The Database of Fake and Generic Virtual Pets

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Penguin-keeper

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Fake Tamagotchis and generic virtual pets occupy a strange place in the virtual pets fandom - they can be a common pitfall for newcomers, but they also sometimes have appeal to enthusiasts who know what they are and who specifically want to add something weird to their collection.

Then I realised that, although there are several TamaTalk members who discuss and/or own such devices, we don't have a database of them that others can check out in order to learn more about the suspicious offering that they saw on eBay, or that oddball creation that somebody was happy about adding to their collection the other day.

So let's make one, and let's use the following format for it;

[Picture goes here.]
Name: Name goes here. If one does not exist, use a defining trait or an auction title - for example "Green, tomato-shaped generic virtual pet" or "Funny happy lovely designer retro nostalgic handheld pet game 1990s intelligence toy gift".
Type: Fake or Generic - delete as applicable.
Notes: Brief information about the pet goes here. Delete this line if there is nothing of note to say.

You can copy the format from here and paste it into your own posts;

Code:
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Type:[/b] Fake or Generic
[b]Notes:[/b]
Remember that a fake/counterfeit is an item that is in some way trying to fool someone into thinking that it is something else, whereas a generic item may be a workalike but it isn't trying to decieve anybody. This thread is not for virtual pets from known "families" like Gyaoppi, Akachan, Dinkie, Hitorikko, and so on.

For the purposes of making this a useful reference, please follow the provided format, and please don't discuss the devices here - especially counterfeits, which tend to attract large amounts of discussion. For discussion of counterfeit Tamagotchis, please refer to @KidRetro64's epic thread "Fake Tamagotchis Are All over the Internet", which is TamaTalk's hottest place to discuss fake devices and unusual bootlegs. ;)  

Now let's get started!

csFBegs.jpg

Name: Tamagotchi Connection
Type: Fake
Notes: Possibly the most widespread counterfeit Tamagotchi of all time! It has four buttons instead of the genuine article's three, and uses generic 168 in 1 software that is commonly referred to by virtual pet enthusiasts as the "Bunny ROM", due to many eBay photographs of these devices showing a rabbit on-screen. If you're looking to buy virtual pets online, you will inevitably run into these infamous fakes sooner or later - most likely sooner.

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FGrhWDJ.jpg

Name: Cyber Pet 168 in 1
Type: Generic
Notes: Also available in heart and apple shapes. The heart-shaped version is also sold by Keycraft Global as "Digi Pets". The box-art appears to imply that you can choose Slush the Husky (from the Ty Beanie Boos toy-line) and Abu the monkey (from the SNES version of the Disney's Aladdin video game) as pets on this device, but they are not part of the software. Uses the same 168 in 1 "Bunny ROM" software as the common four-button Tamagotchi Connection counterfeits. Distributed in the UK by the long-established toys and giftwares company PMS International.

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yPoMQMk.jpg

Name: Virtual PETs
Type: Generic
Notes: A multi-pet from the long-established toys and giftwares company Funtime Gifts, which is available in 32-in-1 and 49-in-1 versions. The clock on these virtual pets gains time rapidly, making them almost impossible to raise to adulthood. These were sold in British high-street stores such as Hawkin's Bazaar.

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9xet04p.jpg

Name: Virtual PETS - Tamagotchi Connection
Type: Fake
Notes: This is the standard 168 in 1 Tamagotchi Connection counterfeit, apparently this time from a company called Aquarius, but it's sold in packaging that steals its text from Funtime Gifts' generic Virtual PETs - even down to erroneously claiming that the fake Tamagotchi Connection is a 49-in-1 device. This virtual pet is therefore trying to fool people into thinking that it's two different things at once!

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9CTz0d4.jpg

Name: Digi Pets
Type: Generic
Notes: Also sold by PMS International as the heart-shaped version of the "Cyber Pet 168 in 1". Uses the same 168 in 1 "Bunny ROM" software as the common four-button Tamagotchi Connection counterfeits. Distributed in the UK by the long-established impulse-buy toy company Keycraft Global.

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QHMKH5t.jpg

Name: 49 in 1 Cyber Pet
Type: Generic
Notes: Uses the same 168 in 1 "Bunny ROM" software as the common four-button Tamagotchi Connection counterfeits. Uses the same shell as the common four-button Tamagotchi Connection counterfeits, but with a generic "Cyber Pet" logo. The packaging erroneously claims that this is a 49 in 1 device.

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2Hmwx2U.jpg

Name: Dinkie Dinoa
Type: Fake
Notes: A 24 in 1 pet that is sold in a convincing copy of the legitimate Dinkie Dino packaging. The pet itself is housed inside a convincing copy of the legitimate Dinkie Dino shell. The logo on the shell misspells the name as "Dinkie Dinoa".

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iqZWv73.jpg

Name: House-shaped generic virtual pet
Type: Generic
Notes: Uses the same 168 in 1 "Bunny ROM" software as the common four-button Tamagotchi Connection counterfeits.

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Please contribute to this list if you can - let's make this a great resource for newcomers and experienced collectors alike!

 
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* you can read quoted post in full immediately above this post* (removed to save data space)
Thank you so much for the reference! It’s very much appreciated :D

This thread is excellent! You include loads of off-branded virtual pets, some that even I didn’t know about! Well Done- This is a really good topic! 👍

 
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Thank you so much for the reference! It’s very much appreciated :D
You're welcome! Your fakes-warning thread is superb, so it should definitely be the place to point people to if they want to discuss some of the oddities from this one.

