Ganbare!! Ryuuta-kun

This little watch pet is probably one of the cutest dinosaur virtual pets to ever exist. It goes from one chubby dino stage to the next, never decreasing in cuteness along the way. The problem? It dies easily for some reason :( It has the exact same programming as the Honey Bear, but for some odd reason if you don't pay super careful attention to it, it will die. I've actually run it a few times and have never successfully made it to adulthood. I even had it right next to me a few times and it would die randomly. It's kinda like an Oceangotchi in that regard. Other than that unfortunate detail, it is actually one of the cutest virtual pets I own. Here is a video for those who are having trouble understanding how to work this pet, because I've noticed that many people were having a hard time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM239MnRTcg

Here are some photos of the one I own:






Price:

These aren't particularly rare pets. I think I got mine for around $18. They still go for about this much and come in all kinds of different color shell designs. There are some that are just a keychain and others that are a watch, like this one. They can run from anywhere between $10-30. Keep your eye out for a cheap one out of package :)

Tata-Puppy and Tee-tee Kitty (aka Double Nano)

This virtual pet is a little odd. On the surface it has the same shell as a common Akachan or MGA Dino, but it's guts are all nano. It is basically exactly like a Nano virtual pet with a nano puppy and a nano kitty. The only difference is that the animations are a teensy tiny bit different. For instance, the cat is white instead of black. I'm not sure who manufactured this virtual pet, but it is not a true Tata Puppy or Teetee Kitty. The cool thing is you can take care of them at the same time and I personally like the shell a lot better than the recent wave of nano shells that were produced around 2004-2005. I don't know if they come in different colors or what.

Here are some pictures of the one I own:

Price:

So I got this one used on ebay for about $18. Because it was used I'm not entirely sure what the package is supposed to look like. I've seen a few of the exact same one for the exact same price every now and again. Perhaps the seller has a lot they are selling or something. Grab it while you can because this is a steal in my opinion!

Growth chart and directions:

They should be the exact same as any Nano kitty or puppy :) Click on the animation above to be taken to a website with directions.

Tata Puppy

The Tata Puppy is an MGA programming pet. It is similar to the MGA Bear I've seen in terms of it's animations. It is a pretty basic pet with all the basic functions such as health meter, eating, playing and discipline. It's animations are very much like a nano in how it moves and the scenery in the background. It's meters are more like a health bar you fill up, rather than little hearts or happy faces that get filled on many other pets. I would say it is fairly easy to take care of. It never died when I played with it for a few weeks. It actually a really cute growth pattern. It went from a puppy with long ears to a sort of Shiba Inu type of breed with a curly tail. The growth pattern wasn't very logical because instead of growing, it would basically just turn into a different breed of dog, looking nothing like the previous. I didn't mind this because it was cute either way and it was always a surprise what it would transform into. I'm not sure if the growth patterns are different depending on how you care for him. I will have to raise him again to find out if he turns into the exact same thing every time or not. Another odd thing I noticed is that you have to press a certain button to activate the first icon, and only after you activate that icon can you scroll through the others using the select buttons. Not sure why it's set up this way, but it makes things kind of confusing, especially if you're used to regular virtual pet buttons. I don't know if he comes in any other colors of this shell design, but I have seen him in different shaped shells with a different name, such as "My Puppy" or something similar. I don't see him very often on eBay, so I'm going to take a wild guess and say he is sort of rare. My sister gave me this one and I'm not sure where she got it.

Here are some pictures of the one I have:

Price:

Since my sister gave me this one, I'm not sure how much it really costs. Most MGA pets seem to go for around $20-40, so I would estimate somewhere in that area.

Talking Nano

The Talking Nano was released near the end of the virtual pets craze in the late 90's. It came out after the regular Nanos came out and it includes some unique features. Admittedly, I haven't really played this one because my sister just gave it to me, but from what I remember of my cousin playing with one, the pet is basically just a face that shows different expressions and literally talks to you to tell you what she needs. The shell is far bigger than the average vintage virtual pet and made of a very sturdy pearlescent material, kind of like a Tamagotchi Angel. It has a flush screen and large pixels, with no icons. I believe it takes AAA batteries. It is very vocal and seemed a bit annoying, but it's also a very unique pet. Apparently it is not very commonly available online. I will update with a more comprehensive review once I get around to playing with it. I think it came in three characters: kitty, puppy and baby.

Here are some pictures of the one I own:








Size comparison photos between a Talking Nano and a regular sized 2nd wave nano from the 2000's:

Price:

These aren't too common, so from what I've seen on ebay they can run between $50-150. If you can find one for under $50 then you should definitely snag it up!

Growth Chart:

I'm not sure if these even grow.

Nano Salon

Is it a virtual "pet"? I would say, no. It's more like a fashion accessory. Firstly, it is shaped kind of like a vintage Polly Pocket compact, and when you open it up it has a little mirror inside. So you really could carry it around and use it as a compact mirror, albeit it's a little bit heavy for that. That said, it has some features that involve a pixelated sprite type character. Basically, you use the buttons (which are shaped like different types of makeup) to customize a little sprite. It's pretty cute and probably more suitable for a little kid who doesn't understand how to raise a pet. I don't really remember much else about it, so I'll leave it at that and update with a more thorough review later.

Here are some pictures of the one my sister gave me:

Price:

From what I'm seeing on Amazon and eBay, the Nano Salon tends to run for about $35-45 in package. That seems about right to me since it's sort of a rare item.

Growth and Character Charts:

I don't believe this "pet" grows at all. I assume you can customize it to look how you want depending on the options available, so there's no particular way things "should" look :)

Diaper Dancer

Again, what is it? It's not really a "pet", per se. I think it's just a little digital friend you can carry around with you. It giggles and cries I think. It was my sister's and she recently gave it to me, so I will have to play with it to do a more in depth review later. I just remember that basically the sole purpose of it was just to make it dance and it was pretty cute. You don't raise it or anything like you would a normal virtual pet. It did come with a cute lanyard though! I'm not sure if it came in any other colors or shapes.

Here are some pictures of the one my sister gave me:

Price:

From what I'm seeing online, it looks like it runs for about about $20, and it's very rare because there is only one available on Amazon. The question is whether it's worth buying ;)

Growth Chart:

I'm not sure if this thing grows. I don't think it does.