Japan’s 2016 colour device — where Tamagotchi genetics and marriage all began.
What Is It?
The Tamagotchi m!x (“mix”) is a colour-screen device released by Bandai exclusively in Japan on July 16, 2016. Its lasting contribution is the m!x system — the genetics-and-marriage mechanic in which a child is literally a mix of both parents’ features. It’s the foundation that the On/Meets and, eventually, Paradise were built on. The m!x also reinstated infrared connectivity, which had been dropped on the NFC-based 4U.
Key Features
Trait inheritance via marriage: connect and marry two characters — even from different versions — and their looks blend into the child, theoretically allowing endless outcomes.
A new home screen: the m!x broke the franchise’s long-standing 10-icon layout. Animations now fill the whole screen, with the icons tucked into a menu opened with the A button.
Fortune telling: the character Uranaitchi can predict what your future offspring will look like before you commit to a marriage.
Characters & Raising
Generation one raises normally; from generation two, children inherit their parents’ physical traits, starting with baby body colours and becoming more distinct as they evolve. Feeding a colour food three times changes a pet’s body colour (note: the later On requires five). The m!x also uses just six teen-stage characters with male (blue) / female (pink) colour variations rather than twelve distinct teens — a quirk unique to this device.
Connectivity & Games
Infrared connects the m!x to other m!x units, to Tamagotchi Meets devices, and to in-store m!x Stations offering seasonal content. It also generates passwords for the My M!x Land website, which saved full family trees and offered games. Connecting options include Play, Gift, Marriage Proposal and Fortune Telling, with version-specific Game Corner mini-games such as Rainbow Painter and Star Catch.
Versions
The m!x launched in Melody and Spacy, followed by 20th Anniversary, Dream, Gift and Sanrio editions. All m!x versions can cross-marry one another.
How It Compares to Paradise
The m!x is the prototype that everything modern descends from. Paradise takes the same breeding-and-inheritance idea and expands it enormously — but if you want to see where it started, this is the device.
At a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Released | July 16, 2016 (Japan only) |
| Screen | Full colour |
| Connectivity | Infrared |
| Key mechanic | Genetics / “mixing” & marriage (franchise first) |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Availability | Secondhand (Japan import) |
The m!x led directly to the Tamagotchi On/Meets and today’s Paradise. Browse every device in our device directory.
Is It Worth Getting Today?
Mainly for collectors and genetics fans. The m!x is historically important — the first Tamagotchi where appearance became hereditary, creating unique “My Tama” subspecies from two parents. It is Japan-exclusive, so you will need to import, and its ideas were expanded on the easier-to-find On / Meets.
Go Deeper
The mixing concept evolved into On / Meets and ultimately Paradise breeding. See the full lineage on our Devices hub.