Tamagotchi Original Gen 1 Re-Release — Characters, Growth Chart & Care Guide

The 1996 original, faithfully reborn — the same six adults a ’90s kid raised, back on store shelves today.

Gen 1 guides: Overview · Growth chart · Care & discipline · Oyajitchi (Bill) · Which re-release to buy

What Is the Gen 1 Re-Release?

The Tamagotchi Original “Gen 1” is a faithful reissue of the very first Tamagotchi — the 1996 Japanese release (1997 in North America) that collectors call the “P1.” Bandai brought it back for the franchise’s 20th anniversary in 2017 (a version nicknamed “Oritama,” short for Original Tamagotchi), began the global rollout in 2018, and has kept it in production ever since, dropping fresh shell designs every season.

The unit on shelves today — the one you’ll find in “Avocado Mix,” gingham, and floral shells at Walmart, Target, and Amazon — runs the same Generation 1 program the original did in 1996, with only a handful of small modern tweaks. Bandai officially describes Gen 1 as featuring the “1st generation of Tamagotchi characters,” and you can spot it by its blue-and-pink checkerboard background print. If you want the nostalgia-pure experience — the exact six adults you could raise back in the day — this is the one to buy.

What’s Different From the 1996 Original

First, a myth to bust: the reissue is a same-size replica (about 2 inches / 5 cm tall), not a shrunken version. The tiny keychain people sometimes confuse it with is the separate Tamagotchi Nano/Mini. Mechanically the Gen 1 reissue is roughly 95% identical to the 1996 unit, but Bandai made a few deliberate changes:

• Low-battery warning: the reissue shows a low-battery screen when power runs down. The original just ran until it died with no warning.
• Single CR2032 battery behind a one-screw door (the original used two LR44 cells and two screws).
• Louder, slightly altered sounds — for example, the game-start jingle plays a little faster than the original.
• Smoother animation but a dimmer screen with lower contrast than the crisp original LCD.
• Stricter discipline: the reissue makes more attention calls than it needs to, and you must answer the extra ones. Missing a call now hurts which adult you get even when the meter is already full.
• Snacks are deadlier: over-snacking can now kill your Tamagotchi in the child or teen stage. (On the plus side, you can no longer accidentally kill the baby by over-feeding it.)
• Gentler old age: elderly adults lose hearts more slowly than on the original, so a well-raised character lives a little easier.
• Easier secret character: the reissue no longer forces a specific raising path to unlock the hidden adult — perfect care of Maskutchi is enough (details below).

The Growth Chart: Egg to Adult

Every Gen 1 Tamagotchi goes egg → Babytchi (1 hour) → Marutchi (to age 3) → Tamatchi or Kuchitamatchi (to age 6) → one of six adults, plus the secret Oyajitchi. Good care in the child stage gets you the good teen; your care-mistake and discipline-mistake counts in the teen stage pick the adult — Mametchi at the top, Tarakotchi at the bottom.

Full detail — every adult, the exact mistake counts, evolution times and the interactive finder — is on the Tamagotchi Gen 1 growth chart.

How Care and Discipline Work

Three buttons, four status screens, and two counters that decide everything: care mistakes (an unanswered hunger, happy or lights-off call after ~15 minutes) and discipline mistakes (ignoring a call where it refuses food and play). The re-release is stricter than 1997 on both, and snacks can now kill a child or teen. Raise happiness with the Left or Right game instead.

What counts, the discipline system explained, the game, and the beginner mistakes to avoid: Gen 1 care & discipline guide.

The Secret Character: Oyajitchi (Bill)

Gen 1 has one hidden adult — a middle-aged salesman in a suit. You don’t get him with perfect care; you get him by never disciplining your pet so Tamatchi becomes Maskutchi, then caring well for Maskutchi until he transforms (around age 10–12 on the re-release).

Exact route, timings and the common wrong advice: How to get Oyajitchi (Bill).

Buying Guide: Shells, Price & Where to Find It

The Gen 1 reissue is widely available new — Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Bandai’s official shop all carry it, typically for around $20–25 (it has dipped to $20 during sales). Limited and collaboration shells run a bit higher.

Shell designs rotate constantly. Recent and evergreen Gen 1 options include the “Avocado Mix” shell, gingham and floral patterns, and “Color Collection” runs, alongside occasional Comic-Con and retailer-exclusive editions. Because the lineup changes every season, check the official Tamagotchi shop or a major retailer for what’s in stock right now. Whatever the shell, the device inside is the same same-size replica (~2 in / 5 cm).

At a Glance

Prefer all-new characters and a different game? See our Tamagotchi Gen 2 Re-Release Guide. Curious how the 1996 craze began? Read The Original Era (1996–1998) and our full History of Tamagotchi. And for the franchise’s newest device, explore our complete Tamagotchi Paradise guides.