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Reference Desk
Which Tamagotchi model is this?
Bandai has released Tamagotchi hardware more or less continuously for thirty years, and it reissues the old shapes often enough that "it looks old" proves nothing. Four questions place almost any unit.
Four questions, in order
- Is the screen in colour? Colour means 2008 or later. Everything grey is either a 1996-2006 model or a modern reissue of one.
- Is it worn on the wrist? Wrist-worn means Smart (2021) or Uni (2023). No earlier model is a watch.
- Is there a camera lens? Only the Tamagotchi Pix of 2021 has one.
- Is there an infrared window on the top edge? That is the Connection family, 2004 onward — the feature that let two units meet.
Every model and its tell
| Model | Year | The tell |
|---|---|---|
| Tamagotchi (original) | 1996 | Egg on a keychain, three buttons in a row, 8-bit grey monochrome screen. |
| Angel / Ocean | 1998 | Same shell, themed shell art and different care mechanics - an angel or an underwater theme printed on the case. |
| Connection V1-V3 | 2004-2006 | Infrared window on the top edge for connecting to another unit. V3 adds the TamaTown online element. |
| Tamagotchi Plus Color | 2008 | First colour screen. Japan only, so a colour screen in a 2000s-shaped shell is an import. |
| Tama-Go | 2010 | Accepts collectible Gotchi figures on top of the unit - a physical slot no other model has. |
| Tamagotchi Friends | 2014 | The last Connection-family release sold in the US. |
| 4U / m!x | 2014-2016 | NFC on the 4U; character genetics on the m!x. Both Japan-focused. |
| Tamagotchi On / Meets | 2019 | First colour model released internationally, with Bluetooth. |
| Tamagotchi Pix | 2021 | A built-in camera - the only Tamagotchi with a lens. |
| Tamagotchi Smart | 2021 | Worn on the wrist, expanded by physical cards. Japan only. |
| Tamagotchi Uni | 2023 | Wrist-worn with Wi-Fi and downloadable content. |
| Tamagotchi Paradise | 2025 | A zoom dial on the shell and physical prong connections. |
The trap: reissues
Here is the mistake we see most. A grey-screen egg on a keychain is not necessarily from the 1990s. Bandai reissues the original hardware regularly, and this pull contains 71 listings naming an "Original" Tamagotchi at a median of $27.49 — sold new, in current packaging. A genuine 1996 or 1997 unit has yellowed plastic, a battery door with real wear, and usually a Japanese-market back label. A reissue has none of that and is worth roughly what a new toy is worth, because it is one.
What each line costs on the US market today
| Line | Listings priced | Cheapest | Median | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everything Tamagotchi-branded | 359 | $4.98 | $25.99 | $199.99 |
| New at US retailers | 238 | $4.98 | $27.49 | $199.99 |
| Resale, peer-to-peer sellers | 121 | $5.00 | $22.00 | $140.00 |
| Listings naming Nano | 26 | $4.98 | $20.49 | $55.00 |
| Listings naming Original | 71 | $12.00 | $27.49 | $99.00 |
| Listings naming Connection | 42 | $16.99 | $43.99 | $84.99 |
| Listings naming Paradise | 8 as of 1 Sept | $13.49 | $34.24 | $57.95 |
The line worth reading twice is Connection at a $43.99 median against Nano at $20.49. Connection units are twenty years old and ask double what the newest miniature tier costs. That is not scarcity — it is the infrared port. Connectivity between two physical units is the one feature Bandai has never replaced with an app, and the market prices it accordingly.
Last verified 10 September 2026 against 359 priced Tamagotchi-branded listings from 14 US advertisers, matched inside a 2,351-row CJ product-feed pull — the whole catalogue this keyword returns, re-requested twice. That is a deeper read than 1 September's, so the counts are not comparable with it while the medians are. Tamagotchi-branded apparel and accessories are excluded, and so are shops whose product is a picture of the toy rather than the toy: printed fabric by the yard and original paintings. Peer-to-peer asks of $500 or more and repdigit asks are dropped as placeholders. Bandai's cumulative sales reached 98.1 million units by 2025.
Frequently asked
How do I identify my Tamagotchi model?
Check four things: colour or grey screen, wrist-worn or keychain, camera lens or none, infrared window or none. Colour means 2008 or later, wrist-worn means Smart or Uni, a lens means Pix 2021, an infrared window means the Connection family from 2004.
Is my grey-screen Tamagotchi from the 1990s?
Not necessarily. Bandai reissues the original hardware regularly and sells it new; 71 such listings appear in this pull at a $27.49 median. Genuine 1990s units show yellowed plastic and battery-door wear that a reissue does not.
How much is an old Tamagotchi worth?
Peer-to-peer sellers asked a median of $22.00 across 121 listings on 10 September 2026, ranging $5.00 to $140.00. New units at US retailers had a $27.49 median over 238 listings.
Which Tamagotchi has a camera?
The Tamagotchi Pix, released in 2021. It is the only model in the line with a lens, which makes it the easiest model of all to identify.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Tamagotchi — the model list and release years from the 1996 original through Connection, Plus Color, Tama-Go, 4U, m!x, On/Meets, Pix, Smart, Uni and the 2025 Paradise, plus Bandai Namco's 98.1 million cumulative unit figure for 2025.
- CJ Affiliate product feeds, US advertisers, queried 1 September 2026 — every price figure here.
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