Electronic and Virtual Pets

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Avon

Yes, even the direct sales make-up company had a virtual pet, in the form of a watch. It was truly a trend, wasn't it?

There are two versions of this pet: A dinosuar, and a dog. Fuctions are: feeding, which lets you chose between four different foods: rice, candy, drink, and pineapple; lights function; there are two games: left-right game and slots; medicine; cleaning; stats--uses icons for meters; discipline; and an unselectable attention icon. It starts out as a blob, but I'm not sure what the evolutions look like because I've only ever seen it as a baby.

Videos

Bandai

AngelScope (ADDED)

This is a fortune-teller pet that comes with a little angel character in it. You'll get several kinds of different daily fortunes to check, and you must answer the angel's calls when it beeps at you, otherwise it will get sick. Tamasquare has translated instructions for this one here:

Aruke Robocon

This one is a pedometer pet from 1999. Other than that, I haven't been able to find out much about it.

Catcha Beast (ADDED)

These are fighting/collecting toys that still have a small but dedicated fanbase floating around these days. There is a spinning rod on the side of this device that you use to "reel in" monsters when you happen to find them. These seem to be programmed to show up at different times during the day, so you will need to check the screen periodically to see if there are any around. They can also be connected to fight and trade with friends.

Instructions

Reddit community with some old info

Chikawa

Based on a manga series of the same name. It's about cute little animals like hamsters.
Chiikawa

Official page

Digimon

I'm not going to attempt to do a full rundown of everything that the Digimon pets are about, because there's a huge wealth of fansites out that that have already done it better than I ever could. I will probably link to some of the best later on. Note that I won't be collecting pictures of all the shells, because they have so many of them. They all look great, but there are SO MANY different colors it'd take way too much space to show them all off.

Classic Digimon

Digital Monster 20th Version

Released: 2017
These are advertised as the same as the 1997 ones, but apparently there are a number of differences [1]. Firstly, whereas the different digimon were sold in separate editions in the original versions, you can successfully grow all digimon in the updated devices, and they let you raise more than one egg once you've kept the first one for a little while. They've also added AI opponents, so you can battle them if you don't have more than one digimon (which is completely awesome). They have also added flash memory for game storage between battery swapping--always a welcome modernization feature in any device! 

  File:Instructions Digimon EngEspFr.pdf

Digimon X

These devices do not let you raise multiple eggs, but they do have a more complex evolution tree. 

  File:Instructions DigimonX Eng.pdf

  File:Instructions DigimonX Esp.pdf

  File:Instructions DigimonX Fr.pdf

Digimon Color

Digimon Vital Bracelet

This is a color smart watch that encourages you to exercise in order to level up your digimon. There are a TON of expansions for it, and the evolution trees are...pretty complex. Here's a site that goes over how to get everything:
https://humulos.com/digimon/vbdm/

Doraemon (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: Custom (Doraemon
and Doraemi)
Manufacturer Bandai
Pet type Basic
Programming custom


There were two of these, Doraemon, and Doraemitchi. This is a basic pet in which you raise either Doraemon or Doraemitchi, two robots from the future who come back to help their friends. It lets you raise and care for the pet, and the functions seem to be largely the same regardless of which model you're using. The main difference is the theming--the girl reacts differently to mice, and has different favorite foods and icons. Unique to this pet, and inspired by the anime, is a "fourth dimensional pocket" from which you can grab and use items to help you with various random events throughout the day. The second page of the guide linked below has a general overview of what they do, but mentions that a few hold secrets that you will find if you play with them. Overall, this one seems pretty cute and has a few differences that help it stand out from other Bandai pets.

Tamasquare has a short guide to this one which I have archived here, because the site is only available via the Wayback Machine:

  Gallery

Doraemon Pochi-cacha (ADDED)

Screen Color
Shells: Custom
Manufacturer Bandai
Pet type Collecting
Programming custom

This is a newer Doraemon pet, also by Bandai. There's no corresponding Dorami pet, and this one is in color. The face is designed something like a toddler toy, and in lieu of buttons, has large colorful mechanisms that are used to control the pet: A large yellow dial on the left, a red bubble button on the top, a red wheel on the right, a touch-sensitive slider on the bottom left, and a large orange button on the bottom right. This one is less centered on care and more on collectibles, though there are a a few things you will need to do to take care of Doraemon. Overall, it seems like a pretty easy and non-demanding pet, and I really like the unique control scheme it has, but unfortunately it is only available in Japanese.

Chat with Doraemon and pet him using the slider to increase friendship.

Menu functions

  1. Chat: Chat with Doraemon to make him happy and increase your friendship meter. When chatting, he will sometimes give hints about how to get secret items and etc.
  2. Pet: Pet Doraemon to cheer him up and increase your friendship meter
  3. Clean the room when there are dust motes on the screen
  4. Play with gadgets: these are unlocked over time when playing games, and each has a different effect
  5. Outings: use Doraemon's door to go outside
  6. Games: only 3 are available in the beginning, but you will unlock more as you play. There are 10 total
  7. Gachapon: You can do this once per day. Spin the wheel to get a capsule and unlock new food and gadgets.
  8. Gadgets: There are 10 slots for you to put gadgets.
  9. Secret tools encyclopedia: There are 100 to collect total, and they will be listed here as you get them
  10. Doraemon status: This shows his friendship level and the number of coins you have. There are 7 friendship levels total
  11. Settings: Time/date, brightness, sound, passwords (can unlock extra things by getting them from the official website listed in the instructions), and a few other other functions

Games

  • Outing game: you'll get a random character, and you avoid bees and collect balloons while flying across the screen. Use the dial to move up and down. You'll win coins after each game, and playing games helps the friendship meter to fill up faster. Some of the characters you get play differently: one of the boys has two lives instead of four like the others.
  • Left-right game only you're playing matador with dinosaurs. You'll use the slider for this one.
  • Asteroids: Use the dial to move up and down, the red wheel for left/right, and press the red button on top to shoot. I'm impressed with this one. A+ for including a classic.
  • Match seasons of pictures shown on the left by choosing the right button on the panel to the right. You can use the yellow dial to navigate. This one is weirdly simply compared to the others.
  • Rhythm game/guitar hero: Press the correct buttons as their icons cross the bar in time to play the song correctly.
  • Spin the red wheel to catch the bamboo horse. Once Doraemon has hold of it, press the orange button repeatedly so he doesn't fall off. This one is a little hectic.
  • Fishing: choose a spot and press the orange button to throw the bait. When you get a bite, turn the yellow dial to reel it in. Make sure not to let the meter go into the red! If you catch the fish, you'll win the game
  • Memorizing game: Memorize the characters who appear, and chose their cards on the next screen. Order is apparently not important.
  • Multiplying food: swipe left and right as fast as you can to multiply the food. This one's animations are pretty funny!
  • Falling bean paste pancake game: Use the red wheel to move across the screen, and the dial to open Doraemon's mouth. There are also obstacles that will show up on the screen and you can use the other buttons to get rid of them.

Notes

Sometimes after finishing a game, Doraemon will give you a secret tool from his pocket! Use the slider to slide left and right until he shows it to you.

Each game has a series of icons across the top that show how many gadgets you can unlock by playing them. This way, you can check your progress by scrolling through the games menu.

Once you've collected everything, a secret door will appear!

Friendship levels don't drop--once you've earned them, they're there for good.

Some of the gadgets you collect can me used in the games you play (specifically the Outing challenge game)

Once you've earned a number of coins, you can use them to exchange items.

Music notes on screen mean he's happy, sparkles maen you've cleaned, hearts mean he's leveled up.

Sometimes a rat will appear and scare Doraemon. You can get rid of it by using the broom.

Doraemon will feel depressed if you ignore him for too long. You can cheer him up by petting him, chatting with him, or playing games. 

  Gallery

Videos

Dr. Slump (ADDED)

This is an anime tie-in toy. It has a daily fortune teller function and a compatibility function that is meant to be used with friends (but they are not required to have their own device). There is also a gatcha machine that grants you items that can do different things. Throughout the day, events can happen that will make your pet unhappy if you don't react correctly to them in time.

GeGeGe no Kitaro Eyeball Pet (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: White
Manufacturer Bandai
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

Yes, it's an eyeball, which is awesome. It's apparently from an anime and represents a Yokai, which makes a little more sense, not that you'd need it to make sense in order to take care of an eyeball. It does a lot less than most virtual pets, and doesn't seem to have any buttons on it. Instead, you interact with the pet by tapping on the case.

User DecepticonCrown ran one of these on the TamaTalk forums, and has posted a play log here: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/gegege-no-kitaro-v-pet-log-comments-ok.201023/

Japanese Instructions English Instructions

Healing Rudo Pretty Cure Labyrin's Healing Room Bag

Also from Pretty Cure (see below). This one seems to be a vpet lite. See amazon.jp link: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0834CTBCC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_KFSJE79EDQ4JKHXGE4M8

Heart Cure Watch (ADDED)

Screen Color
Shells: Pink
Manufacturer Bandai
Pet type Collecting
Programming custom

Amazon JP link

Based on the cooking anime "Delicious Party Pretty Cure", this one comes in a watch format and is made by Bandai. It is centered around raising a young cat girl and leveling her up by collecting different "recipepies," which are little food fairies that represent different dishes. There are additional figures of these fairies that can be bought separately and have QR codes on the bottom that will unlock more food. You can find these on fanpages across the web if you don't want to buy them. The pet has three meters: Evolution, happiness, and hunger. There's only one game, but there are a number of shops and locations you can visit to buy ingredients and prepared food, and there's also a babysitter character that you can use if you need to take a break.

Official product page (translated) 

  Gallery

Videos

There are a couple of videos on Youtube that go over the screens and functions for this pet below:

Himitsu No Cocotama Band (ADDED)

Screen Color
Shells: Pink, blue, purple, mint
Manufacturer Bandai
Pet type Pedometer
Programming custom

This one is a pedometer pet. Based on an anime about a girl who loves her favorite pencil so much that it gives birth to a "cocotama". I don't get it either, but the creatures look like the hamsters from HamHamtaro (now there would be a great idea for a virtual pet! Why haven't they done that?) The case comes with a clip that you can put on your belt or whatever.

It's only in Japanese, unfortunately, and does feature a lot of text. You'll get to chose which pet you'd like to raise when you start it up (Luckytama or Melory), and then afterwards you can name them. There's a menu with nine icons. Here are their functions from top left to bottom right:

  2. House - has different rooms for you to visit. These will unlock as you go along
  3. Steps
  4. Games - Six total, but only one will be unlocked by default. This is the Piano game, which acts like Simon Says.
  9. Settings

Top left button shows date/time. On the main screen, the pet's level shows in a heart in upper left-hand corner, while the number on the right is the number of steps you've taken. 

  File:Instructions HimitsuNoCocotama.pdf

Guide on Gotchi-garden
Official Product page (translated) 

  Gallery

Videos

Magical Witches

Screen Monochrome
Shells: Green, orange, pink, blue
Manufacturer Bandai
Pet type Basic
Programming custom


Probably the rarest of pets, these weren't released in the US and there just aren't many of them around. When they do show up, they tend to go for very, very high prices. There are four of these pets in total; a green one for Air, orange for Earth, pink for Fire, and blue for Water. Each holds a witch that represents that particular elements and has some limits on what it can do. Care is very much like the Tamagotchis, with feeding and cleaning and many of the stats screens looking the same. There are no games that I can tell--instead, there are a number of functions that let you create magical spells and curses based on different ingredients you can find. 

