The Toy Box is an American reality television show that debuted on April 7, 2017, on ABC. The show is about contestants as aspiring entrepreneurs, who present toy inventions first to a panel of toy industry professionals, then to a panel of child-judges. Only toys approved by the mentors are presented to the judges, "In the Toy Box," who select one toy to advance to the finals of each episode. The season's winning toy is produced and distributed by Mattel and sold exclusively at Toys "R" Us stores.
On June 16, 2017, ABC renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on October 1, 2017, and ended on November 19, 2017. After Toys "R" Us announced that all United Kingdom and United States operations would be going out of business, the show was not renewed for a third season.
In Season 1, a group of child-judges, up to the age of 13, play with the toys entered into the competition following the panel of toy industry experts. The children then vote on which toy was the best in each episode. Season 1 had four child-judges that consistently appeared in each episode.
In Season 2, the professional judging did not occur on camera. Season 2 had ten child-judges, five of which were selected to judge for each episode. Only one child-judge from Season 1 (Noah Ritter) returned as a judge in Season 2.
In Season 1, three professional judges and mentors (who were esteemed toy reviewers and children's product creators) reviewed each product before it was sent to the child judges. This process happened off-screen. The professional judges in Season 1 were:
The identity of the professional judges was not disclosed to viewers in Season 2.
The Toy Box was developed by Hudsun Media and Electus. ABC and Mattel Creation agreed that Hudsun would produce the show on their behalf. In October 2016, ABC picked up the show and Mattel greenlit the show for the 2016âÂÂ17 Season. Eric Stonestreet was indicated at that time as being the host.
"YES" and "NO" indicate the adult panel results; "FINALIST" designates the toy chosen by the child jury to advance to the finals.
"YES" and "NO" indicate the child panel results (getting at least three "Yes" votes from the five child judges); "FINALIST" designates the toy chosen by the child jury to advance to the finals.
Other than the guaranteed Mattel contract for the winner, other non-winning toys are also featured at Toys "R" Us. Occasionally, the toy's branding changes before being distributed.