# Tamagotchi

> Bandai’s virtual pet reached 40 million reported sales after queues and school bans.

- Owner: Bandai; co-developed with WiZ
- Kind: Product
- Sector: Toys & collectibles
- Seed date: 1996-10-10
- Peak proxy date: Jun 1997
- Date basis: Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 48 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Scarcity drop, Visible in use, Controversy, Platform jump, Dupe economy

## Summary

Bandai test-sold Tamagotchi before its general Japanese release, then expanded to the US amid sell-outs. Fan websites and school restrictions made news. TIME reported 40 million sold by October 1998; Bandai recorded that many original-run shipments through March 1999.

## Timeline

- 1996-10-10 — Bandai / WiZ (Retail) — Bandai began test sales of Tamagotchi before its general release.
- 1996-11-23 — Bandai / WiZ (Retail) — Bandai released Tamagotchi for general sale in Japan.
- 1997-01-22 — Reuters / CNNfn (Press) — Reuters reported that buyers included schoolchildren, office workers and middle-aged men.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/tamagotchi

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Tamagotchi.” Case HIS-01222. Spread Score v1.2: 48/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01222