Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Play Gallery, the Arcade, Case 1

Tamagotchi

Video Game
1997 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Tamagotchi (Japanese: 'Egg Watch') was one of the biggest toy fads of the late-1990s. It is a handheld video game in which the player must care for their digital pet, which starts as an egg upon activation. The player must feed, train and clean up after the pet, its development and happiness is determined by the overall quality of the care.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleTamagotchi (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Plastic, metal, printed card, electronic components
Brief description
Plastic egg-shaped toy with metal strap, paper instructions sheet and explanatory card all encapsulated in clear plastic, made in Thailand by Bandai in 1997
Physical description
Packaged virtual pet made from pink and green plastic. It is egg-shaped, with an LCD display screen and metal chain for attachment. There is a pink paper instructions sheet and colour printed card, the card shows a three stage illustration of a Tamagotchi hatching from an egg. All are encapsulated in a clear plastic bubble pack with information printed in five languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Dutch).
Dimensions
  • Height: 220mm
  • Width: 145mm
  • Depth: 30mm
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'TAMAGOTCHI' (Printed on large letters on the front of the packaging)
  • 'The tiny pet from cyber space' (Printed on the front of the packaging)
Credit line
Given by Bandai UK Ltd.
Subject depicted
Summary
Tamagotchi (Japanese: 'Egg Watch') was one of the biggest toy fads of the late-1990s. It is a handheld video game in which the player must care for their digital pet, which starts as an egg upon activation. The player must feed, train and clean up after the pet, its development and happiness is determined by the overall quality of the care.
Collection
Accession number
B.239-1997

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Record createdApril 18, 2000
Record URL
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