  File:Instructions MagicalWitches.pdf

Menu Functions

  1. Stats - This shows the pet's hunger and happiness, as well as its magic level and "MP" or Magical Points (I'm guessing)
  2. Feed - There are three choices: meal, snack, and medicine
  3. Cauldron - Can combine the items in your inventory to make curses and cures
  4. Inventory
  5. Clean - When you clean the screen of their poop, it goes into their inventory to be used as an ingredient
  6. Lights
  7. Travel - The witch will beep when they want to go "witching." They'll leave and come back 10-15 min later with an item that is then added to Inventory
  8. Attention - Unselectable

Links

Videos

Mermaid Aqua Pot

I believe this one is also from Pretty Cure, but I'm not sure.

Official product page (translated)

Micalun and Devitan (ADDED)

Screen Monocrome
Shells: white, black, translucent blue, translucent pink
Manufacturer Bandai
Release Year 1998
Pet type Fortune Teller
Programming custom

"Angel and Devil." I can't tell if this is tied to an anime or anything, it just popped up on eBay and I thought it was interesting. This pet is designed to give you a personalized fortune each day. Both Devitan and Micalun reside in the same toy, and Micalun will deliver good fortunes, while Devitan will deliver bad ones. You'll begin the game by inputting a variety of info about yourself such as age, weight, blood type, etc., and presumably this info is used to generate your fortunes.

Occasionally the characters will fight each other and accrue "bandages" at the end of the fight. Collecting three of these will result in one of the characters leaving, but you can apparently clear them by using the slot machine function, which is part of the fortune menu.

Here's a rundown of this toy from Hue's Tank on Neocities:
https://digilotl.neocities.org/micadevi 

  Gallery

Videos

Mirai Scope

Fortune telling pet

https://www.engadget.com/2008-02-22-bandais-mirai-scope-gets-ms-cleo-in-your-pocket.html
https://technabob.com/blog/2008/02/22/bandai-mirai-scope-the-digital-fortune-teller/
https://fuzzy-n-chic.com/pages/tamagotchi-guides-charts-translations-more - Scroll down and there's a section specific section for this toy and the Human Player
https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/mirai-scope-50questions.194999/ - TamaTalk thread

Pretty Cure Mirror Pad

Ok, I'm not really sure that this one's a pet. More research needed.

File:Bandai Official Site Aim! Longing Me Pretty Cure Mirror Pad! All Star Product Information.pdf

Punitapi-chan Boba by Bandai (ADDED)

Screen Color, back-lit
Shells: Peach, Blue
Manufacturer Bandai
Release Year 2020
Pet type Collector
Programming custom

Although very cute and popular within the virtual pets community, this one isn't really a traditional virtual pet. Gameplay is centered around collecting different cute little bobas, which you can then make into drinks to sell in your boba stand. It has a very unique color screen, which is slightly translucent. This lets you see behind it to the straw that sticks out of the top, and acts as another control method for the pet. It's a really neat effect!

Functions

  • Search for more bobas - This takes you to a screen with some selections: you can chose the type of liquid you would like (you will start with one, but others will be unlocked as you play), the ice level you'd like, and your sweetness level. Once you're done, press the middle button, and you'll be taken to a screen with many bobas swirling around. Move the straw to stir them into a frenzy, and one of them will be selected and stand out. You must press the straw down when it floats within the circle on the screen to start catching it. When the screen zooms in on the selected boba, push down on the straw to suck it up. But not too hard! Let go before the meter goes into the red, and move the straw to shake off the other bobas. Repeat until you're successful. Once the boba has been caught, you'll be taken to a screen that will tell you whether it's new or not.
  • Customize your bobas - This lets you change the liquid and bobas on your home screen. There is a maximum of 20 that can show up, but you can switch them out at any time. If you don't check on them for a while, they'll shrivel up and look sad, so give them a shake with the straw to make them happy.
  • Games - There are a total of six games, and only two of them are unlocked when you start. Here are the ones I've seen:
  * Catch game; catch the good bobas, avoid the bad ones as they fall (available at start)
  * Use the straw to add straws to drinks as they go down the conveyor belt (available at start)
  * Simon says with 3 directions
  * Sweep the store and earn coins
  * Matching card game
  * Unknown - I have not yet been able to find out anything about the last game

Each game can net you a total of 200 coins, which you can then spend in the store for ingredients.

  • Shopping - The store lets you buy ingredients for your drinks
  • Blender - the blender lets you make drinks. Chose the boba you'd like to make it with, and if there are any required ingredients for its drink, it will tell you here. Add the needed ingredients, and press the middle button. Then you'll need to move the straw back and forth to stir it up. When the drink has been made, you'll be told whether or not it's a new drink, and if so it will be added to your shop.
  • Book - This is a log of everything you've unlocked so far
  • Settings - self explanatory

A few more notes

Getting new ones seems to be random, so rather than using a guide you'll just have to keep trying

The bobas are all rated between 1-3 stars, which indicates how common they are. 1 is the most common, and 3 are the most rare.

You can upgrade your store as you go along and earn more coins, starting with a small stand, and going all the way up to a huge building.

There are 5 "stages" of drinks that start with easy (only require 1 ingredient), all the way up to hard (requiring several). Drinks that you have made will go up for sale at your stand, though I don't think there's a selling/simulation mechanic here. In order to progress to the next stage, you will need to make all the required drinks for each stage.

Official product page (translated) 

  Gallery

Videos

Tamagotchi

I'm not aiming to put a whole lot of info about Tamas here because there are so many sites that have already done a wonderful job of just that (some of them are in the links section at the bottom of this page). But I do have a few things here and there that pertain to Tamagotchis, and those will go here.

Also, there's an old PC game that acts a lot like the original handheld, plus some other functions. I'd like to review this one on my blog at some point:
Download at Archive.org
Mobygames Link 

  File:Instructions Tamagotchi Win95.pdf

Instructions

Instructions that came from my reboot Tama: 

  File:Instructions Tamagotchi Gen1Reboot.pdf

Instructions for the original gen1 Tamagotchi that I pulled from archive.org:

  File:Bandai-tamagotchi-p1-1996.pdf

Tamagotchi Nano PacMan Instructions: 

  File:Instructions TamagotchiPacMan.pdf

UFO Wave (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: white, blue, pink, silver, Men In Black
Manufacturer Bandai
Release Year 1997
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

This particular pet is designed to pick up radio waves in the air and translate them into characters or messages on the device (though they probably don't have anything to do with the original messages being sent; I assume it's just a complicated random number generator). However, because they were designed for the Japanese market and their devices--and because it came out in the 1990s--it apparently only reacts to microwaves in the United States. Nonetheless the extremely dedicated hobbyists over at Tama Talk have rescued a bunch of instruction manuals and info about this pet and you can find it here:

https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/wave-ufo-instructions-plus-tips.196308/ 

  Gallery

Videos

Vial of Aruderu (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: Pearl
Manufacturer Bandai
Release Year 1998
Pet type Collector
Programming custom

Based on an object from the anime Fushigi Mahou Fan Fan Pharmacy. This pet lets you collect different types of spirits from the anime and have them practice magic, which is a variation of the left-right game. The spirit collecting uses a slot game, which you play in order to get different seeds. You can then combine them in different ways to get different types of spirit characters. In addition to this, you can also use the pet to tell your fortune in the areas of dating, help, money, fashion, and friends, or have it dance by pressing different combinations of buttons. After the spirit leaves, you get a grade based on how well you treated it.


Links

Cepia LLC (ADDED)

This is a virtual pet based off of Cepia's Zhu ZHu Hamster toyline. I grew up seeing the toys everywhere, but I didn't know they had a virtual pet too.

Cool Tech (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: white
Manufacturer Cool Tech
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

VirtualPet.com has a guide for this one here: Puppy Micropet. I have also seen this branded as "MicroPet" from Bluetech, and the instructions seem to reference that branding regardless of which version you get, so I'm assuming it was the original.

While the screens on it look similar to Nanos, the ROM has its own unique programming. There is a points system included that you're meant to maximize in order to get a "good" ending. Here's an excerpt from the instructions going over how the scoring works:

Scoring
You can get up to 60 points per day for each of the
Happiness, Health, Hunger, Sleep, and Over/Under Weight
values, if you keep them at the ideal values at the end of
the day. You also get 1,000 points for paper training
your pet, and 200 points for each of the 4 tricks you
teach it. You can also get points by beating your pet at
playing the Ball game, but sometimes you should let your
pet win, because it makes it happy.

Running Away
If you don't take care of your pet's Health, Happiness
Feeding and Watering, or if you are a bad ownder, your pet
can run away. If it runs away 3 times for the same
reason (i.e. no water), it may run away for good!

There's only one game, and it's a custom one, called the Ball game. You control a hand with a ball on the left side of the screen, and you can move it up and down to where the dog is standing on the right. You can throw the ball wherever you like, and the dog will try and catch it. It also displays a count of how many times he's caught it in the upper right hand corner, which keeps track of your score. I like the idea behind this game because, while it's less intuitive than the left-right game, it's a lot more like playing with a real dog.

The instructions pamphlet nicely includes screenshots of each of the dog's reaction screens so that you don't have to do any guessing about how it feels.

The pet ages up for the first time on day 3, and then after that every two days. The pet will die of old age on day 23. At that point, you'll be able to see if you got a bad or good ending, depending on your score. This is of course assuming he hasn't run away before then.

The meters are fairly unique. They run vertically and increase one pixel at a time, for a total of 7. This way they've been able to display 3 per screen, with the icons at the top above each meter.

Note that there's no indication of sickness with this pet, such as a skull icon or anything. The attention icon will light up, but other than that there's no visual cue. Also, Tama Pichu on Youtube (see videos section below) notes that you must always let the various animations complete, otherwise they won't be counted towards the pet's meters.

Honestly while I'm reticent on the pet sprites in this one, I really like all the menus and icons. They're all really unique! Ok nevermind I take that back. IT HAS DREAMING SPRITES. SO CUTE.

Instructions on puppy selection:
...puppy's face by pressing the CANCEL button. To choose
one of the puppies, select its face, then press the DO
button to see its Personality screen. From there, press
the DO button. You have now selected your puppy!

Puppy 1: Male, strong willed and angry, very smart, bad temperament, health OK
Puppy 2: Male, not too smart, very happy, health not so good.
Puppy 3: Female, sickly, very smart, happy, poor health
Puppy 4: Female, dumb, very happy, health OK

NAME YOUR PUPPY
Once you have chosen your own Micro Pet Puppy, you
need to name it. Select each letter by going through the...

PAPER TRAINING
As you observe your pet at
home in Wander Mode, you
will notice that within 30
minutes after eathing, it
starts acting like it needs
to "do its business". Before
your pet "needs to go", it
will wander back and forth
and then squat on the right
side of the screen. When it
really needs to go, it will walk more near the centre of
the screen and squat. Now Hurry! Press the DO button
before it is too late! If you do this successfully, you will
see the puppy get picked up and placed over the "papers"
in the lower right hand side of the screen, where the
puppy will then "do its business". If you successfully
catch your pet seven times out of any 8 in a row, your pet
will be paper trained! Smarter pets learn this quicker.
(Puppy 1 and 2, must be cause 3 times out of 8, Puppy
2 and 4, must be caught 5 times out of eight.)
From then on, it will only "do its business" on the papers,
AND it than can be taken outside for walks. If you don't
catch your pet in time, it will "do its business" off the
papers, and can never go for walks. 

  Gallery

Videos

Dinkie Dino/Raku Raku Dino Kun (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: Red, blue, white, yellow,
green, green translucent
Manufacturer Unknown
Pet type Basic
Programming Dinkie Dino

In the US, these seem to have been distributed by a company called Innotronics, but I cannot find out who distributed them in Japan. Until I do, they'll stay in their own section.

