#kidshoes

Two years ago, u/Rhylem posted a photo of her childhood Tamagotchi shoes in r/Tamagotchi. There was excitement from several people (myself included) when that photo went up. A lot of us took to Google to try and locate these shoes but were left empty-handed. I had never seen Tamagotchi shoes in my life. Two years later and I am still searching for the shoes, however; I’m throwing in the towel and coming to terms with my inability to locate them. They’re just nowhere to be found! One thing I know for sure is that they did in fact exist because the 1997 Tamagotchi: The Egg Came First print ad in Totally Fox Kids Magazine promoted the shoes, T-shirts, even plushies. I am going to outline some of the steps I took in order to locate these Tamagotchi kids shoes and how I tried to find out who were the authorized retailers in the United States at the time when these shoes were in circulation. Maybe one of you can run with the information and find the shoes.

8/22/2021: I messaged Bandai Namco Play on Twitter with a photo of the Tamagotchi shoes and asked them if they had any information on them.

8/24/2021: Bandai Namco Play replies to my Direct Message (DM) stating that they received my text but, not the photo.

10/15/2021: I replied to Bandai Namco Play, apologized for my delay in getting back to them and went ahead and sent them the photo of the Tamagotchi shoes.

8/5/2023: I had not heard anything back from Bandai Namco Play. I was dealing with personal health issues and that made it difficult for me to stay on top of this.

8/7/2023: Bandai Namco Play replied to my DM from 8/5/2023 and suggested that I contact @Tamagotchi_US on Twitter instead. As it turned out, @Tamagotchi_US does not accept DM’s from anybody unless @Tamagotchi_US themselves follow that particular account or, if the Twitter account is verified. I can’t afford to have my Twitter account verified and I had no luck when asking them to please follow me on Twitter for the purpose of me being able to message them with an inquiry. I hit what I can best describe as a dead end in my efforts to locate these mysterious shoes.

I went back to u/Rhylem's post to read through the comments. Two comments caught my attention. One User commented that she remembers having the shoes herself as a child and that she believed they were purchased at Payless Shoesource. The other comment by a different person stated that they clearly remember the shoe box being purple with out-in-Space designs. I began my search again with those details. By the time I was ready to conduct my new search, I had come across a post on Instagram by @RaTAMAzone which included a photo of Tamagotchi Angel shoes. I contacted Ra directly and asked him where and when he purchased the Tamagotchi shoes and asked for permission to post them. He replied shortly after and informed me that the picture and the shoes were not his; that he’d come across them online and wanted to share them with us. He gave me the green light to post and share the picture.

Now I had two separate images of Tamagotchi shoes and I dove right back into my search.

In a Rakuten Japan Blog entry from 6/14/2007 a parent wrote that he/she visited a Foot Park Shoes Store to buy shoes for his/her children. He/She bought his/her daughter the Tamagotchi Plus Kids Shoes but as you can see, they’re a lot different than the shoes being sold in the US. What caught my attention was the mention of UNIQLO being funded by Bandai. I remember seeing a Tamagotchi device with the UNIQLO logo on the packaging so I thought that I was finally on to something. I contacted UNIQLO_US and they informed me that they’ve never collaborated with Bandai. I showed them a photo of a Tamagotchi device with the UNIQLO logo on it and they informed me that they are UNIQLO_US and I should try contacting UNIQLO_JP. I received no response from UNIQLO_JP nor did I ever hear back from Foot Park Shoe Stores after messaging them on Facebook.

8/11/2023: I emailed K-mart directly (yes, there’s apparently just one open right now but not for long) with both pictures of the shoes. Their inbox was full and was not accepting any new messages. I tried their telephone number but the phone rang endlessly with no option to leave a voicemail.

8/11/2023: I emailed Walmart with pictures of the shoes but they stated that they were not an authorized retailer to sell Tamagotchi shoes. They directed me to Tamagotchi_US but as I mentioned earlier, I can’t message Tamagotchi_US on Twitter because my account isn’t verified and Tamagotchi_US doesn’t actually follow my Twitter profile.

8/11/2023: I emailed Target with pictures of the shoes and they mentioned that they can’t guarantee they’ll have any information due to the length of time passed when the shoes were manufactured but they contacted their merchandise team for help. Eventually, Target responded and informed me that the merchandise team doesn’t have any information on the shoes.

8/11/2023: I emailed Payless Shoesource but they never replied to me.

8/13/2023: I emailed Skechers but they confirmed that they do not have a Tamagotchi line.

8/13/2023: I emailed JC Penney. They stated that they don’t have any information on the Tamagotchi and added that they don’t currently use the brand.

I was running out of ideas on who to contact to inquire about these shoes. That’s when I came across RaTAMAzone’s recent YouTube video: Tamagotchi Uni Interview Bandai | ft. Tara Badie; the director of marketing at Bandai. I decided to contact Tara Badie. I emailed her photos of the shoes, I asked if she has any information as to whom the authorized retailers might have been at the time when these shoes were in circulation, asked if she might possibly have some images of what the Tamagotchi shoes look like in mint condition, and included a copy of the print ad from 1997 Tamagotchi: The Egg Came First. Ms. Badie contacted me and mentioned that she has never seen the shoes before, though, looking at the logo it was obvious that the shoes were from many decades ago. She stated that unfortunately there is currently no one left who was around during the time the shoes were in circulation but assured me that the licensing team at Bandai is working on some fun new items. Ms. Badie then redirected me to Tamagotchi_US.

If anybody has any information, I’d appreciate your help. I am seeking the following:

Who were the authorized retailers in the United States that sold the Tamagotchi shoes?

Were the Tamagotchi shoes sold in every State?

For how long were the shoes sold?

What was their retail price?

Does anybody have any photos of the shoes in mint condition?

I love all things Tamagotchi and Giga Pets. That’s why I’ve been looking for all of this info. I like putting together informational pieces for everyone to learn something because I learn along the way as well.

But for now…

Stick a fork in me.

Thank you for reading!

Digital Pet Manor