Bob: There is little to compare Tickle Me Elmo and Tamagotchi, in my
view. The latter was a specific trademarked stuffed doll marketed
exclusively by Tyco Toys (now a component of Mattel). The same
applies to Cabbage Patch Kids- nationally marketed first by Coleco
(who acquired it from a small time producer) during the craze phase,
then by Hasbro, and now a Mattel property. Cabbage Patch suffered
during its Hasbro history. Meanwhile, Mattel has breathed new life
into the product.
On the other hand, "Tamagotchi" has apparently come to signify, in a
generic sense, any and all pocket sized virtual pets. The major
producers are Bandai, Playmates Toys(Nano Pals), and Tiger
Electronics(Giga Pets). The latter is reportedly a private company.
There seem to be countless knock-offs which the public and press
now refer to as "Tamagotchi" (presumably "little egg", in Japanese).
You ask about the company in general. You state, "...from what
I gather, this company is losing some major bucks for what they
have to offer. Am I correct in this?"
If you might, could you elaborate? Are you saying that Bandai is
presently losing money from its current operations including
Tamagotchi? If that is the case, you are certainly privy to
information we all would like to know about here. |
