MGA Entertainment is adding a working miniature television set to its Miniverse collectible range. The Miniverse Real TV Player and Video Tapes line is available now at shop.mgae.com, with additional retail availability expected later this month.
The player set bundles a tiny retro red television, an exclusive videotape and a video display case. Users load a tape into the TV, press play and watch a 30-second clip taken from a show or film; MGA describes the television as fully functional once a tape is inserted.
More than 30 tapes at launch
At launch, collectors can find more than 30 Miniverse Real TV Video Tapes. The clips are licensed from NBCUniversal properties, including:
- Shrek
- Kung Fu Panda
- Back to the Future
- Casper
- The Good Place
- The Office
- Saved by the Bell
The company says additional titles are part of the lineup.
Like other Miniverse collections, the set can grow through mystery capsules sold separately. Each capsule holds three mini videotapes sized to fit the TV, along with a mini keychain and a case for carrying a favorite tape.
Physical media as a play pattern
Josh Hackbarth, chief marketing officer at MGA Entertainment, said the screen may be tiny but the idea behind it is not. He described the line as a way to turn familiar movies and shows into a collection that fans can literally press play on, adding that much of the appeal lies in choosing a tape, inserting it and watching an iconic scene — a ritual he links to renewed interest in physical media. He characterized the result as nostalgia combined with real functionality.
The line is aimed at children ages 8 and up. MGA directs consumers to shop.mgae.com for more information.