Tag Archives: The Toy Box

If We Controlled Your Remote… 4/7/17

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice

Tonight, ABC kicks off the new reality competition series, The Toy Box, which finds aspiring toy inventors competing for a deal with Mattel to manufacture and distribute their product at Toys ”R” Us stores across the country. In the first half of each episode, toy makers meet with host Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) and then present their prototypes to a panel of mentors. This panel includes Dylan’s Candy Bar owner Dylan Lauren, professional toy reviewer Jim Silver, and Pixar Creative Director of Consumer Products Jen Tan. If the majority of the mentors vote for the product, the inventor will then present his or her toy to the judges in the “Toy Box” – but they don’t yet know that those judges are actually a group of four 7-9 year-old kids. The judges include no-nonsense, tough Brit Sophia Grace Brownlee (The Ellen Degeneres Show), sweet 8-year-old Aalyrah Caldwell (Uncle Buck), 9-year-old constructive-criticizer Toby Grey (The Unexpected John Cena Prank), and brutally honest 7-year-old toy expert Noah Ritter (The Ellen Degeneres Show). The judges get a chance to ask the inventors some questions and play with each of the toys before they use giant Magic 8 Balls on the wall to let the inventors know which one of them will advance to the finals and be one step closer to having their product become a reality.

The series feels very similar to Shark Tank – in fact, I’m pretty sure one of tonight’s contestants actually appeared on one of the few episodes of that show that I’ve actually seen! However, the mentors aren’t the brutal ones. They leave that up to the kid judges. It is so much fun to watch these kids ask their sometimes ridiculous questions, and I love the way they hold nothing back when it comes to critiquing the toys. I find it so refreshing because, while some of what they say is awful, it feels very honest and not done out of spite. Noah is easily the star of these kids (I doubt anyone hasn’t seen at least one of his “Apparently Kid” videos on the internet). There is no telling what is going to come out of his mouth. And you can tell that Sophie Grace really enjoys playing that nasty Brit judge that every reality competition show needs to have. Eric Stonestreet is also present while the kids question the inventors and test the products, and it’s a lot of fun to see him try to rein in these kids and keep things on track. Not only are the judges entertaining, but some of the products these people have come up with are pretty cool, and it’s interesting to hear what type of work, money, and reasoning went into developing each toy. I look forward to checking out more episodes of this show.

On tonight’s premiere, “Episode 101,” inventions include a multicultural singing doll, a wacky worm, and a party cannon.

Check out the new inventions and the kid judges tonight on ABC at 8/7c.
 
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