Here's a wonderful guide for how to run them: Gotchi-garden.blogspot.com
And here's a log from TamaTalk where someone has documented their playthrough: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/2021-dinkiedino-log-ready-to-try-again.199500/

Alternate packaging? Not sure. These may be the genuine ones.

Anyways, Virtual Pets has a guide for these here: VirtualPet.com
Tamenagerie also has some here: http://www.tamenagerie.com/ddinoinst.html

3-in-1

4-in-1

Pets included: dog, dino, alien, penguin

8-in-1

Pets included: Bear, penguin, dog, elephant, alien, dino, deer, shark

49-in-1

According to the back of the box, here are all the pets it includes:

giraffe elephant sea lion hippo (?) monkey chicken fox (FOOOOOX!)
donkey raccon panther pig flitter mouse cat dog
goldfish panda robot horse owl field-mouse bird
goat cuttlefish crab simian worm penguin sandfish
white mouse octopus butterfly sea dog baboon bee frog
dinosaur mule fish hamster squirrel bear hare

69-in-1

Riku Riku Chan

Tamenagerie has a guide for this here: http://www.tamenagerie.com/rikouinstr.html

Yuki Penguin

Screen Monochrome
Shells: red, white, yellow, blue
Manufacturer Unknown
Pet type Basic
Programming Dinkie

Guide here: VirtualPet.com
Tamenagerie guide here: http://www.tamenagerie.com/instyuki.html

Dragon Quest Slimes (ADDED)

These are a pedometer pet that come with a map that the slime will travel through as you walk. How cool is that? They also feature a good number of the usual functions you'd find in a vpet. Tinkerville has a good review of how they work here:
https://tinkerville.cutthatout.com/pedometer/dragonquest

Here's another small website that goes over how to play with them:
https://arukundesuguides.weebly.com/

Arukundesu

Screen Monochrome
Shells: blue, orange, clear, blue/silver, translucent green, translucent purple, translucent yellow/black, white/blue, translucent blue, translucent teal, translucent black, silver/black
Manufacturer Enix
Release year 1998
Pet type Pedometer
Programming custom

In addition to the classic pet care functions, you will help the pet traverse a map that features seven different terrains by walking with it and letting it log your steps. There are grid-based maps included with the instructions, and you can chose which direction you will walk on this grid using one of the menu functions. As you walk, the pet traverses this map and you can reference where you've gone by looking at the coordinates it's located at. Some of these locations will have secret items and locations, like caves, as seen in this reddit post, but I can't tell whether or not they're randomized or set.

Functions

  1. Map
  2. Steps
  3. Stats
  4. Food - specialty food (increases familiarity), meal (decreases hunger)
  5. Game
  6. Medicine
  7. Wake up
  8. Current evolution

There are different items you can use throughout the game to give your pet a hand up in battles or dealing with different terrain. This is needed because different slimes will take a different number of steps to cross different terrains depending on how well equipped to handle them. Some slimes cannot cross water without warp items, for instance. See the charts here for a reference of which slimes can do what: https://arukundesuguides.weebly.com/map-movement-and-secrets.html

Here's a guidebook that goes over strategies in depth and talks about how the pet works. Unfortunately it's only in Japanese, but I will try to translate and upload an alternate version soon. 

  File:ArukundesuGuidebook.pdf

Thanks to the weebly site I've linked above for the instruction book scans. Again, these are only in Japanese so I will try to translate and upload alternates soon.

Arukundesu 2

Arukundesu Returns

Epoch

Hamtaro LCD game

This one is exceedingly rare, and I've never seen anyone play it. I have found one or two listings for it online, at obscene prices, and a few threads around the internet asking for more info.

Some discussions where people have asked about them:

Gamzes

Anipalz (ADDED)

Screen Monochrome
Shells: white, with different icons for each animal
Manufacturer Gamez
Release year ???
Pet type basic
Programming custom

I have seen a dog, cat, frog, and a penguin in this line so far. They're fairly rare and go for a lot, but they seem to have very nice animations and are pretty fun. They are controlled by a touchpad on the front that acts similar to the classic iPod controls, with four directions in the shape of a d-pad.

Tamapetchi has a lot of info about this one: 

  Gallery

Power Palz (ADDED)

These were also known as "Ani-bip" in some places, there are several iterations of these, so you'll often see "Ani-bip 2," "Ani-bip 3," and "Ani-bip 4." There are a number of different animals, all in separate toys, and in order to marry and have a baby, they needed to connect with another anipal. The one you mate with doesn't need to be the same species either: you can create hybrids that will have mommy's head and daddy's body, or vice versa. While the hybrids are a nice novelty, I think needing another pet frustrated some when they first came out--just know you should pick up two or more if you're getting into them today. The animations are said to be pretty simple and not super engaging.

These were sold in several countries, but there is almost no text in the ROM and they are not region-locked. A French Anip-bip can connect to an American PowerPalz without issues. It seems the language differences are only present on the cases.

There is also a "Mega store" version, which allows you to connect and buy different items. I'm not sure if the store has a pet on it itself, but it can connect to other Power Palz and they will immediately use the items you choose to buy. Each of these items changes their stats in some way, and there are a ton of them. The instructions sheets have several pages of tables that go over these and what they affect, and there are even a few mystery items as well. You should note thought that since the pets don't have any inventory functionality, they will be used immediately when you buy them, so make sure you want to use it before you press the button.

Overall these seem kind of neat and have some unique features, but you absolutely need several before you're really going to be able to have fun with them. Because of this, I wouldn't pay much for them unless you're an absolute completionist looking for that last one in your collection.

Videos

Goji Rapper (ADDED)

This is a dinosaur pet that runs on Gyaoppi-like programming, but it's difficult to find much info on it online. Here's a review from someone who's run one: https://robofinch.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/goji-rapper/

Virtual Bailey on tumblr has also run this one and determined that it's the same as the "Micro pet dino." They have instructions here:
https://virtual-bailey.tumblr.com/tagged/goji%20rapper

Gyaoppi (ADDED)

I don't know anything about who manufactured these, so I don't have a company name to put them under. That said, they're known to be very good vpets and there are several different versions. I currently have the 9-in-1 Super Gyaoppi, though I haven't gotten to work yet.

Chuppi Bird

Gyaoppi II

Gyaoppi 4-in-1

Super Gyaoppi 9-in-1

Screen Monochrome
Shells: silver-blue
Manufacturer Unknown
Pet type Multipet
Programming Gyaoppi

I own one of these and have been trying to get it to work for a while, but it keeps losing power somehow. 

  File:Instructions Gyaoppi EngFre.pdf

Gyaoppi Dino

Gyaoppi Duck

Screen Monochrome
Shells: yellow
Manufacturer Unknown
Pet type basic
Programming Gyaoppi

Below is a licensed version, or something. It could just be a knock-off, but I can't read Japanese.

Happinet Toys (ADDED)

A toy company based in Japan, they don't seem to sell many of their products in the US. You can find them on amazon.co.jp.
https://www.happinet.co.jp/
https://www.happinettoys.com/

Fluffy Poop (ADDED)

This is a Chinese vpet that I found on Aliexpress. I can find NO INFORMATION about it anywhere, and I WANT IT BAD.
Poop Pet

I'VE FINALLY GOT IT! It's called a Fluffy Poop and it's so cute! There's an official website for it here: https://fuwacchouncho.com/
The website has a listing of most of the characters, a short animated show, and a manga as well. They've gone all out for this product and I think it's hilarious.

Overview

The Fluffy Poop pet is a collectible pet with a few minimal care options, and overall has less functionality than several of the more main-line pets on the market. From what I've been able to find, Happinet Toys hasn't ever made any virtual pets before, so this is somewhat understandable. The pet is in full color and has two buttons and a flush lever on the front. It also has a microphone that is used to interact with the pet and play one of the games.

When getting a new poop, the toy will ask whether you want a girl or boy poop by presenting you with a choice between a blue door and a pink door. You can use the lever to chose which one you want, and then press the right button to confirm. You'll then get to name the pet--note that it does default to Japanese characters, but you can scroll through to the left for the Roman Alphabet. After you've named the pet, you'll be taken to a screen with a toilet on it, and you'll give birth to your new poop baby by flushing the lever several times. After that, your new little poop will live and interact with you on the main screen.

There are at least three different growth stages (I haven't yet gotten past adult): child, teen, and adult, and the different poops you will get are care-based. So if you want to collect them all, you will need to vary the way you care for them.

Menu Options


On an empty screen, you can press the right button to bring up menu options. From left to right, here is what you can choose:

  • Stats
    • Pet Stats: Your pet has two stats; happiness, represented by poop icons, and hunger, represented by toilet paper rolls. This screen will also tell you how many gold coins you have, and what you've named your current pet.
    • Settings: Sound, Screen brightness, time/date, pet name, your name (this is never referenced, so I'm not sure why this is here unless you have multiple in the house or something), reset
  • Care options
    • Feed: Your poop eats toilet paper, and there will always be an infinite number of basic white rolls available. You can also buy special ones at the store, or be given them by the Shrine God. I'm not yet sure if these have any effect on your pet's growth.
    • Clean: If your pet spends too much time on a dirty screen, they will need to be cleaned in the toilet. You can tell they need this option when they have a black cloud stuck to their body.
  • Games
    • Sorting game: In this game, you must sort different colored poops into boxes using the flush level, avoiding the evil poops. Getting most of the poops correct will win you 100 gold, while a perfect score gets you 200.
    • Yelling game: This game uses the microphone. The instructions say to call your pet's name quickly, but really the mic picks up anything you say to it, and will register that as an interaction (I like to sing to mine). Make enough noise to populate the screen with poop friends and you'll earn gold.
    • Left/right/up/down game: This one is really weird. It's a variation on the left/right game, but instead of choosing between two directions, you're choosing between left, up, down, and right (using the flush lever), which means you've got only a 25% chance of getting it right. There's no penalty for losing, of course, but given the odds are so low I don't know why I'd chose this one over one of the other games where I'm pretty much guaranteed to win. This one was a poor attempt to improve on the original, I think, whose main selling point was that you have a 50% chance of getting the guess right.
    • Jumping game: As your poop walks across the screen, you'll need to jump over the obstacles (more poops) to get past. The left button does a long twirling jump, while the right button does a short one. If you run into more than three obstacles you lose.
    • Math game: Pretty simple, this one gives you a graphical representation of an adding or subtraction problem, and you enter the answer. Use the flush lever to increase or decrease your answer.
  • Records
    • Collected poops: Shows a log of all the poops you've unlocked. There are quite a few of them!
    • Collected room elements: You can collect backgrounds, ceiling elements, an element in the left side of the screen, and one on the right. These can be bought from the shop, but they're not all available to purchase at first. They will unlock as you play more.
  • Go out
    • Shopping: You can buy food, in the form of different toilet paper rolls, and room elements (see above).
    • Shrine: Once a day you can visit the shrine for free, and if you'd like to make more visits, they will cost 200 pieces of gold. When you go to the shrine, the shrine god will give you something, either food, a piece of furniture, or maybe even another poop character!

