Morrison Entertainment Group (MEG) is gearing up to bring its ’90s collectible toy line Monster in My Pocket to life as a live-action TV series, partnering with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios (Cobra Kai, Bel-Air) and Altar Rock Pictures (founded by former Hasbro president Brian Goldner).

The adaptation is in very early development, but will feature “regular people thrown into a fantastic conflict,” according to MEG’s website.  

Mattel alums Joe Morrison and John Weems launched the Monster in My Pocket brand with Matchbox in 1990. Its toy line features more than 220 collectible creatures drawn from mythology, fairy tales and science fiction. MEG has sold more than 500 million units to date, spanning 14 waves of figures from its first run in the ’90s and a brand relaunch in 2006. 

Monster in My Pocket was previously turned into a video game (Konami), comic books (Harvey Comics) and a 2D-animated Halloween special from Hanna-Barbera called Monster in My Pocket: The Big Scream (1992). 

Over the years, MEG has also branched out from the core collectibles brand with sub-brands including Puppy in My Pocket, Kitty in My Pocket and Jungle in My Pocket. Florida-based Just Play controls the master toy rights to these offshoots and relaunched all three at retail in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Americas in 2016.