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Play Virtual Games at Marapets |
History of the Tamagotchi toyTamagotchi is a tiny pet from cyberspace who needs your love to survive and grow. If you take good care of your Tamagotchi pet, it will slowly grow bigger, healthier, and more beautiful every day. Bit if you neglect your little cyber creature, your Tamagotchi may grow up to be mean or ugly. How old will your Tamagotchi be when it returns to its home planet? What kind of virtual caretaker will you be?" Annoying Tamagotchi is the original virtual pet that started the whole concept of digital pets. The Tamagotchis first made their appearance in Japan November 1996, with the rest of the world to follow early 1997. The company behind Tamagotchi is Bandai, a big Japanese Toy company (also makers of Power Rangers). But Bandai did not invent the idea of a virtual pet. A Japanese woman Aki Maita, came up with the idea of a virtual pet and later sold the concept to Bandai Corporation. Aki Maita loved to keep pets, and the idea came about as she was looking for a pet she could bring everywhere. Bandai further worked on the idea and came up with a small pocket game with an LCD panel that was attached to a key chain. Bandai name of this new toy was Tamagotchi. Translated to English Tamagotchi means Egg Friend. The design resembles an egg, and in the egg is a virtual friend. Tamagotchi fast became a world wide hit, with over 40 millions units sold in over 30 countries and with nearly 400 licensed products like T-shirts, hats, stuffed animals, portable phones and more, Aki’s simple idea turned into a very profitable business. It didn’t take long though before Bandai’s competitors also saw the potential in the virtual pet market, so shortly after there was dozens of Tamagotchi look-a-likes (Giga Pets, Nano Pets, Nano Fighters, Dinky Dino) from companies such as Tiger Electronics, Playmates and Nintendo. Bandai worked hard to make sure the Tamagotchi was marketed as the original virtual pet. But the competition in the virtual pet market was fierce, so distinguishing the original from the imitators became difficult. Still now years after the first virtual pet boom, Tamagotchi stand a lot stronger as a brand than its competitors. And today, when people talk about virtual pets Tamagotchi is the first name that comes to mind which will give Bandai the marketing edge over its competitors with the return of Tamagotchi Mars 2004, under the name Tamagotchi Plus. |
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