Notes

I should make a note about the happiness meter: there's no way to directly influence this one without spending coins, since playing games just gives you coins rather than making your pet happy. Instead, you must wait for your pet to ask you to talk to it using the microphone on the front. Once you've spoken enough to fill the meter that shows up on the right, you'll gain a happiness point. Since there's no way to directly trigger this, you're stuck waiting around until your pet calls if you want to make it happy, though I've found it's more likely to do this if you pop in and out of the menus a little bit. However, the different types of toilet paper can give you different numbers of happiness points, with the cheapest only granting one, and the most expensive granting the most. It does seem to me that the happiness points granted by food don't last as long as the ones gained from talking to them, but then again the meters go down fairly quickly either way. If you're trying to unlock anything but the bad care poops, you'll be interacting a lot anyway, so I've found I just keep a variety of toilet paper on hand and feed them various ones throughout the day.

Here are the different types of toilet paper you can feed the pet along with any notes I've made about what they may do:

Scented Paper Journal Paper
Gives one happiness point		 Black Paper
Rainbow Paper
Gives one happiness point		 Tokyo Paper
Adds two happiness points		 Stylish Paper

There are a few different events that can happen on the main screen while the pet is running. Occasionally Demon Poop will show up to harrass your pet, and you must yell into the microphone to scare it away (again, I usually sing to mine). I think this gives you a happiness point as well. Also, if you leave poop on the screen for too long, it will turn into a GIANT POOP, which you must flush the level several times to make it go away. I know this is like a penalty for not cleaning the screen enough, but it just makes me think of being constipated.

I will say it's a rather needy pet. It poops a lot, which I guess is...well, I don't know what I expected. For the limited ways in which you can interact with the pet, it does need attention quite a lot.

One thing that's funny to note is that I keep it on my desk with me at work, as I do with all my pets. Sometimes I'm in meetings and can't respond when the pet asks me to talk to it. I've tried using other ways (clicking, typing, putting it next to speakers, etc), but my voice seems to be the only thing it likes. After it waits for a little while and I try in vain to secretly talk to it while not being distracting on my conference calls, the pet GETS MAD and TURNS ITS BACK ON ME. It's heartbreaking, lol.

Instructions

  English instructions
   

  Japanese Instructions

Hasbro

Hasbro Littlest Pet Shop (ADDED)

These are cute and easy to find, but I still haven't picked one up yet. I've heard good things from a few people who have them. There seem to be three different form factors based on what I've seen: a small square shape, a longer wand-type pet, and a pen. Also, I have put this under Hasbro because they own the Littlest Pet Shop franchise, and their website is the one that lists the toys, but the packaging lists Tiger as the manufacturer...so I'm not really sure where I should leave it? 

  File:Instructions LittlestPetShop.pdf
  File:Instructions LPS Butterfly.pdf
  File:Littlest Pet Shop Digital Pets bunny.pdf

There are several of the larger square-type ones, each featuring a different animal. Here are the ones I've found so far:

  • Dog
  • Cat
  • Puppy
  • Kitten
  • Bulldog
  • Dalmatian
  • Horse
  • Pony
  • Turtle
  • Bird
  • Iguana
  • Mouse
  • Hamster
  • Pig
  • Monkey
  • Chipmonk (deluxe version)
  • Panda (deluxe version)
  • Butterfly (deluxe version)

Many of them have dangling plastic pieces that are meant to be inserted into holes in the side of the toy. There is a button in each of these that allows you to feed and groom them.

The pens seem to have different gameplay centered around collecting friends.

K-1 Grand Prix Fighters

These look incredibly similar to the Nano Fighters that I have, but I'm not sure if they're outright clones. Also, although Hasbro is an international company I don't believe these were ever released in the U.S since I have never seen English versions of the packaging.

Zudes (ADDED)

These remind me of the Cube World toys, or Mattel's Woogies--it's a brother to a sister line (Littlest Pet Shop), it's focused on gross behavior, and has very limited functionality compared to the girls' version. They are able to physically connect with each other via the contacts on the sides of the toys, and they will perform special actions with each other. 

  File:ZudesInstructions.pdf

Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty

This has a different box, so I'm not sure if it's a different toy or just a re-release. I do know at least one of them is a pedometer pet.

Keroppi (ADDED)

Colors: green, translucent green, pink, blue

I've heard that the gameplay on this one is different and not everyone likes it. There's an old site called TamaSquare that isn't around anymore, but it had instructions that I've archived using the Wayback Machine: 

  File:TamaSquare-Keroppi Kero-Pet Translated.pdf

Hitorikko (ADDED)

Hitorikkos are vpets that are known to be very good, and came in dog, dino, chicken, and fish flavors. They also had a 3-in-1 version. Not only that, but they're usually still readily available secondhand for prices that aren't too bad.

Hudson Soft

Pooh Walker

Terrible name, but I'm assuming that this works similarly to the Teku Teku Angel. I haven't yet found anyone who's run one.

Teku Teku Angel (ADDED)

Another pedometer pet. This one was made by the same folks who were responsible for the Bomberman series, which is a fun little factoid. There seem to be three different versions of these, and the third and final one came with an accompanying DS game, which could apparently connect with the pet device. There's very little info about this online, though, so I've had to glean info from various old blogs and forum posts. Here's where I found some info here and there:

Inspiration Works

Faries Friends

These were released in 2008 and are probably meant to be more of a game than a pet, but I'm including them here for the sake of completeness. Here is the description from the now-defunct Australian Amazon page:

  • A unique magic ball
  • Connect with other fairy friends ears using the additional points
  • Fairy booklet attached
  • Perfect for girls from 4 years and up

Touch the magic ball and watch the Fairy Queen magically appear. You can then learn how to prepare potions, use spells and even how to fly. In adventure mode, earn points to defeat evil creatures and obstacles to eventually become a Fairy Queen yourself! You can even connect your fairy unit to one of your friends' to earn extra points. Use the fairy booklet to learn more about potions and spells. 2 x GR13 batteries included. Ages 4+

I have checked the Wayback Machine for the site listed in the images below, by the way, and it was flash-only, so unfortunately I can't get any of it to run.

Kids Only

Digipets (ADDED)

This thing looks like the cheapest of the cheap, but they do have some cute animations and pixel art. According to the video linked below, they don't grow, but are easy to take care of.

Short video review

There's also an expanded version with 32 pets and in a different, smaller, form factor:

Unknown

Konami

Attame Labo Egg (ADDED)

This is a really unique and cool pet! The screen is located inside the case, and you will need to look through the viewfinder to see it. Gameplay for this pet mainly revolves around mixing DNA to get different types of pets, and you're actually given a lot of control over how your pet turns out. By playing games, you'll earn different items, and you can choose to apply these to the pet to morph it into something else. After a set number of days, the pet leaves, and you are given a new one to try again. The pet also has a memory function so that you can keep track of previous pets you've raised.

Daughter of Anubis on Tumblr has run this one in her blog, and has also put up a wonderful guide on how to play with it here:
https://tamagotchicolledge.my-free.website/konami-attame-labo-egg-guide
Tumblr Post

Dungeon Quest

This is less of a pet and more a fully fledged game, but I am including it here because of its relative obscurity and its similarity to the Arukundesu pets. It contains a complete dungeon and turn-based fighting, allows you to trade items with friends, and generally seems incredibly awesome for the tiny thing it is.

There is a lovely person over on Weebly who has put together an incredibly comprehensive guide for this little device. I will be saving a copy of it via the Internet Archive in case it goes down in the future.
https://dungeonquestguide.weebly.com/

Otoizm Music Pet (ADDED)

This is a music pet that works similarly to the Sony Funbbit--it attaches to your headphones, and dances to the music you play, which will also affect the type of pet that it grows into. The Otoizm also has IR capability which lets it talk to other Otoizm devices.

User Armouros on Tubmlr uploaded scans of the instruction manual because they are awesome and proof that people are basically good inside. It's shared via Dropbox in that post, so I'm archiving it here:
File:オトイズム Otoizm 2006 Konami Instruction Manual English.pdf

Links

Nintendo

Pocket Hello Kitty

Has the same form factor as the Pokemon Pedometer, and also functions as a pedometer. I've archived the instructions from TamaSquare. 

  File:TamaSquare - Pocket Hello Kitty Translated.pdf

Pocket Pikachu

Screen Monochrome
Shells: yellow
Manufacturer Nintendo
Release year 1998
Pet type Pedometer
Programming custom

This particular pet doesn't have a whole lot of interactivity compared to other pets, but it does have a large variety of animations. In it you take care of Pikachu by collecting "volts," which are basically the number of steps you've taken. You can also potentially increase the number of volts you have using a slot machine game (which I've never been able to master). As you gain more volts, you can give them as gifts to Pikachu, and whether or not he's happy with the gift depends on how large it is. The more you give, the happier he becomes. As you walk around with him throughout the day, he'll engage in different activities, including showering, eating, riding a bike or motorcycle, running, and brushing his teeth. He goes to bed on his own and night and will wake up on his own the next morning.

The lack of activities this one has can be a bit disappointing, but the graphics are very cute.

Videos

Links

Pocket Pikachu 2

Screen Color
Shells: translucent grey, pearl, translucent blue, solid blue, glitter shell, translucent black
Manufacturer Nintendo
Release Year 1999
Pet type Pedometer
Programming custom

Now in color! Gameplay on this one is largely similar to the first, but it is now in color and includes a few extra functions. There is an additional high-low card game included, and the case has an IR meant to connect to the GBC pokemon games. Apparently this enables the player to send gifts to the pokemon in game by spending the watts you have accumulated while walking. The card game is a card guessing game: Pikachu will hold up a card with a value on it, and you must guess whether the next one will be lower or higher. If you guess correctly, you get to keep the watts you have or keep playing, while if you lose, you'll forfeit all of the watts you've gained so far.

None that although the pet is in color, it's got that washed-out quality to the colors in all the screenshots I've seen, so I don't think it's backlit. This matches what was going on with the GameBoy Colors at the time, which were universally hard to see and play on until they came out with the backlit Game Boy Advance model later.

Links

Pocket Sakura

Based on the game series Sakura Taisen, a combination dating sim/RPG, this pet has the same form factor as the Pikachu and Hello Kitty pets, but the gameplay is apparently more complex. 

  File:TamaSquare-Pocket Sakura Translated.pdf

Nyko

Nyko, which is still around and makes gaming peripherals, made the Comet Critters series. These days the "Kid Comet" is the one that shows up on eBay all the time, to the point at which I thought that the others had never been made. Worthpoint actually has a few photos of them, though, so apparently they're just very rare.

That said, the casing looks identical to Micropets, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were just MGA clones.

Comet Critters

Kid Comet

I picked this one up a while ago and have yet to run it, but I believe it's a Johnny Alien.

Functions

  • Feeding - Meal and dessert
  • Lights
  • Game - This is a guessing game that happens to be a variant of the Left-right game
  • Exercise - can be done at all stages of growth
  • Medicine
  • Cleaning - Poop only, no showering
  • Stats
  • Education - basically a discipline function, but it is done in response to false calls.
  • Attention icon - unselectable
  • Go for walk - This seems to function as a temporary, hour-long pause. The instructions warn you not to use it if the pet's mood is too low, or they'll wander off and not come back.
  File:Instructions NykoKidComet.pdf

As far as gameplay goes, this pet is beyond frustrating. It's VERY picky about just about everything, and even when I thought I was doing fine, it would still go and die on me. Needless to say, it doesn't take much neglect at all, and its meters need to be kept high at all times. I gave up after about four attempts to raise one past its second stage.


Stellarsaurus

Planetary Pup

This matches the Micropup "Chip the Pup" case that I have exactly, so I think it's probably a clone.

OzBozz

This one has a really weird form factor! Not sure why, or what the extra buttons do. It is a 25-in-1 multipet.

