It’s visible in almost every episode of The Simpsons, usually within the first few seconds of the opening credits. With a purple exterior, rabbit ear antennae, and dial knobs, the iconic cartoon family’s living room television set is instantly recognizable—if extremely outdated after over 35 years of loyal service. But while high-resolution LED and OLED flatscreens have long since replaced the boxy cathode ray tube TV, one DIY enthusiast over on the r/3Dprinting subreddit, recently found a way to combine the best of both worlds.
In a post uploaded on March 9th, fans can marvel at a custom miniature TV modeled after The Simpsons longtime statement piece. The equipment solely plays the first 11 seasons of the show across multiple channels at random. However, as its creator explained, the device also has an “extra trick up its sleeve.” By flipping a switch from Good to Evil on the back of the TV, users can switch from watching The Simpsons to playing it—specificially the sidescroll brawler arcade game released by Konami in 1991.
Powered by a Raspberry Pi 4b mini-computer and a handful of SSD cards, the TV box itself is the result of 3D printing along with “lots of primer and acrylic spray paint.” It also utilizes a low-cost HDMI screen originally designed as a replacement car display. The screen choice wasn’t only a matter of economics. The 4:3 aspect ratio is well suited for the show’s early seasons since they were aired with the same proportions.
Not content with a single stream of The Simpsons, the designer included four separate TV channels that are constantly playing to mimic a live broadcast. One of the TV knobs controls volume and features a push-to-mute option, while the second dial swaps between channels. There are even show-accurate TV static pauses when switching channels.
Specific schematics aren’t available yet, but judging from the responses on Reddit, it’s likely only a matter of time before design files are uploaded online. Until then, you’ll have to settle for vicariously basking in television’s warm glowing warming glow.
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