The videocassette emoji is a tiny VHS tape beamed in from the 80s/90s, smelling faintly of popcorn butter and late fees. People drop it when planning a retro movie night, flexing their love for analog aesthetics, or admitting they still have home videos labeled "DO NOT TAPE OVER." It screams nostalgia, cozy chaos, and the ancient ritual of "Be kind, rewind." In texts, it can wink at throwback vibes, low-res glitchcore, or that one cursed tape energy from The Ring.
On Apple/iOS, it’s a black, rectangular VHS-style cassette with two clear reel windows, a crisp white label across the middle, and subtle ridges and notches you can almost feel. The simple, straight-on look makes the twin spools super recognizable—instant "oh wow, that’s a VHS." Online, it doubles as shorthand for found footage, analog horror, vaporwave edits, or "release the tapes" drama when someone’s got receipts. It can be playful or sarcastic: Blockbuster-and-chill invites, boomer-energy jokes, or teasing a friend about their grainy camcorder era. Bonus association: the VHS vs. Betamax rivalry, tracking lines, and that whirring rewinder that sounded like a tiny jet engine.
Definition
This is a Betamax or VHS tape used to store home and retail movies. iEmoji old name: Video Cassette.
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Emoji History The emoji code/ image log of changes.
This emoji was part of the proprietary / non-standardized emoji set first introduced by Japanese carriers like Softbank. These emojis became part of the Apple iPhone starting in iOS 2.2 as an unlockable feature on handsets sold in English speaking countries.
In iOS 5 / OSX 10.7, the underlying code that the Apple OS generates for this emoji was changed.