PenPy

Screen Monochrome
Shells: green, pink, yellow, red
Manufacturer Unknown
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

As the name suggests, this one is a Penguin pet. Penguin-Keeper on Tamatalk has run this one here: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/penguin-keepers-zoo.194908/post-3354005

It has separate meters for each of the food and drinks, but the happiness indicator is shown in a separate meter via apple icons. He starts with one game as a young bird and will unlock more as he gets older. Penguin-Keeper says its similar in programming to the Gyaoppi pets, but I'm not sure that it's a complete clone. The overall opinion was that the pet itself is frustrating and bad, though I wonder if having the instructions handy would have made this better, because it seems like a number of its functions are really unintuitive.

PetVet

There are a number of these, but from pics of the screens I can tell they're all Nano clones. A log on the TamaTalk forums shows that to be the case: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/mega-bootleg-log.196566/page-2 

  BIG thanks to the user who uploaded the instructions card for these to TamaTalk

  

  Gallery

Playmates Toys

B.F.F. Virtual Pets

These are very rare and do not seem to have been very successful. I've taken the pictures below from a reddit post, which I'll link to, and most of the information I've found about them is from discussions between people who are trying to remember childhood toys. There's not much official info, but the Wikipedia page for Playmates Toys does list the brand name as one that it owned at some point. 

  Gallery

Links

Nano Pets

Nano Pets

Philips

Aside from the Philips logo, everything else about this screams "off-brand." Clearly this was not a product that they put a lot of money into.

Powco Toys

This company describes itself as a Taiwanese manufacturer and importer, so I'm not sure how much they were actually involved in the making of these, but the packaging for them does have the Powco logo on them. As far as I know, they could have just been responsible for selling them in the west.

Pinky the Dinosaur

Due to the start-up screen in photo number 5, I believe this is a Johnny Dino ROM.

Sammy the Whale

Made by the same company who made Pinky the Dinosaur

MGA Entertainment

VR Creatures

WWF

Apparently even the WWF made virtual pets! Fighting ones, of course. I'll bet no one had another you could fight with if you had one of these as a kid.

Nakamichi Pet

I like this one because it gives absolutely no indication of what type of pet it is. Maybe they were trying to be the next Tamagotchi? The back portion also says that you can grow it to by 99 days old--that would definitely take some dedication!

Nekotcha

The Nekotcha Kitty is widely known to be the worst virtual pet, probably second only to the 168-in-1, although some people actually enjoy those so maybe not. It apparently likes dying a lot and is very, very hard to take care of.

Tamenagerie has instructions on how to use this one here: http://www.tamenagerie.com/catsinstr.html Archived here: File:Instructions Tamenagerie Nekotcha.pdf

Nelsonic

These all seem to have been originally made as watches, which makes sense given that Nelsonic was largely known for being a digital watchmaker (in addition to regular watches they also made Nintendo-licensed "game watches" that worked like Tiger video games with classic Nintendo themes). However, a number of them were also sold as keychains.

Dino Pet

The shell from this one at least is from the Ganbare! Ryuuta-kun, though I don't know if the ROM matches. There's a guide for the Ganbare here: VirtualPet Library at Blogspot

Here's another matching shell with Japanese text that I can't read:

Poochy Puppy

Just started mine up, though it's not the watch version. My particular pet doesn't seem to have much sound, although it will beep once when it yells for help or finishes some tasks. Icons are as follows:

  • Stats: Age, weight, Food meter (shown with squares under the bone icon), happiness meter (shown with squares under heart), education meter (squares under "ABC" icon), weather
  • Food: bone/candy
  • Game: left/right game
  • Unselectable alert
  • Education
  • Shower
  • Clothing (for weather)
  • Light
  • Medicine
  • Discipline

The sprites are all very simple and at the same time very cute, and my puppy seems to enjoy rolling around on his back across the screen a lot. The meters don't seem to want to go above 3 at the moment, although there are five total, which is similar to the original Tamas, which won't go above 2 or 3 until they're out of the baby stage. The left/right game is disappointing, but I did notice it will increase the meter regardless of whether you win or lose, so that's pretty great. I have been trying to do the "education" option, but I keep getting the "unhappy" sprite, which consists of a frowny face surrounded by a lot of confetti-like pixels. I kind of like these happy and unhappy screens--they're cute and the decorations make them look more complex than they are.

I bought two of these in pretty good condition, though they're both missing some paint. So this may be particular to my models, but these screens are remarkably clear and easy to read given the pets' age. The icons are clearly distinguished, and I haven't had any trouble at all with the buttons. I actually did take them apart to clean them when they first arrived, and the hardware inside these is very simple--in fact, they don't even have a dedicated battery cover; you just take the entire back off of the pet in order to change the battery out!

The pet itself is remarkably easy to care for and doesn't ask for a whole lot. The sound on mine is iffy and goes out frequently--there are no connecting wires and it's located on the back panel, so it seems it just periodically loses connection with the circuitry. That's fine, though, because the sound is horrendous, and it doesn't die easily, so I haven't missed too much. I will say sometimes it's difficult to tell what the pet wants. It doesn't always beep when its meters go down, and seems to alert me randomly, because when I think it's calling about poop or food, the attention icon will stay lit on the screen even after caring for it. So I've gotten to where I just run through the usual menus--food, game, medicine, cleaning, etc--and eventually the alert goes away.

I haven't really found much use for the weather option yet. I have seen the weather icon change a few time from a sun to...something that looks like a bag?...but the pup never seems to have any alerts that are satisfied by changing the clothing option, so I don't know if it'll be needed in the future. I guess it's kind of cool that it's there. Wait, maybe the bag means it's windy; like a bag of wind?

M&D

Short for "Moon Dragon Technology C. Ltd"

Nana Moon Fairy

Found AliExpress, and apparently based on some anime. I've had these on my wishlist for a while. There are apparently smaller versions, which I suspect are earlier versions of the same pet, but I'll have to buy them to find out.

YouTube Review
This wonderful lady has also put together an AMAZING guide for these pets which I'm archiving here:
File:NANA MOON FAIRY-PET GUIDE.pdf

And here's a TamaTalk log with someone who played through it:
https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/dwarfmuns-digipets.197250/post-3365574

Q-pet

There are several iterations of these, and the newer ones seem to be knock-off color Tamagotchis. The older, monochrome models, however, are unique. 

  Q-Pet 2012 Instructions
  File:Instructions QPet2012 ENG.pdf
  File:Instructions QPet2012 CHN.pdf

The goal of this pet is to level up your training and friendship meters. You do this by, respectively, training the pet to do tricks, and playing games or petting it. They're fairly simple and can take a good amount of neglect, and are pretty easy to run. They have a good bit of Chinese text in them, but all non-English characters are accompanied by icons, so it's pretty easy to decipher and/or memorize.

One thing to note is that food is not infinite in these pets, but you can always get more by playing games and scoring high in them. At the lowest scores, you get small snacks like carrots, while getting perfect scores will give you cherries, which fill about half of your hearts. There is no discipline in these pets (which is always something I love), but it will misbehave from time to time and refuse to do the things you want it to do. Be persistent, or wait a while, and eventually the pet will change its mind.

Manley Toy Quest

These look like the Mega Pets, but they have a different brand on them. The screens shown on them, however, clearly reveal them to be Nano clones.

This same company also made some dinosaur watches that look like Dinkie clones:

Mattel

Pixel Chix

These pets are often compared to Polly Pocket, since they both feature little depictions of young girls living in plastic houses. Probably their most notable feature is the screen, which is a transparent, black and white lcd display that shows a plastic molded backdrop in the background. When the scene is lit up by the small LED in the toy, the digital girl appears to be walking around in the room behind. Some models featured two different rooms, with a mechanism that allowed the screen to be flipped back and forth between them, and each room would contain different functionalities. Later versions could be connected with each other to form friends and houses, and there were a number of spin-off toys with fewer functions that feature cars, pets, and televisions.

Pixel Chix article at Wikipedia

Woogies

These were specifically meant to be a "boy" version of the Tamagotchi's (let's just forget Digimon exists) by Mattel, and were marketed as "gross" toys. The instructions summarize it perfectly: "Woogies™ is the anti-nurturing virtual pet just for boys" Apparently, though, there's not much to them. I found a review online that says they were overall pretty boring: Leftover Culture Review
Shame, because I think the faces on the screen are kind of cute and interesting (I always like full-face screens since they're relatively rare).

There are three games: Shake, in which you shake the pet until it wants you to stop, Shout, in which you...shout...at it, and Tumble in which the face will re-orient itself, and then you turn it to the right direction. Grunt, burp, fart are the battle moves you have, and each of the games are meant as trainers for these battles. There don't seem to be many other functions here, and the chief complaint most people have against these is that they were so rare no one was ever around to battle with. 

  File:Instructions Woogies.pdf

MCE

My Galaxy Pet

Mega Pets

Technically I would consider this an off-brand, but there are enough of them that they formed an actual line. Looks like there was the standard dog, cat, and dino, each available in different colors.

Micro Pets

I believe this line is where MGA got the original programming for their pets, and some of the instruction booklets in their pets reference the original name. I've reviewed the MicroDino from Radioshack, which also uses this ROM here:
[Micro Dino Review]
And I've also picked up the model pictured below with a differently colored shell. I haven't run it yet, but will review it in the future when I do. 

  File:Instructions microPets Puppy.pdf

MimiWorld

Yummy Jamhouse

This is a pet that comes with a plastic spoon that you can put into the top of the pet to interact with it.

  • Can raise 10 different animales: Rabbit, penguin, cat, check, dog, hamster, seal, squirrel, turtle, and parrot
  • The pet only lives until it is 10 years old, when it will leave to "fulfill its dream"
  • Can earn coins to buy presents, and decorate their houses
  • You can visit previous pets!
  • Can feed, clean, and give medicine.
  • 6 games in total, but only 4 are available at first. The other two will be unlocked when the pet is 4 years old.
  • Can take the pet to the salon to make it happy, and there is a pet hotel if you need a break
  • Each pet has a favorite food, and feeding them that one makes them more happy.
  • Each time your pet ages another year, they will get a present.

Videos

Radio Shack

The Micro Dino I got is from Radioshack, and it seems they had others with specific names. There was also a "PC Puppy" and a "Data cat," and I was able to find instructions for the cat one. I'd like to track down instructions for the others, but it seems the only way to do that may be by buying full packages via eBay. Here's what I found from a Tumblr user:

File:DataCatIInstructions 1.jpg
File:DataCatIInstructions 2.jpg
File:DataCatIInstructions 3.jpg
File:DataCatIInstructions 4.jpg
File:DataCatIInstructions 5.jpg
File:DataCatIInstructions 6.jpg
File:DataCatIInstructions cover.jpg

Here's my review of the Micro Dino after running it for 9 days: The Frugal Blog

Packaging

Scholastic

Good luck finding this one anywhere. I believe it was sold at book fairs and nowhere else.

Sega

Chibi Maruko Chan Alarm Clock


This is not a virtual pet per se, but it is really cool! This toy is an alarm clock which is based on the franchise Chibi Maruko Chan, and will periodically play scenes from the character's life on the screen, The screen itself is a transparent LCD, and works very much like the Pixel Chix screens; in fact, I mistook it for a weird Pixel Chix the first time I saw it, but I think this predates those. At any rate, there is a plastic room behind it which lights up when it's in use, and a plastic door on the right which flips open when new characters come over to visit. You can also play different games with it using the four buttons on the bottom of the screen. I know this one isn't my sort of thing, but I kind of want one and would absolutely put it on my bedside table.

This appears to be an unbranded version, from what I can tell.

