Tamagotchi Uni Opens Up the Tamaverse

Tamagotchi changed the toy world as we know it in the ’90s, sparking a huge craze and making its mark on pop culture. Since then, interactive, digital tech pets kids could carry around in their pockets have been hot year after year, but nothing beats the original.

Now, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America is connecting kids to their Tamagotchi in a brand new way that you have to experience to fully believe.

Designed for kids ages 6 and up, Tamagotchi Uni is the latest Tamagotchi innovation. Available in two colors, this new interactive toy has more features than ever before.

Kids can customize their UniTama from the inside out, selecting different personality traits like shy, chill, spoiled, or energetic. Each personality triggers different actions and reactions. Then, kids can dress and accessorize their digital friend, design its room with unique furniture and toys, and more. Kids can even craft their own items by gathering recipes and materials when they go for walks. Speaking of walks…

Tama Walk is probably my favorite feature of the newest member of the Tamagotchi family. Kids can take their character for a stroll, and how far their character goes is based on kids’ actual steps in the real world. I love that this encourages kids to get up and active in order to take their digital friend to new places. 

If two kids in the same room have a Tamagotchi Uni, they can connect them to play together. Players can add other UniTama to their friends list, then engage in totally original ways, like exchanging items, trading materials for crafting, and even proposing marriage. That’s right — Tamagotchi can get married! 

And while all of the local play and customization is incredible, there’s something this Tamagotchi does that none of its predecessors have: It connects to WiFi for online play. 

For the first time ever, kids can connect with other Tamagotchi from all over the world. In the Tamaverse, kids can enter download codes to unlock new items (and new codes are coming out all of the time to keep things interesting!). 

The activities are abundant. Just like the original from the ‘90s, kids can bathe and feed their UniTama to keep them happy (though, the snacks look a LOT different than they did back in the day). But they can also take their UniTama shopping at the mall or game with them in the arcade. And remember how kids used to have to give their Tamagotchi to their parents during the school day to make sure they stayed fed and happy to keep them from dying? Well, now kids can just hire a babysitter right inside their device. The device is also rechargeable (TBT to those pesky button batteries in the originals that required you to have the world’s smallest screwdriver to get to). 

There is a lot to love about the newest Tamagotchi, including its versatility. Kids can enjoy their digital character online or off, it has massive amounts of customization, and it encourages physical activity. It even helps promote social-emotional intelligence, as kids work hard to care for their character and engage with others online. It’s easier than ever for kids to take their Tamagochti with them thanks to the included wristband. 

This toy has everything ‘90s kids loved about the digital pet, plus a whole lot more. And with frequent updates and new downloadable content available all of the time, kids will likely stay engaged with their Tamagotchi Uni for quite a while. Hopefully kids will have great luck keeping them alive, and won’t need to keep hitting that reset button over and over again (not at all speaking from experience).