Out of the Box (TV series)

Out of the Box
Created by	Douglas Love
Presented by	Tony James Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin
Music by	Bobby Golden
Opening theme	"Out of the Box Theme" by Peter Lurye
Ending theme	"Until We Meet Again (Goodbye Song)" by Billy Straus
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	82
Production
Executive producer(s)	Douglas Love
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Disney Channel OOTB Inc.
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	Disney Channel Playhouse Disney Disney Junior
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original release	October 10, 1998 – September 27, 2004

Out of the Box is an American children's television series which premiered on Playhouse Disney on October 10, 1998 and ended its run on September 27, 2004 with reruns until June 2005. The series takes place in "The Box", a playhouse made entirely of cardboard boxes, where two hosts, Tony James and Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin, make crafts, sing songs, and act out plays.

Two special episodes were released on VHS by Walt Disney Home Video, Out of the Box: Trick or Treat, and Out of the Box: Happy Holidays. Trick or Treat is also available on the DVD entitled Rolie Polie Olie: A Spookie Ookie Halloween.^[1]

The series was created and executive produced by Douglas Love and was based on his series of books from HarperCollins. Three seasons were filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City. The series earned three Parents' Choice Awards for excellence in television and an Emmy nomination.^[2][3]

Overview

Every day, a small group of neighborhood children come and play in "The Box", an imaginary clubhouse made entirely out of painted cardboard boxes. Tony James and Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin play games, do crafts, sing songs, and act out stories in the box. The singing is usually in the beginning of the episode, while the crafts are in the middle, and the stories are at the ending. The show ends with either Tony or Vivian walking the kids home, then coming back to sing the Goodbye Song. The song is either sung a cappella or with Tony's guitar and/or a pumpkin.

Episode list

The series comprises 82 episodes in total.^[4][5] One production number in Season 1 was skipped, as the 24-episode season starts with 101 and ends with 125.

Unless otherwise stated, the source of production codes and airdates is the United States Copyright Office.^[6]

Season 1 (1998–2000)

No in Series	No in Season	Title	Airdate	Production code
1	1	"Feet First"	December 3, 1998	101
2	2	"Playhouse Mouse"	October 7, 1998	102
3	3	"Doctor Octor"	November 23, 1998	103
4	4	"The Fuzzy Worm"	March 9, 2000[7]	105
5	5	"Hats Off"	November 17, 1998	106
6	6	"Let's Eat Out"	November 30, 1998	107
7	7	"Sticky Icky"	December 1, 1998	108
8	8	"Really Wheely"	November 27, 1998	109
9	9	"Yes and Nose"	March 23, 2000[7]	110
10	10	"Pick-a-Pet"	March 29, 2000[7]	111
11	11	"Ships Ahoy"	March 30, 2000[7]	112
12	12	"Animal Antics"	October 27, 1998	113
13	13	"Tube Town"	October 23, 1998	114
14	14	"High Fliers"	July 17, 2000[7]	115
15	15	"Campout Kids"	November 9, 1998	116
16	16	"Tall and Small"	November 13, 1998	117
17	17	"Day at the Beach"	October 14, 1998	118
18	18	"A Place Called Space"	November 3, 1998	119
19	19	"Box Full of Boxes"	October 30, 1998	120
20	20	"Hands On"	November 18, 1998	121 '(typo'd as "1-12" in copyright registry)'
Unknown	Unknown	"The Gift"	October 10, 1999[4]	(not listed in copyright registry)
Unknown	Unknown	"Treasures"	October 16, 1999[4]	(not listed in copyright registry)
23	23	"Circle Circus"	October 20, 1998	124
24	24	"Seeds of Imagination"	July 27, 2000[7]	125

Season 2 (1999–2000)