Rilu Rilu Fairilu

Well they pulled out all the stops for this one--it's got a color touch screen and a camera, as well as physical buttons on the front and a key charm that is used to interact with the device. This, of course, is another licensed device that is based on the anime Rilu Rilu Fairilu.

Virtual Footix

Sega Toys Aquarium Dolphin

I just found this while browsing around on eBay, and otherwise I don't know anything about it. There are pics of the packaging below, but it's all in Japanese, so I can't read it.

Update: I've found out a bit more, thanks to OdditySoft. There are three models of these, each with a different pet (dolphin, jellyfish, and regular fish). They have a really weird sleep function, but are otherwise fairly easy to care for. The aquarium you raise them grows and covers several screens. See review below:
https://odditysoft.blogspot.com/2023/04/aquapalzpocket-aquarium-overview.html

Videos

Mushiking

Based on the Mushiking: King of the Beetles collectible card game. These are battling pets that each come with a different type of beetle. You start them as grubs and grow them into full-sized fighting horned beetles. The animations on these things are fantastic! Unfortunately none of them seem to be in English, but they are probably still playable even in Japanese. You will need a guide, however, because there are different items and techniques that you can apply and different foods that have different effects on the creatures.

Here are a couple of English videos that go over gameplay, done by someone who speaks Japanese and can read the menus:

Here's an excellent online guide that goes over different functions:
https://mushikingvpets.weebly.com/

Sega Toys Motchimaruzu

Screen Color
Shells: Blue, pink, orange, fuzzy blue, fuzzy pink
Manufacturer Sega
Release year 2020
Pet type basic
Programming custom

The hamster one. Has smoooooshable cheeks that function as two extra buttons. Unfortunately Sega doesn't have an official page for this item, but it can be found in many places. Here's the Amazon.co.jp page:
Mochifuwa Pet Motchimaru Hamster Cotton Blue
Mocchiri Pet Mocchi Maruzu Punitto Nyanko Chocolat

Sony

Funbbit

The Sony Funbbit (which is apparently supposed to be play on the word "Rabbit") is a dancing pet that attaches to a pair of headphones, and reacts to the type of music you're listening to.

Videos

Links

Takara Tomy

Cheeks Chan

Hello Kitty pet in the shape of the Dragon Hunter drop things.
Cheeks Chan review 

  File:Tomy Cheeks Chan Japanese.pdf

  These are in Japanese only, but seem clear enough to be run through a translator

Disney Tie-ins

Aristocats

Videos

Chip and Dale


I have only the seller's word to go by for the manufacturer of this one, but I've looked up quite a few others they've posted, and they're correct, so I'd be willing to bet this one is also.

Dungeon Quest Battle Collector

Game of Life

I think this is a tie-in to the board game--see the logo at the upper left of the packaging.

Manaphy no Tamago

I have no idea what this thing does, but it's obviously a Pokemon tie-in. Only available in Japanese

Panda Bank

This is a rather limited pet that is designed to get children to learn how to save coins. The screen contains a little panda who seems to be incredibly clumsy, and will play animations throughout the day. There is one button underneath the screen, and the only other way to interact with it is by inserting coins into the mechanism on the top. There are five panda-face icons across the top of the screen, which indicate how hungry the panda is, and each time a coin is inserted, one of the icons will get filled up. There are four mini games on the pet that can be randomly triggered by inserting coins, but will not show up every time:

  • Cat swatting - A cat will try and steal the panda's spaghetti, and you must press the button in time in order to scare it away.
  • Panda race - Pressing the button repeatedly will make the panda go faster across the screen. You must beat the opponent in order to win.
  • Tug of war - Press the button repeatedly to pull on the rope and win the game
  • Catching apples - Panda will walk back and forth across the screen. Press the button to change its direction and catch the apples that are falling down.

As you insert more coins, you'll unlock other animations and "win" the pet, so to speak. If you wait too long, the panda can starve and leave.

I have to commend them for coming up with so much functionality given so few inputs. I thought it would have almost no interaction, but I was wrong! They even added sound toggling and contrast functions, which are accessed by holding the button down for several seconds on the animation screen.

Fuzzy 'n chic review

Pocket Horse

This one always reminds me of the Nano Racer because of the form factor.

PritamaGo

This is from the anime "Kiratto Pri☆Chan" and is a real-life rendition of an item that is used in the show. It is shaped like an egg (true to its name), and features a flip-down cover over the screen and a camera on the back.The beginning lets you chose between three eggs, and then you will raise a little anthropomorphic creature. It's very cute, but unfortunately only available in Japanese.

Here's a video unboxing and look at all the functions (it's in Italian only): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccL4phzKEZ8&t=860s

There is some info about this on the anime's wiki: PriTama Go

Links

Punirunes

This is a circular pet that you can stick your finger in to interact with it, and is based on the Punirunes anime TV show. There's a hole on the right side, which lets you "pet" the creature inside, as well as three buttons on the front that let you select various menu functions. Here is the specs list from online storefront Japan Trend Shop (archived):

Specs and Features:

  • Color: pink, purple, mint
  • Tactile and interactive digital pet/character toy
  • Modes: games, feeding, bathing, cleaning, etc.
  • Characters: 50+
  • 3 levels: Baby Puni, Kids Puni, Otona Puni
  • Use "Puni no moto" to take care of your character
  • Clear certain stages/conditions to unlock rare characters
  • For ages 6 and above
  • Interface display language: Japanese
  • Instructions/manual: Japanese

Videos

Unboxing video

Sumikkogurashi VPets

Sumikko Gurashi is a set of licensed fictional characters created by the same company that owns and created Rilakkuma. Similarly to Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma, their main purpose is to be licensed into various toys, and every few years or so San-X collaborates with Takara Tomy to make a new Sumikko-themed VPet. Each of the pets centers around a different type of gimmick, and they're all collector toys, containing all the different Sumikko characters that can be unlocked in different ways. If you're not into collecting, these won't be your thing, but if you do like them, all of the below pets generally get very good reviews.

Official website

Sumikko Atsume

This small device has shaking as its main mechanic. Because it is older than the others listed below, it is more limited in what it can do, but it generally has good reviews due to the cute animations and fun, if limited, gameplay.

Videos

Links

Sumikko Mikke

The Sumikko Mikke is shaped like a square and has a camera on it. It functions similarly to the Tamagotchi Pix/Pix Party and lets you discover new colors based on the things you take pictures of. Hopefully it's better than the Pix, though, because I could BARELY ever get anything besides yellow and red out of that thing no matter what I took pictures of. Fuzzy-n-chic has put together a wonderful guide on how to use these toys here:
Sumikko Mikke Guide
Archived version is here: File:Sumikko Mikke English Guide.pdf

Links

Sumikko Sagashi

This one is in the shape of a house, and also features a camera as its gimmick. I'm not entirely sure what differentiates it from the Mikke, although I suspect it may have slightly different gameplay.

Links

Sumikko Catch

This is a collecting pet that comes with three different spoons attached to the case, along with three menu buttons along the bottom of the screen. They can be inserted into the top of the pet to catch different Sumikko characters in different situations.

Amazon JP link

Sumikko Water

The Sumikko Water comes in the shape of a perfume bottle, and has as its gimmick a screen that is inset into the case more than usual. In front of it, there's a space that contains water, which will cover the screen when the pet is turned upside down. This triggers different changes in the pet, including different menus and game functions and can be used to interact with it in different ways.

Links

Sumikko Friend

The Sumikko Friend comes with different faceplates that can be swapped to trigger different functions in the pet, as well as motion sensors that are used in the games and care functions of the pet. Usually, when a faceplate is added, the color screen switches to a full-face view of the pet (and you know how much I love those!), and you are then directed to turn the pet in a certain way or press certain buttons.

Unknown Rabbit Pet

The only proof I have that these exist are these photos, and the seller wants $180 for them, so I can't buy them to see what they're like :( They seem to have some sort of pen/stylus with them that you can use on the screen.

Wantame Idol Puppy

This one comes in several form factors, but I believe the programming between them all is the same. It lets you raise a chihuahua, and has a card reader that was designed to use cards from a kiosk machine in Japan.

Here's a press release that goes over the way they work and has pictures of the kiosk machine:
[File:WantameIdolPressRelease.pdf Press Release from Manufacturer]

YurPuppy

This is a small cube with a touch screen that has a puppy in it. 

  Gallery'

News Articles

Thinkway Toys

Ariel Little Mermaid

Screen Monocrome
Shells: purple, translucent blue
Manufacturer Thinkway Toys
Release Year ????
Pet type Basic
Programming custom


I spent a lot time thinking this was just another shell for the GigaPets Little Mermaid pet, but that is a separate one. Instead of raising Ariel herself, you actually raise different fish friends. The instructions state that they will grow into different fish depending on how you raise them. This one is actually quite unique and has several functions that are different from most pets.

Functions: Feeding (no choices); Lights (on/off; slow/quick); Medicine (Doctor Dolphin to the rescue!); Non-selectable alert; Cleaning (clean the aquarium/add water); Games (basically the left-right game, but instead you're choosing between two shell icons. When the fish matures it turns into a slots-like game); Stats (keeps a best record, which is neat. The meters use heart icons); un-selectable heart icon; pause function (cool!); exercise 

  Gallery

Videos

Toy Story

There is a fan-written guide here: http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/tstory/tstory.htm

Tiger (and later Top Secret Toys)

GigaPets

See main page here:
GigaPets

Neopets

These Neopets devices are usually described as being designed like a mini, portable version of the website, with greatly reduced features. It contains games similar to the classic ones that were featured on the site at the time, and allows you to put in a few codes to give your pets different treats. It also has a naming feature.

VIdeos

TrendMasters

Bobo Panda Byte

Screen Monochrome
Shells: pink, blue, green, purple
Manufacturer Trendmasters
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

This pet has several stages of growth and lets you do a few things that are unusual for a vintage virtual pet. In addition to the usual eat, clean, discipline functions, you can also train its intelligence and have it exercise when it gets older. The pet lets you chose between weight lifting, golf, and snorkeling. It also has a weather function, and on some days you will need to give your pet a hat or umbrella.

The Mouse House has a scanned instruction sheet and review here: http://www.bookmice.net/fleur/bobo.html
There's also a playthrough on the TamaTalk forums here: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/bobo-panda-byte-log.199504/ 

  Gallery

Videos

Video that reviews pet functions

Kimiko Baby Byte

Screen Monochrome, custom sprites
Shells: pink, blue, green, purple
Manufacturer Trendmasters
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

This one is interesting because it doesn't seem to be pixel-based. From what I can see in the pictures, it works like the old tiger games in which all the sprites are drawn on the screen and activated during gameplay. This is probably the only vpet I've found at this point that uses this kind of technology, which I've learned from ChatGPT is called a Segmented Display.

I found a site here that details how it works from someone who owns one: https://tamagotchi.dreamwidth.org/tag/baby+byte

Edit: Whaaaaaaaaaat, there are rebrands of these!!!!
https://www.tumblr.com/daughter-of-anubis/tagged/Baby%20Byte 

  Gallery
   

  Instructions

VTech

Kidipets

I see these pop up occasionally, and they were made later, in 2012, so it's no wonder they didn't catch on. Here is the info from an Amazon UK page that I found it on.

  • Train your own virtual pet with KidiPets (design may vary)
  • Twist the ring and visit 6 different exciting locations
  • Play activities to earn coins and exciting bonus games
  • Communicate with your pet via the built-in microphone
  • Connect with others to make friends and send gifts

Train your very own virtual pet pony with KidiPets, featuring many fun activities and bonus games, a built-in microphone, and the ability to connect with friends to share gifts. Please note: designs may vary.

