#kidsonly

Type: Bootleg Tamagotchi/Giga Pet

Company: KidsOnly

Distributor: Toynk Toys

Availability: This bootleg has been available on a number of different e-retail sites, including eBay, Target, Walmart, and Amazon since around 2004.

Info/Summary (photo examples after the break): Digi Pets have been available in some form since at least 2004. The 2004 version had 32 pets you could choose from; they don’t appear to be from the Bunny ROM.

In 2005, the number of available pets was scaled down to 10 options and updated to sprites which may be original. These sprites persist through all the future versions, the newest of which was released in 2010.

Despite this vpet having been out of production since c. 2010, Target, Walmart, and Michael’s have sold it as recently as December 2024. Angry reviews on the Target site indicate they have not aged well (see links after the break).

The gameplay is very simple, and the sounds are very annoying. From a gameplay video of a post-2005 version:

“A very simple pet but really cute animations. You get to choose 1 out of 10 different animals; they do not evolve, and it doesn't include any games on them. I got it in a lot, but wouldn't pay more than $7-$10 for it [NB: it currently retails at ~$25].

Most would consider it fake but I consider it an odd simple pet, because it has it's own original programming and it doesn't reset by itself unlike some other unbranded pets which does...”

This appears to be a different Digi Pet toy than another one of the same name carried by Target during the 2024 holiday season. While that one was a Bunny Rom toy, this bootleg seems to be more similar to a bootleg Giga Pet.

The reality we build for ourselves is based on the sensory knowledge collected through receptors in the body, (e.g. eyes/ears/nose/skin), that is filtered and interpreted by the brain which results in perception. (Kalat, J. W,  2016, p.6).

“art is incomplete without the perceptual ... involvement of the viewer” (Kandel, E, 2016 p. 18).

In an ever-increasingly digital world, it will be interesting to see if touch screen interactions will expand to include other senses, or if the automation of physical labour will focus on knowledge-work, away from bodily experiences (Cox 2018, p. 223-225).

‘Woods of Net’, crocheted hand-dyed nylon, by Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam (2009). Hakone Open Air Museum. Sadly only kids are allowed to play on the work, which was rather disappointing for this visiting artist who has managed to preserve their inner child. Photography: ‘Wonder Space II’, by Masaki Koizum.