For three decades, British Tamagotchi fans have bought their pets the same way they buy most things: online, or from whichever toy shop happened to have a shelf free. That changes on 6 November, when Bandai Namco opens the brand's first dedicated UK pop-up at 60 Broadwick Street in Soho, London.
It runs until 31 December, and entry is free.
What's actually in there
The headline items are the ones you cannot get anywhere else. Two shells lead the range: a Tamagotchi Destination UK design and a 30th Anniversary design, both made for the shop. Tama Space is exclusive to Broadwick Street too, alongside a run of London-themed merchandise that includes pins, patches, stickers, tote bags and apparel.
Around those sit the things fans will recognise. SunStar Tamagotchi stickers, Nui plush in an exclusive London design, Shokugan key chains and collectable figures, Tamagotchi bath bombs, and Nanoblock sets. Four current device lines are stocked: Original, which recreates the 1996 egg; Nano, the smaller pocket version; Connection, first sold in 2004 and brought back in 2024 for its 20th anniversary; and Paradise, which arrived internationally in July 2025 with a zoom dial for peering into your pet's world.
Stock is expected to shift across the eight-week run. Bandai Namco says new products will be added to the shelves as the shop goes, with announcements going out on the Tamagotchi social channels, and there will be regular giveaways for prizes.
Why London, and why now
The timing is not accidental. Tamagotchi's official anniversary falls on 23 November, exactly thirty years after the first eggs went on sale in Japan in 1996. The UK's own anniversary lands later, in May 2027, so a British shop opening in early November sits slightly ahead of the party rather than behind it.
"We are very excited about opening the first ever Tamagotchi Pop-Up in the UK," said Kazu Kojima, Commercial Director at Bandai Namco. "As well as offering an immersive and exclusive space for Tamagotchi fans to enjoy and experience, the pop-up will have many limited-edition items which are not available anywhere else."
He added that the London opening is "testament to the popularity of the brand in the UK" and a way to bring a growing fan base into the anniversary year.
If you're going
The shop opens to the public at 11am on Friday 6 November, after a preview for invited guests the day before. Opening hours are 11am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 8pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. The address is 60 Broadwick Street, London W1F 7AN, a short walk from Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.
A word of caution for anyone planning a trip around a specific exclusive: pop-ups of this kind restock unpredictably, and the anniversary shells are the obvious first things to go. Check the Tamagotchi social channels before travelling, and treat the first weekend as the busiest.
The bigger picture
A single shop in Soho will not change how most people buy a Tamagotchi. But it is a useful signal. For a brand that has spent the past decade experimenting with colour, collabs and connected play, putting real floor space in one of London's busiest shopping districts suggests Bandai Namco sees the UK as more than a distribution territory. Thirty years in, the egg is being treated like a proper retail brand.
If you make it down, the Destination UK shell is the one worth queuing for. It will not be sold online, and it will not be sold again.