Train your very own virtual pet pony! Twist the ring and visit six different exciting locations. Teach tricks and have medical check-ups in the pet centre, go to the park or the beach for outings, and go to the market to buy fun items and food. Play activities to earn coins and exciting bonus games, check on your pet's status and messages to accept secret missions, and connect with other KidiPets to make friends and send gifts. KidiPets encourage independent and imaginative play and guide nurturing skills, and with three to collect the fun never ends!

Monitor the behaviour of your pet

Once your KidiPet is delivered, you have to take good care of it. You can interact with it in Pet Mode or take it to different locations for different activities. You can feed it or take it to the toilet using the Care menu. The Clipboard menu will let you monitor the status of your pet. There are four different categories that affect the behavior of your pet: mood, health, food, and hygiene. Change the status of the mood by doing activities such as taking it to the clinic, playing games with it, or feeding it.

Complete tasks every day

If you keep your pet in good condition, it will level up faster. By reaching new levels you will unlock more items and tricks for your pet. Everyday tasks include brushing your pet's teeth and hair, bathing your pet, interacting with your pet a couple of times, and taking it on an outing. Your pet will be happy and healthy and ready to level up quickly!

Go on outings

To help keep your KidiPet happy, you will be able to take them to fun and exciting places. Choose from three great locations – the beach, the park, and the forest – to take your pet to.

Infrared connection port

Interact with other KidiPets through the infrared connection port. By connecting to a friend's KidiPet, your pet will be able to make friends with other pets. You will also be able to send and receive gifts with other pets. 

  Gallery

Yule Yuan

Hatchihoni

These are available on Aliexpress and consist of stolen graphics from the Color Tamagotchis, plus some original programming. They're actually quite fun, and I enjoy mine quite a bit. I've written up a full review of these on my blog, which I'll link to below:

https://www.thefrugalgamer.net/blog/index.php?/archives/13-Hatchihoni-Review-and-Guide.html 

  File:Instructions Hatchihoni Chinese.pdf

  Translated Instructions

Yuvo

Love Chu

I don't currently have any pics of these, but they obviously existed because of, you know, the "Love Chu 2" name. I'll add to this section as I come across them.

Love Chu 2

Odditysoft has recorded an extensive amount of info about these, has guides, and instructions translations here:
https://odditysoft.blogspot.com/2019/09/love-chu-2-most-exhaustive-guide.html#more

The Love Chu 2 is a basic pet whose main goal is to raise a pet to adulthood and marry it off, giving birth to a new egg. It can connect to other Love Chu devices (both versions 1 and 2), and was originally designed to interact with an arcade machine that I believe never made it out of Japan, but allowed you to print stickers. If you're interested is seeing them, there's a link to a page that goes over these machines in the OdditySoft page linked above.

Zizzle

Pet-n-play Palz

This thing honestly reminds me of the YurPuppy, mainly because of the form factor and its touch screen.

Unknown

Amico Interactivo

Italian for "Interactive Friend." This one looks like it's a cheap knock-off, so I doubt it made it across to other countries.

Amiconi

This one is a dog, but the packaging on the back shows that there was also a dinosaur.

Baby Puppy

Baby King 68-in-1

Another Italian pet that I know very little about.

Bisuketta Urinari

Packaging front Packaging back

Gameplay in this one apparently revolves around training, and it's based on a comedy band that was around in the day. The Tamenagerie has a paragraph about this thing here, but I can't find much more info about it online. Not sure if I'll get it because it seems to be less pet like than most. Tamenagerie has a guide for this one online, which I have archived here: File:Tamenagerie biscuitinst.pdf

User Knighttchi's Ballad on the TamaTalk forums has also posted an extensive infodump about this pet here:
https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/pocket-biscuit-info-dump.199146/

Chic Duck

The case matches that of the Goji Rapper, but I don't know if they're otherwise related. The artwork on the packages is very cute though!

DigiFriend

Some kind of European off-brand. The box says there are 69 pets in this one, which means it's probably one of the generic ROMs elsewhere on this page.

Dinkie Dog

Dinkie Dino is a knockoff of Tamagotchi itself, but I highly doubt this is from the same manufacturer, making this a knockoff of a knockoff. Lol.

Digit Midgit

I...this is horrible. WTF were they thinking? I know this word was tossed around more freely in the 90s, but they've also shoved a Chuppi Bird into the case, like it's part of this stupid line and everything. The hell?

E.E.T.

ePet

This one's case matches the My Galaxy Pet.

Flower Go Walk

Instructions on official site File:Instructions FlowerGoWalk.pdf

Created by Japanese superflat Artist Takashi Murakami, who has worked in a wide variety of styles and mediums. He seems to do a lot of work that combines traditional art with contemporary culture, which kind of explains where this came from. It's part of an NFT-adjacent collection called "Murikami.Flowers" that he started during COVID-19. The shape of the pet is the main theme from this collection, which is primarily available as NFTs, but has also been merchandised into various physical goods such as jewelry, t-shirts, etc. etc.

The pet functions as a pedometer and will do various things throughout the day based on how many steps you take. However it was produced in limited numbers, and probably won't ever be again, and goes for over $150 on secondary markets.

EDIT: I was wrong on this one! They've proven to be very popular and they've now come out with a color version! Meanwhile, the first version has dropped in price and is now easier to get.

Game+Plus Dino

Ok, I know it looks like it's unbranded, but it does technically have a brand on it, even it's incredibly cheap...

L'arc En Ciel Promotion

L'arc En Ciel is a visual kei band that got big during the late 90s/early 2000s and this appears to have been part of a promotion for one of their tours. I can't find any info on it otherwise, and the prices are very expensive on Ebay, probably also because it's sought after by the group's fans. I've found two different kinds of these, so I assume one was part of a "Deluxe" package that went for more initially.

Lakipe

The Lost World

There was an official Tamagotchi with Lost World branding, but I'm pretty sure this isn't it. If it is, I'll merge it into the Bandai section, but there's clearly another company name listed at the bottom of the package. I've actually done some searching around and it seems that Tsukuda was actually acquired by Bandai later on, so I'm not sure if that counts or not.

And here's a version that has English packaging:

Magic Bulby

I know the name is weird, but I don't think its first language is English.

MegaHouse

MegaHouse was a toy manufacturer that was acquired by Bandai in 1997[2]. Apparently they made an electronic pet or two before the merger, though.

Usa Waka Mail

Gameplay in this one apparently centers around sending and receiving mail.

Links

MicroPets

There are two different MicroPets, and this is not the one most people are referring to when they talk about them. These are a department store brand of pet that probably wasn't really sold anywhere else. User Emmephyzma on Tama Talk has run this one here, and it's a weird little Tama-knockoff bird thing that can apparently take a lot of abuse.

The one I ended up buying is a very cute little model, and I really enjoyed running it, but unfortunately it freezes after a few hours of running, and I can't get anything else out of it. I played with it enough to get a general idea of its features, which I will eventually write up. Overall, it seemed like a good pet from what I saw.

My Orr-orr Dino

This one is interesting, and has been run by user Emmephyzema over at the TamaTalk forums: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/my-orr-orr-dino-dual-chickpets-dna-fish-a-genjintch.200207/. It has an interesting screen that happens to be a mix of both dot-matrix drawing and some custom drawn sprites at the bottom. It also dies ALL THE TIME, and if you read through the instructions, which the user has graciously posted above, it seems that the reason for this is stated there: if you try to do something the pet doesn't want to do, like use medicine when it's not sick, etc, the pet will of course refuse, or die. They programmed a chance that the pet will just fucking die rather than refuse. WHY???? Why would you do this? This basically means that you need to both consult the instructions before doing anything with the pet, and then guess perfectly for every one of your actions. This is a dumb pet.

Nonbekun Alchoholic

Yes, you read that right. You must feed this pet sake, but not too much sake, or then they'll cease to be a functional alcoholic. This is a weird pet.

Videos

Pepsiman

No, you read that correctly--PEPSIMAN! This one seems very rare. I can't find any info about it online, but I have run the back through a translator, and it seems most of this pet is focused on training games, rather than growing, death, etc. This makes sense given the franchise. Oddly, though, it doesn't mention anything about a pedometer, which I think would be perfect for this particular device.

Perpetual Pets

The case and preview screen printed on the packaging make this look very much like the Karugamoland/Tamakaci run on the Tamaforums here: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/karugamoland-tamakaci-duck-virtual-pet-comments-ok.201293/

Here's another form factor:

Petogotchi

I wonder what this one was inspired by?

This one is a chicken version:

Pingu

Pocket Love

PocketPal

My guess is it's another Dinkie clone

Pocket Penguin

Screen Monochrome
Shells: pink, black, blue
Manufacturer Unknown
Pet type Basic
Programming custom

User Penguin Keeper on TamaTalk has run this one and given some really detailed info about it here:
https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/penguin-keepers-zoo.194908/page-2#post-3353352 The eyes look a bit strange because they're actually lights that turn on when the pet needs attention. It also has a screen sleep function, which is kind of unusual for a vintage pet.

Icons

  These instructions are thanks to Daughter of Anubis on Tumblr.

Pocket Turtle

This one looks cute, and I feel like turtles are overlooked as virtual pets in general. Unfortunately, the seller wanted too much for it.

Pokewon Puppy by Flex

This one is very rare and only in Japanese, but is known for having some very cute black and white animations
Video review of the Pokewon

Pushy Puppy

I've had this on my list for a while, but haven't gone ahead and purchased it. I know nothing about it other than that it is, evidentially, a dog.

Packaging front Packaging back

Sakana Watch

I do love seeing fish pets; they're relatively rare, and I just love fish. For better or for worse, the case on this one is so ugly it's almost cute again.

Skyrocket

Pixel Stars Dreamhouse

The dreamhouse seems to be a combinations between a virtual pet and The Sims. You raise a variety of different girls in their home, which you can decorate with items that will help meet their needs. The reviews I've found for it say there's a surprising amount of content for the price and size of this thing. Due to the name, they're also easily mistaken for Pixel Chix, but those are an older, different toy line from an entirely different company.

Space Creature

I believe this one comes under a number of different names, but it usually always has an alien pet in it. I'm not sure if the one pictured below is genuine, but Virtual Pet has a guide for the basic rom: http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/takoseij/takoseij.htm

Star Baby

Super Agent Virtuale

I have a feeling this is a basic dog pet, but the packaging certainly is promising! A super agent pet sounds kind of like a neat idea.

Thunder Fighter

Unidentified pets & Pets I may not buy

This one appears to be an older B&W version of the QPet? But it could also be the bunny rom in a different shell. The shells and boxes are both from QPet.
Old QPet?

Offbrand

69-in-1

50-in-1

This one has an odd little case, and appears to include an instruction sheet, but there's no company name or branding on it that I can find.

8-in-1

'Colors:' white, blue 

  File:Instructions 8in1MultiPet.pdf

This one is still pretty popular and easy to find. Apparently it was sold under a number of different brands, because I've found lots of different packaging for it.

The pet has 8 different animals to chose from, and they seem to last about 5 days.

It has a unique list of functions compared to some pets: Feeding (Rice, candy, drink), game 1 (left-right game), singing (plays a tune that adds a heart to the meter; pretty uninteractive), game 2 (dice rolling game; not too sure how this works, but it only uses 1 button), dancing (plays a tune, pretty much the same thing as singing but it's less interactive), clean poop, medicine, stats (only 2 pages on this one! Age and weight), and lights. A non-selectable attention icon is also included. Unusually, the meters for each of the interactive functions are not located under the stats screen. Instead, they pop up when you "mouse over" them, which I actually really like. This gives immediate feedback for all of the meters instead of having to dig through a bunch of screens to find them. Each of the functions also has its own meter--"dancing" is separate from "singing," and each of the two games has a separate meter, so it would be a total pain if these were located elsewhere. While I have to say I don't like the singing and dancing functions, the rest are fine and the screen is nice and clear. The pet isn't too difficult to take care of and the sprites are cute.


