The 1996 original, faithfully reborn — the same six adults a ’90s kid raised, back on store shelves today.
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 follows the same five-stage life cycle. A “year” of its life equals one real day.
| Stage | Character | When |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | — | Hatches about 5 minutes after you set the clock |
| Baby | Babytchi | For the first hour — a no-stakes “practice” stage; always becomes Marutchi |
| Child | Marutchi | From ~1 hour old until age 3 |
| Teen | Tamatchi (good care) or Kuchitamatchi (poor care) | Age 3 to 6 |
| Adult | One of six (see below) | Age 6 onward |
| Secret | Oyajitchi (JP) / Bill (English) | Special unlock — see below |
The teen stage is the fork in the road: care well during the child stage and you become Tamatchi, which can grow into the best adults. Slip up and you become Kuchitamatchi, which is steered toward the lower-tier adults.
Every Gen 1 Adult and How to Get It
Which of the six adults you raise comes down to two things: how many care mistakes you made (missed hunger/happy calls) and how many discipline mistakes you made (ignored “attention” calls when it didn’t actually want food or play). In plain English: answer everything and discipline firmly for Mametchi; get sloppy with discipline for Maskutchi; neglect care for the lower tiers.
| Adult | Reputation | How to get it (from the good-care teen, Tamatchi) |
|---|---|---|
| Mametchi | The best — the smart, diligent fan favorite | 0–2 care mistakes, 0 discipline mistakes |
| Ginjirotchi | Good | 0–2 care mistakes, 1 discipline mistake |
| Maskutchi | The masked oddball | 0–2 care mistakes, 2+ discipline mistakes |
| Kuchipatchi | Easygoing (later a permanent franchise mascot) | 3+ care mistakes, 0–1 discipline mistakes |
| Nyorotchi | The worm | 3+ care mistakes, 2–3 discipline mistakes |
| Tarakotchi | Worst care — the big-lipped couch potato | 3+ care mistakes, 4+ discipline mistakes |
A poor-care teen (Kuchitamatchi) is funneled toward Kuchipatchi, Nyorotchi, or Tarakotchi regardless of discipline.
The secret character — Oyajitchi (Bill): raise your Tamagotchi all the way to Maskutchi while never disciplining it (keep discipline at 0%), then give Maskutchi near-perfect care (0 discipline mistakes). Do that and it transforms into the hidden old-man character — the original Tamagotchi Easter egg.
How Care Works
Three buttons run everything: A moves the selection, B confirms, and C cancels. Press A to cycle through the status screens — Age & Weight, Discipline, Hungry hearts, and Happy hearts. Empty hearts mean it needs something.
- Meals vs. snacks: a meal (bread) fills a Hungry heart and adds 1 weight. A snack (candy) fills a Happy heart but adds 2 weight and, if overused, makes your pet sick. The trick to good care: raise happiness with the game, not snacks, to keep weight low.
- The attention call & care mistakes: the icon lights up on its own when it’s hungry, unhappy, or needs the lights off. Respond within about 15 minutes or it counts as a care mistake.
- Discipline: sometimes it calls for attention but refuses food and play — that’s a tantrum. Scold it (the discipline icon) to raise its discipline. Each correct scold helps; ignoring these calls counts against you.
- Sickness: a skull means it’s ill — usually from leftover poop or too many snacks. Give medicine (sometimes twice) to cure it.
- Sleep & poop: turn the lights off when it sleeps, and clean up poop promptly — both prevent care mistakes and illness.
The Mini-Game: Left or Right
Gen 1’s game is a simple guessing game. Your Tamagotchi turns its head left or right; you guess which way by pressing A for left or B for right. Guess correctly in at least 3 of 5 rounds and you win the game: that fills one Happy heart and trims 1 weight. Because it raises happiness without adding weight the way snacks do, the game is your single most important tool for raising a top-tier adult like Mametchi.
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
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Original release | 1996 (Japan) / 1997 (North America) — the “P1” |
| Reissue release | 2017 (Japan, 20th anniversary) / 2018 (global), ongoing |
| Character set | 1st-generation characters — 6 adults + 1 secret |
| Screen | Monochrome LCD |
| Mini-game | Left or Right (direction guessing) |
| Battery | 1 × CR2032 |
| Difficulty | Classic — demanding but simple |
| Price | ~$20–25 |
| Availability | Widely available new in stores |
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.