Tamagotchi Connection: Around the World

Originally released in 2004, the Tamagotchi Plus and Connection series became popular worldwide and remain revered by fans, but did you know that each model had slight differences depending on the region in which it released? This page will go more in depth about this and show you how you can tell which region your Tamagotchi Connection is from!

Tamagotchi Plus/Tamagotchi Connection V1

Tamagotchi Plus

This was the original Japan release, under the name Tamagotchi Plus. These units will always run in Japanese and although they came in a variety of shell designs, these designs do not have a logo on them (however, as you will see later on, this is not the only indicator that a tamagotchi is a Japanese Plus model). The battery cover will not have a battery warning sticker but instead will simply have a sticker with a series of numbers on it.

Tamagotchi Plus, showing Japanese menus [1]; the battery cover of a Tamagotchi Plus [2]

Tamagotchi Connection V1

This is where things can get a bit more confusing. The Tamagotchi Connection (retroactively known as the Tamagotchi Connection V1) was the international release of the Tamagotchi Plus. These all ran in English, with one exception which we will get to later on down this page. The shell designs differed between the regions in which they were released. Let's start with the most confusing one...

A Hong Kong Tamagotchi Plus, note the English menus.

Shortly after its Japan release, the Tamagotchi Plus also received a release in Hong Kong. These units were also called Tamagotchi Plus, and they shared the same shell designs as their Japanese counterparts, but the key difference is that these units run in English. Externally, these units look nearly identical to their Japanese counterparts, making them difficult to tell apart, but there's one more way to tell whether you have a Japanese or Hong Kong Tamagotchi Plus, which is the battery cover:

The battery cover of a Hong Kong Tamagotchi Plus.

As you can see, the battery cover differs from the Japanese model; it has a battery warning sticker with Chinese text.

Following that, the Tamagotchi Plus also received a European release; this was called Tamagotchi Connexion. These units also shared shell designs with their Japanese and Hong Kong counterparts, but they had a "Tamagotchi" logo on top.

A European Tamagotchi Connexion V1. Notice some text differences such as "Style" and "Gene."; the halo on the death screen is also only seen on the Hong Kong and European models and is absent from the North American and subsequent models.

Functionally, the Hong Kong and European models are identical. Unfortunately, I do not own an Australian model, but these are funcationally identical as well. If you ROM test them (press Reset + A+B+C all at the same time), they will be running the same ROM version.

The North American release was called Tamagotchi Connection and brought along a few differences such as an actual pause feature (the Tamagotchi Plus, as well as the Hong Kong and European models can only pause by setting the clock and leaving it on the set screen) and the ability to connect to other tamagotchi while still in the baby stage. There are also many text and animation differences between these models and the Hong Kong/European/Australian models. These also came in a variety of shell designs, which were not based off of Tamagotchi Plus designs but were instead completely new, and featured a "Tamagotchi Connection" logo at the top.

A North American Tamagotchi Connection showing the pause feature [1]; note text differences compared to the European model seen earlier [2]

Last but not least, the Tamagotchi Connection also received a release in Latin America. These models shared shell designs with the North American models, with the one key difference being that these units run in Spanish rather than English. These units also have some animation differences that are unique to this model, and an unusual ability for the matchmaker to bring along Nazotchi as a marriage partner (in fact, in my time running this model, I have never had the matchmaker bring any partners other than Nazotchi).

A Spanish-language Tamagotchi Connection.