Eating and "dancing"

One thing I don't particularly like is that eating and all the rest do not have custom animations for each character, and instead show a generic smiley face each time you choose them. While I understand why they took this route and it must have saved on a lot of memory, it does mean that I don't get to see my pet sprites very often, and it makes it feel a bit less interactive.

9-in-1

I don't know too much about this one, but the case is certainly unique. The sleep screen matches the Gyaoppi 9-in-1 as seen here: https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/super-gyaoppi-duck-log-comments-ok.201363/#post-3387705, so it may be a clone.

16-in-1

This one has no branding on it whatsoever and looks cheap, but I really like the case. Unfortunately I don't have any screenshots, and there are no product descriptions on the box pics, so I don't know what the programming is like.

It also comes in a shell-shaped case in both pink and white.

Aka-chan

I love aka-chan's animations!!! He does this little "bob" thing where he bobs his head up and down, while his tail sticks up in the back, and it's so cute!!!! I'd like to get one eventually, but not the one below, which features a rarer shell and was listed at a full $80 from the seller.

Akida the Lost Puppy

I don't really know anything about this one, but it's interesting because it seems to use the same type of screen that the Bobo Byte girl does, which isn't that common in vpets. Also, the packaging has numerous warnings about the not dropping the pet because doing so will make it restart. I guess they're owning their shortcomings at least!

Anapanman

I believe this is from a Japanese children's show. The titular Anapanman is a super hero, and the series has spawned a huge number of shows, games, and books. I haven't found any more info about the pet, though, and have only seen it for sale once. It does seem to be newer, though, because the screen is in full color and seems to be backlit.

Here's another Anapanman toy, but I don't know if it's the same.

BabyBel Virtual Pet

Yes, it's Babybel, as in the cheese. No, I don't understand it either. Also, that's a really weird-ass looking dinosaur.

Chickpet

There's a log with some of these over on TamaTalk. The shells look a bit different, though, so I'm not sure if they're the same:
https://www.tamatalk.com/threads/micro-pet-log-walking-potato-comments-ok.200422/

Chickpet Watch

Coleccione

Coleccione is Italian for "Collection," so I believe this is probably running the same ROM as the Dinkie Dinoa atari-like pet I have talked about below.

Coll Pets 3-in-1

Okay, this is clearly a typo for "Cool Pets," but they did it twice! The mistake is consistent! Also, why does it have FIVE buttons?

Cool Doggy

Cute Cute Pet

Eeeurgh! Looks like a terrible Tamagotchi clone.

Cyber Alien

This is the same ROM as the Nyko Kid Comet.

Cyber Baby

This is a clear Dinkie Dino clone.

Cyber Dino

Interestingly, the lovely seller for this one not only put up the instructions in the listing (I LOVE when they do that), but also mentioned that the pictured pet was constructed wrong at the factory and actually has an alien ROM in it. I'm tempted to buy it based on that alone.

CyberPower Cyber Pet 8-in-1

These instructions are thanks to Daughter of Anubis on Tumblr

Videos

Dinkie Dinoa

The case and logo both look very similar to the genuine Dinkie Dino, but it is not genuine. The way you can tell is not only by the extra "a" in the name, but also by the pixels. They are stretched out kind of like the pixels you see on an Atari, and the animal list always starts with a giraffe. I've actually got one of these and haven't had a great time running it--I'm not sure if there's something wrong with my particular toy, but it would always reset before I was able to raise it past the initial baby stage. Here's a collage of the 24 pets included:


Text listing of all pets available: Girl, bunny, snake, fish, bee, monkey, caterpillar, walrus, pig, bat, cat, dog, goldfish, panda, chicken, horse, owl, squid, penguin, giraffe, elephant, hamster, mouse, sheep

This one is strange because the only selectable icons are across the top, while the bottom is reserved for different alerts. I never find more than two, though--the general alert and the poop icon. Here's a rundown of the functions:

  1. Feeding - It seems to have one type of food for each pet, which is impressive, but they all seem to affect the pet equally, and there are no restrictions on what you can feed them, so it's kind of pointless.
  2. Games - Game 1 I haven't been able to figure out yet; game 2 is a soccer-kicking game where you press the left arrow button repeatedly to kick a ball into a goal
  3. Education - not available as a baby
  4. Medicine - I think it's a nurse icon, but I never did need to use it
  5. Cleaning - There won't be any poop on screen, you'll just see the poop icon show up
  6. Lights
  7. Stats
  8. Weather - It's already rained a couple of times, and you get to chose between a hat for the sun and umbrella for the rain.

You can press a "status" button on the face of the pet, but you can't consistently cycle through them because the pet seems to bet confused about what actions do what. Also, you can press the status button at any time and it will cancel whatever action you're doing at the moment. Strange.

The Dino

I like this one's name. THE DINO.

Dino 3-in-1

Has a dinosaur, dog, and a cat.

Dinokun?

This one's absolutely bizarre. MGA shell, but in a different color, and transparent, with Dinokun faceplate. I'm not familiar with Dinokun myself so I don't know if that egg screen matches the programming.

Dinosaur

I'm calling this the "Shower Time Dino" because of that ridiculous callout on the bottom of the packaging there.

Dinosaur Pet Game

DNA Fish

This seems to have a few functions that aren't present in other vpets, and--horrifyingly--you can watch the thing turn into sushi! Also, the slogan at the top of the packaging is hilarious: "By Asexual Reproduction, we creat Sheep, Cow, Monkey!" It's fairly rare and I haven't seen it pop up too often, but there are a number of people in the Tama forums online that have done play throughs of it. Here's one over at Tama Zone: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tamazone/dna-fish-t23152.html

Electronic Pet Game

The shell and printed graphics make this look like a Dinkie clone, but I have no screenshots to confirm.

There is also a dog version, which I'm going to call "Dog dog" because of the text along the top.

Funny Chick

I don't know what's so funny about it.

Funny Monkey

These look like Nano clones from the outside, but I don't have any screens of them.

HearTune

I can't really tell if this toy is a full-fledged pet or not, other than that it matches the form factor. It's called a "divination" toy, so apparently it works like a magic 8-ball or something.

Japanese Micropets Dino Clone

Kiki the Puppy

This one looks exactly like the Nelsonic Poochie Puppy watch, just with some different colors.

King Pet

Pretty sure this is the same ROM as the 8-in-1 pets, but they've at least gone to the trouble of branding the packaging differently. The package art is pretty cute though!

Unbeliveably, I managed to find a review of this one here: http://dk.toastednet.org/www.berrymarket.fc2web.com/archives/tamagotchi/kingpet.htm

And here is a Russian video going over gameplay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5cvuFv-R7U

Magic Pet

Mini pets

I wish I had gotten a better picture of this one--it's got a red dinosaur cover that seems to flip up to reveal the LCD screen.

Moon Dragon Technologies

There are a few toys made by this company on AliExpress that I have tried to find info about. They're marketed towards boys and seem similar to Digimon--some of them even seem to come with trading cards. A few of them seem to be tied to some Chinese mobile games.

Menglong Locke Kingdom Battle

Here's a link to the product page:

The AliExpress description for these is actually quite extensive and includes screenshots from the game manuals. I've saved them as a PDF for future reference here:
File:MenglongLockeKingdomInstructions.pdf

Mon Compangnon Virtuel

Mr. Dino

My Pet Bobby

Lol, this one is CLEARLY a very bad Tamagotchi knock off. Just look at those screens!

My Pet Cat

This one pops up semi-regularly. At first I thought it was a Nano clone, but after finding some packaging, it seems this was wrong. This one, for some unknown reason, allows you to feed your pet alchohol?!?!?!?!

My Virtual Pet

The instructions on the packaging hold nothing back on this one. As it says, if your pet dies you need to learn to grow up. It also apparently has two pets inside: A dinosaur and a puppy.

New Tamago Watch

No name Frog

This was on ebay from a seller that was outside of the US and had several European toys, so this may not have originally been sold in the states. The graphics shown in the pictures below all look very similar to my Johnny Alien pet, and I know that there were various iterations of those. Was there ever a Johnny Frog?

Nyan Nyan Monogatari

I have only the seller's title to go by for the name of this thing, so it may be incorrect.

Ocean Discovery

Some asshole on Ebay has a boxfull of these and is trying to sell them off at $120 each. Good luck with that.

Octogotchi

Another 8-in-1 in different packaging:

OctoPets

VirtualPets has a guide for this one here: | OctoPet 8-in-1

Omni Pets 8-in-1

Never seen this one before, but it popped up on ebay while I was looking around:

Panda 3-in-1

I'm betting the programming on this matches my 8-in-1, but the case is cute!

"Pokemon"

This is almost certainly not a licensed product. But my absolute favorite part of this pet is the back, where in lieu of marketing copy or instructions, they straight up put a logical circuit diagram. Beautiful. Of course, the best part of this is that it reveals that if you hold B & C while booting the toy up, it goes into "Production test" mode. I wonder what that is?

UPDATE: I've found some additional photos online of similar cases, and they appear to have what I think of as the "Atari 69-in-1" rom that I have on my fake Dinkie. I suspect this one is the same, which means I ought to try starting it up while holding the buttons to see if that Production Test mode works on it.

Red Godzilla

Teletubbies 3-in-1

What IS this thing?!?!?! Why is it so weird and offputting?!?!?! It literally looks like a factory in China had leftover parts from two different toys and decided to throw them together so they didn't go to waste. I'm curious as to what it does, but I also DO NOT WANT ONE IN MY HOUSE

T-rex

Ugachaka


The text on the back on this one reads "Made for Alga United," which is a grocery chain.

Unknown Micro Dino Clone

Here's some packaging for this one:

Unknown Nano Clone

Smart-Pet

Colors: white, red

The writing on this one is the same font as the 8-in-1, and it also has 8 pets, so I'm guessing it's the same rom.

Glaze Inc. Dinopet

This one functions like a Tamagotchi clone. It has two games on it: The left-right game, and the high-low game, and also includes weather. The programming does seem to be original, but it's kind of a mis-mash of a bunch of different pets put together. The stats use meters, and the adult sprites look like they've been stolen from MGA. There also seem to be a variety of shell designs--not just colors, but some I've seen with the Tamagotchi Lost World shell, and others are just generic egg-shaped ones. There's a link below with a video that shows the instructions, so I've transcribed them as best I can.

  File:Dinopet Transcribed Instructions.pdf

Icons:

Text review here: https://tamagotchi.dreamwidth.org/tag/dinopet 

 Gallery
Videos

Virtual Pets

I challenge you to create a more generic name for a vpet

No Name

Unfortunately there was no packaging with this one, so I have nothing to go on other than the fact that it has what looks like a stolen Hanna-Barbara character on the front.

I'm sure this one says something helpful on the front, but unfortunately I can't read it

Likewise here, besides the "Dragon" part, which seems to just be flair text. I'll bet anything it's a dino, though!

What is this thing? It's so weird looking!

"Virtual Pet Keychain" is a 32-in-1 that I don't really consider to be a name; it's too generic.

"Electronic Pet." I guess the shell is a cute color, though.

I swear I've seen this same packaging design, but for a dino pet. I'd love to have a frog pet, though--they should have made more of them!

Links to other VPet sites

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