Digital Monster (virtual pet) facts for kids
The Digital Monster is a cool digital pet toy made by Bandai in 1997. It was like a boy version of the Tamagotchi virtual pet! This toy started the whole Digimon world, which includes TV shows, movies, and video games. Unlike other virtual pets, your Digimon could fight and connect with other Digimon toys.
The first Digital Monster toy sold over 14 million units around the world by 2004. By 2005, more than 24 million units had been sold! That's a lot of Digimon. In 2017, a special 20th anniversary edition was released in Japan. This version let you choose from many different Digimon eggs. A worldwide version came out in 2019.
Contents
How to Play with Your Digimon
Playing with your Digital Monster involves several fun activities:
- You can check your Digimon's status. This includes its age, weight, strength, how hungry it is, and its energy levels.
- You need to feed your Digimon. This makes it full, strong, and energetic.
- Training helps your Digimon lose weight and get stronger.
- In battle mode, you can link your toy with a friend's Digimon. Then, your Digimon can fight each other!
- You must clean up your Digimon's droppings. If you don't, your Digimon might get sick.
- Remember to turn off the light when your Digimon sleeps. If you leave the light on, your Digimon won't grow as strong.
- If your Digimon gets sick or hurt in a battle, you need to heal it. It can't fight again until it's healthy.
How the Device Works
The original Digital Monster toy has three buttons and one reset button. The reset button is on the right side of the screen.
- The top "A" button helps you scroll through icons and choices on the screen.
- The middle "B" button selects the option you want.
- The bottom "C" button cancels whatever is on the screen.
- If you press "A" and "C" at the same time, you can turn the sound on or off.
- You need a pen or a thin object to press the tiny reset button.
Changes for the US Market
When the Digital Monster toy came to the United States, some things were changed. For example, the idea of Digimon "dying" was softened. Instead, they would "return to a fictional world" called the "Megalithic Mainframe." Some Digimon names were also changed. For instance, Devimon became Darkmon, and Monzaemon became Teddymon. However, these new names were not used in later Digimon games or TV shows.
Digimon Pendulum Toys
The Digimon Pendulum series was a new line of virtual pets released in 1998. These toys had even higher evolution levels for your Digimon. They also introduced a cool feature called "Jogress." This allowed certain types of Digimon to combine and become a new, stronger Digimon! The Pendulum toys also had a special sensor that counted how many times you shook the device.
Original Pendulum Series
Five main versions of the Digimon Pendulum were released:
- Version 1: Nature Spirit
- Version 2: Deep Savers
- Version 3: Nightmare Soldier
- Version 4: Wind Guardian
- Version 5: Metal Empire
Each of these also had a 0.5 version with slightly different characters. Later, a Version 0 called Virus Busters was also released.
Pendulum Progress Series
The Pendulum Progress toys were an upgrade to the original Pendulum series. There were three of these. They had more Digimon characters to raise and kept the pendulum shaking feature. A new feature was that your Digimon could fight computer-controlled monsters. You didn't always need to link up with another device to battle.
Pendulum X Series
The Pendulum X series came out in 2003. These toys combined the pet-raising fun with elements from role-playing games (RPGs). The Pendulum X toys also came with a story called Digimon Chronicle. This story was told through text and short manga comics in the toy's booklets.
Story of Digimon Chronicle
In the Digimon Chronicle story, a super smart computer named Yggdrasil controls the Digital World. Too many Digimon started to appear, and Yggdrasil couldn't handle them all. This caused a big problem called the Digital Hazard. So, Yggdrasil created a "New Digital World" with three layers: Urd (past), Versandi (present), and Skuld (future).
Yggdrasil then tried to get rid of Digimon it didn't want using something called the X Program. But some Digimon adapted! They gained a special program called the X-Antibody. This made them stronger, changed their looks, and protected them from the X Program. Yggdrasil sent out the thirteen Royal Knights to keep order.
Later, three human boys named Kouta, Yuuji, and Shinji found their way into the Digital World. They met their partner Digimon: Dorumon, Ryuudamon, and Omnimon X. Kouta and Yuuji fought against Yggdrasil and the Royal Knights. Shinji, however, sided with the computer. In 2019, a sequel manga called "Digimon Chronicle X" was released. It showed the Royal Knights and Seven Great Demon Lords fighting in their X forms.
Digimon Mini
The Digimon Mini toys look like the original Digital Monsters but are much smaller. They have fewer characters and simpler functions. For example, you can't see a detailed status screen for your Digimon's hunger. You just feed it when it seems hungry.
The Mini toys use a three-prong connector. This means they can connect with other Digimon toys like the Pendulum X, Digimon Accelerator, and Digimon iC. The third version of the Mini added more Digimon characters, increasing the total from 13 to 18.
WonderSwan Game
Digital Monster Ver. WonderSwan is a special Japanese handheld game. It was made for the WonderSwan game console. This game included all the original Digimon from the first four virtual pet toys and the first Pendulum device. In this game, you could have up to eight different Digimon with you at once. It also had computer opponents you could battle. You could connect two WonderSwan consoles with a special cable to play with a friend. You could even connect the game to your original Digimon virtual pet toys using a "dock N rock" connector!
- デジタルモンスター (Dejitaru Monsutā)
See also
In Spanish: Digimon Virtual Pet para niños
