From the Toysit archive
MicroPets Series 1 and 2
Explore the original MicroPets through their Series I characters, sound-pattern responses and the 2002 collecting story, with a paper pet activity.
The play at a glance
Tiny pets with a big collecting story
MicroPets packed movement, sound and character into a toy small enough to sit in a palm. One pet could become a companion; several could become a little cast of characters.
Toysit’s October 3, 2002 report captured the excitement around the original collection and an announced second series. Today it is also a useful starting point for understanding how a simple sound pattern can feel like a conversation with a pet.
The Series I character families
The original report groups ten characters into five pairs. This is a map of the names in that report, rather than a guide to identifying every toy in the photograph.
- Dogs
- Moshi and Siren
- Cats
- Coco and Chumsley
- Bears
- Kuma and Bongo
- Bush Monsters
- Bob and Kuda
- Mountain Monsters
- Sumo and Yuk
Animal types and invented creatures sit side by side. The family names give players a way to organize a collection, while the imaginary island gives them a setting for stories.
What did voice response mean?
TOMY’s own retrospective describes a system that distinguished sound length: two short sounds, a short sound followed by a long one, the reverse order, or two long sounds. That supports a more precise reading of the old voice-response claim: the pattern of sound mattered.
This is different from understanding an unrestricted spoken request. A pet can seem to answer because a recognizable cue produces a response and the player supplies its meaning. Keep the 2002 originals separate from MicroPets-i and the later revival when looking for instructions.
Read the collecting story in its moment
The preserved report announces Series II and describes the first collection as retiring. It records the excitement and sales language of a holiday toy launch; it does not establish what any surviving example is worth.
A useful collection notebook can focus on things you can document: the character name on packaging, its colors, the label on the underside, and which accessories remain. Leave uncertain identifications open instead of letting a familiar name decide them.
Invent a paper pet’s sound code
- Draw your own pet and give it a name.
- Make four cards using a dot for a short cue and a line for a long cue: dot-dot, dot-line, line-dot and line-line.
- Assign one invented response to each card, such as turn, greet, rest or dance.
- One player shows a card while another moves the paper pet according to your key. You can also hum the patterns softly.
- Swap the order of the two symbols. Does the response change? Rewrite one rule and play again.
The responses are your design, not MicroPets commands. The game explores how a small set of signals can support many stories, with no original toy required.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The complete October 3, 2002 report remains below, including the character list and quotations attributed to Tomy’s Lon Ross. Urgency about buying, production ending, destroyed molds and future scarcity belongs to that historical announcement. Those statements have not been independently established as present-day availability or collectible-value guidance. The island setting and personalities are character fiction.
Micropets Become Hot Collectibles - Tomy Corporation Announced An Immediate Cease-Production on the Hottest Collectible Toy Trend This Year To Make Room For Series 2
MicroPets are just under two inch tall Robot Pets that you can give instructions with your own voice. They respond to and are great companions for kids of any age, from 5 to 95. But they're even more fun as a group. MicroPets work together and play together, responding to each other's voices, singing, playing, even getting upset when they're left out. Collect all 10 of them. Voice response system. Up to 18 different commands and functions. ears and front paws move up and down. MicroPets love to sing for you. Three different personality moods. Collect all 10, they play, sing and interact with each other.
If the red-hot MicroPets are on your kids holiday hit list, you'd better get them now. Award-winning MicroPets, a top pick on many upcoming 'Hot Holiday Toy' lists, is about to make history -- by becoming history. Tomy Corporation today announced that they have abruptly ceased production on their original character line of their super-selling toy phenomenon, MicroPets, the world's smallest collectible interactive pets, to gear up for immediate production of a second series.
The unexpected Series II MicroPets, which will include all new characters and genres of the pint-sized pals that stand only an inch and a half tall and fit into the palm of your hand, are rumored to be available at Toys 'R' Us stores as early as this December. Therefore, Series I MicroPets, which are already a hard-to-find collectors' item, will become nearly impossible to get as availability is now limited to what is currently on store shelves and possibly in stock at retailers.
'MicroPets have become a hugely popular item among kids and adults alike in a very short time, with several of the ten original characters selling out of major retailers worldwide since they hit stores in August,' said Lon Ross, Vice President of Marketing for Tomy Corporation. 'We've been bombarded with requests from fans for more MicroPets, so we're giving the people what they want by creating a Series II,' continued Ross. 'Unfortunately, that means we must immediately stop production of our original line to make room to manufacture the new characters that will expand the MicroPets brand. Fans won't be disappointed.'
Tomy Corporation, a global leader in the toy industry and the toy creators of the worldwide phenomenon, Pokemon, has also said that the master mold for the two 'Bush Monster' characters, Bob and Kuda, have been 'destroyed', therefore the character line will never be made again in any other form or in any of the upcoming Series. Based on precedent set by past toy craze trendsetters like the Beanie Babies and Tamagotchi, toy experts predict that the 'retirements' of these two characters will cause them to be the first cached by collectors, and quickly become the hardest to find.
MicroPets were launched in 2002 at a spectacular launch event at the Toys 'R' Us Times Square store with the help of celebrity Verne Troyer, best known as Dr. Evil's sidekick in the popular Austin Powers flicks. Facts About Series I MicroPets - A Collectors Guide: The original MicroPets collection includes dogs, cats, bears, bush monsters, and mountain monsters -- all of which come from a mystery island in Micronesia. Each has their own unique quirks, characteristics and personality, derived from their habitats on the island. Series I includes two of each breed, which are indigenous to a specific area of the island, and is reflected in their personality and living environment: Dogs - Moshi and Siren Cats - Coco and Chumsley Bears - Kuma and Bongo Bush Monsters - Bob and Kuda Mountain Monsters - Sumo and Yuk.
Sources and editorial notes
TOMY’s October 31, 2025 announcement includes a retrospective specifically describing the original 2002 MicroPets sound-length system. That historical section supports the explanation here; the newer product’s functions are not assigned to the original toys. A matching original instruction sheet was not recovered, so this page does not supply a command-to-action operating sequence. The Series I names come from Toysit’s preserved report; the small group photo is not used to identify individual characters. No toy was physically tested. The paper activity uses invented rules.
- TOMY: MicroPets history and later revival — October 31, 2025 manufacturer announcement; the final page distinguishes the 2002 originals from MicroPets-i.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
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