toy stores and large retail chains have stocked the Japanese brand's toys.