This thread is excellent! You include loads of off-branded virtual pets, some that even I didn’t know about! Well Done- This is a really good topic! 👍
Thanks very much! :D Hopefully this thread will pick up steam soon - I know that there are a few folks on TamaTalk who really know their stuff about odd bootlegs, and that would be great knowledge to have in here!

 
Thanks guys! :D

I've got a new virtual pet to add to the list today - another generic one, this time.

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XYVwuKA.jpg

Name: Cyber Pet (32 in 1)
Type: Generic
Notes: This is the same virtual pet as the 32-in-1 version of Funtime Gifts' "Virtual PETs", but in a different shell. The clock on these virtual pets gains time very quickly, leading to their schedule going out-of-sync with that of their owner. Sold by The Source Wholesale under their "#winning" brand in UK high-street stores such as Menkind.

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Paging @InCyberspace and @OneSummerDream - I think that your knowledge of oddball bootlegs might be helpful in here! ;)

 
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Man it's too bad that rom sucks because that shell design is actually pretty cool.
I agree. The features on it are actually pretty fun, and the 32 creatures offered all look nice, too - the only problem seems to be the clock. I can only assume that it was originally programmed for a different processor that didn't cause the clock to run too fast!

 
Someone just dropped this amusing picture in the collectors Discord:

image0.png


Name: Ucla Virtual Pet ("TOYS")

Type: Generic

Notes: Looks like it's the same shell design as some of the other fakes, but it says "Ucla" for some reason, lol. Looking forward to the MIT Tamagotchi  :p

 
I have a few contributions. Here’s some with the Jia Yuan programming:

F9-FF5-D6-B-952-F-41-D9-A313-FDFD85-E920-B0.png


A11-C1-EB7-8-D83-4-AAA-94-CF-18-DEE4538-BEF.png


3518-C862-8623-4-B08-A1-CA-00-E18-F03-FBE3.png


The fake Tamagotchi tag on Instagram is a goldmine. I saw a pic on there with these fake Connections being sold in a Gachapon machine. 

Here’s a mutant Takotchi thing with the 49-in-1 programming:

5-EC22-BE2-09-E7-4-BE2-97-A2-1-DB37-A79-FB1-E.jpg


194-D74-F0-7-FBE-4307-8-A87-0-D511-BBCF9-B6.png


I have a fake with similar packaging that says it’s by Lanjingling with the same programming, so that’s probably who make it. Say, does anyone think it would be best to make a general virtual pets Wiki? That would make it easier to organize and allow others to edit (which has its ups and downs, but you know).

 
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Say, does anyone think it would be best to make a general virtual pets Wiki? That would make it easier to organize and allow others to edit (which has its ups and downs, but you know).
If it's something that you guys want to do, go for it! I've got no interest in maintaining a wiki myself, though, which is why I just made this one a forum-based "database". ;)

 
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Sorry if this is wrong but....

Name: Egg Tamagotchi

Type: Generic

Notes: Appears to be the Bunny ROM, with an egg as a packaging.

It's actually a counterfeit, since it's the "Tamagotchi Connection" fake that's being sold here, but yep, that's pretty much a perfect addition to the list. :D Thanks!

 
I have some to add...

Name: Varies, usually “Digital Pet Pen”

Type: Generic

Notes: Standard Bunny ROM, contains a working ball point pen near the base.

af483788-bc97-44f8-8759-f39d1a98b6f4_1.6d99482d63c94acb1e341ff578810f97.jpeg


Name: Touma Pet (?, the amazon name was very long)

Type: Fake

Notes: Doesn’t use batteries but rather a recharge function, is able to connect. (not sure if it can connect to standard color tamas)

0FAD32DA2E6341FF9361.jpeg


 
It’s actually a clone of the 24-in-1 Smart Baby and Pets, which in turn is a Gyaoppi clone.
Seriously?! :eek: The stock pictures always make this look like it's just the common 168-in-1 ROM! (I had no idea that any Gyaoppi clones existed, and certainly not this long after their heyday.)

This is awesome information - thanks very much for that! :D

Unlike the two different bunny roms (one also being a generic Gyaoppi), the pets on this have actual growth stages.
There's another bunny ROM?! :lol:

Man, stuff like this is exactly why I created this thread. This is great info - please tell me more about this.

 
Seriously?! :eek: The stock pictures always make this look like it's just the common 168-in-1 ROM! (I had no idea that any Gyaoppi clones existed, and certainly not this long after their heyday.)

This is awesome information - thanks very much for that! :D

There's another bunny ROM?! :lol:

Man, stuff like this is exactly why I created this thread. This is great info - please tell me more about this.
There are a few fake Gyaoppis out there, mostly from Russia oddly enough. The second bunny rom is even worse than the normal one and is a clone of an 8-in-1 pet that also copies Gyaoppi, which features similar graphics to both aforementioned fakes... 

 
There are a few fake Gyaoppis out there, mostly from Russia oddly enough. The second bunny rom is even worse than the normal one and is a clone of an 8-in-1 pet that also copies Gyaoppi, which features similar graphics to both aforementioned fakes... 
I knew that the 168-in-1 Bunny ROM has a lot of stolen graphics, but I didn't realise that this was the source of some of them. The instructions for the second Bunny ROM are sometimes provided with virtual pets running the other one, incidentally - my Cyber Pet 168 in 1 (as seen in the first post) came with them, and was full of references to meters that don't exist and things like the dancing "game" and rock/paper/scissors.

I've heard of the 8-in-1 pet, and almost picked one up on eBay some time ago but then never got around to it.

It's fascinating to learn more about both of these! I didn't know that anyone had cloned the Gyaoppi family. :p

 
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