It all comes back to the egg… In honour of Pokémon Day, we’re once again taking an askew look at the biggest franchise in games, this time by showcasing two properties that are often (and perhaps unfairly) compared against it. Sam leaps from your keychain and beeps aggressively to give an essential timeline on Tamagotchi, explaining the lore and dispelling the myths, while Kit (@kitenby) wrangles with the wild history of Digimon and its wealth of spin-off media. There’s also plenty discussed on the common link with parent company Bandai, and the wider bubble of the virtual pet craze of the late 90s. Digi-tastic!
Find us at http://gamertime.online
Bluesky: @gamertime.online (@sammycrow, @fewbat)
Backloggd: @GamerEraPodcast (@sammycrow, @fewbat)
Topics discussed: Bandai, Tamagotchi, the Sega Dreamcast VMU, Pokémon Pocket Pikachu, the Pokémon Mini; Digimon V-Pets, Digimon Adventure, Digimon World, Digimon: The Movie, Digimon Survive
Also mentioned: Metaphor: ReFantazio, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, Donkey Kong Country (TV series), Anbernic handhelds; the Apple Pippin Atmark, vTech v.Smile, Osutchi & Mesutchi, Santaclautch; NiGHTS into Dreams, Chao Garden, Seaman, the Sony PocketStation, Hey You! Pikachu, the Pokéwalker, Skillz (UK magazine), Professor Sherry Turkle; the WonderSwan, 4-Kids, Saban Productions, Angela Anaconda, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Music used:
- PokĂ©mon Stadium Opening – Masafumi Kawamura, Junichi Matsuda
- Menu Music 3 (“Okay Fellas”) [from “International Superstar Soccer 2000”] – Kazuhiko Uehara
- Tamagotchi (Tschoopapa…) – Sqeezer
- Join Us 4 Happy Time [from “Sonic Adventure”] – Fumie Kumatani
- PokĂ©walker [from “PokĂ©mon HeartGold/SoulSilver”] – Junichi Masuda, Shota Kageyama
- Digi Rap [from “Digimon: The Movie”] – M.C. Pea Pod, Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
- File City Day [from “Digimon World”] – Koji Yamada, Yuko Ishii,
- Hey Digimon [from “Digimon: The Movie”] – Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
- Brave Heart [from “Digimon Adventure”] – Ayumi Miyazaki, ĹŚta Michihiko
Further reading:
- “the tale of tamagotchi: the never-ending rabbit hole.” (planetclue, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQHU9m90VLU
- “The CRAZY History Of Tamagotchi” (Retro Dodo, 2023): https://youtu.be/VmJresLF3ho?si=zAa40gi27pPIdLg7
- “A Complete History of Digimon Virtual Pets” (Lost in Translationmon, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKk7WNz6SmI