I agree with the notion of having an “entry level Gotchi” that can act as a demo-version with some limitations and it would motivate you to go full in ( = take part in a haaunt / get a gotchi from the baazaar).
I wouldn’t bash the Haaunts though. They are an epic event in the history of the realm and not the only way to get a Gotchi …
(BTW, I also got mine from an opened portal on the Baazaar, since I joined about a month after the actual launch naively thinking I could still get a portal for 100GHST 
)
That being said, mass adoption could benefit from an entry level Gotchi - may it be completely F2P or at least available to buy for a symbolic price. There could be some “missions” for the Lil Gotchi that would explain the Aavegotchi gameplay basics / rules and monetary benefits.
E.g. you’d get a demo-gotchi for 10GHST, you could walk down a path of enlightenment, which would tell you your possible next steps at the end:
- wait for the next Haaunt
- take a look at the Baazaar
- … whatever incentive to come back regularly and “earn a discount for a baazaar gotchi” or whatever … (what do you think @dark_pet ? )