#nytf19

Bandai America surprised us all at their New York Toy Fair booth by displaying the original Digimon virtual pet. The images of the Digimon virtual pet set the Tamagotchi & Digimon community into a whirlwind. Now we know that we are a Tamagotchi blog, but keep in mind that Bandai does manufacture both devices, and there is definitely a shared interest amongst respective fans.

We’ve got some additional news on the Digimon virtual pet’s return to the United States for the 20th anniversary, and we think you’ll enjoy it.

The 20th anniversary Digimon virtual pet will be identical to the Japanese version that was released back in 2017. The new features are that you can raise more than one Digimon on the 20th anniversary models, and you can share your Digimon you’ve raised with your friends.

The virtual pet will be available in Brown, Gray, Blue, & yellow which are the original colors from the 90’s.

GameStop has reportedly started accepting pre-orders in store. The SKU to preorder is 191562 and is listed for $19.99 USD. 

The pre orders indicate that these devices are scheduled for a fall 2019 release.

image courtesy of Jen Lee Reeves

The New York Toy Fair of 2019 just wrapped up a few days ago, it’s an opportunity for people in the toy industry, along with fans, to see the new products offered by several toy companies. Bandai made a huge splash when introducing the Tamagotchi Friends device (featured in a large Tamagotchi decorated booth) at the NYTF in 2013. To no surprise, Bandai America was present! We have all the exclusive details on what Bandai was showing off at the Jacob Javitz Center in Manhattan.

image courtesy of Big Fun Toys South

We’ll skip right to it, yes, Tamagotchi was featured at the Bandai booth! Bandai was showcasing the Tamagotchi Original and Gudetama Tamagotchi! Both products are readily available at your local Target & GameStop, and a few other retailers and even more being announced for 2019.

image courtesy of Bandai America

Tamagotchi being present at the booth is not the biggest surprise here. The big surprise is there is a Digimon Digital Monster device at the Bandai booth being displayed next to both the Tamagotchi Original & Gudetama Tamagotchi! We did a little spying on the tags featured below the device, we also partnered with Bandai to get a bit more information and our suspicious were correct! Bandai is bringing the Digimon Digital Monster Original back to shelves in 2019 to celebrate the devices 20th anniversary! Now the 20th anniversary was a few years ago, but this is certainly a welcomed device in the United States and possibly other english speaking countries. The 20th anniversary device was released in Japan back in 2017!

Bandai let us know that this device will have merely identical programming as the original you remember from the late 90’s but with a few new things added. The new features have not yet been identified, but you know we’ll keep you posted as we hear more information.

We have exclusive information that the device is slated to launch in the fall of 2019. It’s probably safe to assume at similar retailers where the Tamagotchi Original and Gudetama Tamagotchi are available. This is HUGE news for Digimon fans, as this is the first confirmed source that the Digimon Digital Monster is returning for the 20th anniversary in the United States (and possibly other english speaking countries)! No word on pricing yet, but you know we’ll  be the first to keep you informed!