#	Title	Original airdate	Production code
1	"Rules Rule!"	July 20, 1999[6] / September 5, 1999[8]	201
The kids learn the importance of rules as they play different games with balls in the clubhouse. They also act out a version of Cinderella.
2	"We're Cooking!"	July 21, 1999	202
The kids pretend to cook their favorite foods. They also act out a version of the story Stone Soup.
3	"Zip, Button, Snap"	July 18, 1999	203
Tony and Vivian help teach the kids how to button, snap, buckle and zipper using songs and play-acting. Nick also visits the Little Red Hen.
4	"Scrub-a-Dub"	July 22, 1999	204
Tony and Vivian teach the importance of bathing as the kids make pretend bathtubs and bath toys, and act out a version of Rub a Dub, Dub, Three Men in a Tub.
5	"Disguise Surprise"	July 23, 1999	205
The kids dress up in disguises and act out a version of The Little Red Riding Hood.
6	"Good Clean-Up Fun"	July 26, 1999	206
The kids learn about sorting and organizing items while cleaning up the clubhouse. They also act out a story called "Neat Nick".
7	"Mirror, Mirror"	July 27, 1999	207
The kids play with different kinds of mirrors, including a hand mirror, a hubcap and a metal tray. They also act out a version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
8	"Blowin' in the Wind"	July 28, 1999	208
The kids celebrate the wind by playing wind instruments, listening to wind chimes, making pinwheels and playing out a version of The Three Little Pigs.
9	"Rock-a-Bye Baby"	July 29, 1999	209
The kids take care of pretend babies by diapering them, making their cribs and singing to them. They also act out a version of There was an Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe.
10	"Feathered Friends"	July 30, 1999	210
The kids craft paper birds and make bird sounds after Vivian brings in a bird feeder to hang outside the playhouse. They also act out a version of the Emperor and the Nightingale.
11	"Eye Spy"	August 16, 1999	211
The kids explore how their eyes work by playing an "Eye Detective" game, looking at a picture with hidden objects and helping Vivian complete a jigsaw puzzle.
12	"We Got the Beat"	August 23, 1999	212
The kids learn about beats and rhythms by playing and making different instruments. They also act out a version of Hansel and Gretel.
13	"Shadow Play"	August 30, 1999	213
The kids make a shadow puppet theater and put on a play featuring a bird, a worm, and a spider.
14	"Goin' Buggy"	September 6, 1999	214
The kids learn about bugs by making a grasshopper, a spider, and an ant out of pipe cleaners and egg cartons.
15	"Make 'Em Laugh!"	September 13, 1999	215
The kids have a "Make 'em Laugh" day by telling jokes, walking funny and doing other silly things. They also talk with a court jester and turn Vivian into a backwards person.
16	"Mon-stir It Up!"	September 20, 1999	216
The kids sing a song about not being afraid and make a "Super Monster" puppet.
17	"Whose Home?"	September 27, 1999	217
Vivian brings a hermit crab to the clubhouse and teaches the kids about different animal homes.
18	"Unicornucopia"	October 6, 1999	218
The kids create their own magical kingdom, complete with a unicorn. They also act out a version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
19	"Tooth or Consequences"	October 11, 1999	219
The kids learn about the dentist and caring for teeth. They also act out a version of Little Red Riding Hood.
20	"Happy Holidays!"	December 6, 1999	220
Tony and Vivian host a winter holiday party and learn about the kids' different holiday traditions. They also make a holiday gift book containing photographs and drawings, and perform a skit about the gift of love.
21	"Down on the Farm"	November 12, 1999	221
The kids pretend to live on a farm.
22	"Pajama Party"	November 15, 1999	222
The kids throw a pretend pajama party.
23	"Treasure Hunt"	October 26, 1999	223
The kids make treasure chests and go on a treasure hunt. They also act out a version of King Midas to learn about nonmaterial kinds of treasure.
24	"Out to Lunch"	November 1, 1999	224
The kids pretend to go out to lunch and practice their restaurant behavior.
25	"Whodunit?"	September 27, 1999	225
The kids use their problem-solving skills to solve a mystery.
26	"Goin' to the Grocery"	December 8, 1999	226
The kids pretend about going to the grocery store.
27	"Sing a Song"	December 13, 1999	227
28	"Rainbow Colors"	December 16, 1999	(no production code given in copyright registry)
29	"Halloween"	October 21, 1999	229
The kids dress up and learn the importance of how to trick-or-treat safely and how to customize their own pumpkins.
30	"Family Fare"	December 29, 1999	(no production code given in copyright registry)
31	"Happy Birthday to Us!"	January 7, 2000[6] / February 12, 2000[4]	(no production code given in copyright registry)
The kids pretend that it's everyone's birthday by putting on dress-up clothes, playing musical chairs and making party decorations.
32	"Revealing Feelings"	January 11, 2000	(no production code given in copyright registry)
The kids talk about feelings after they express to Vivian that they feel "bad, sad, and a little mad" because Tony isn't at the clubhouse because he's sick.

Season 3 (2001–2004)

#	Title	Original airdate	Production code
1	"Pattern Pattern"	December 2, 2003	301
2	"Leap Frog Leap!"	November 25, 2002[6][9]	302
3	"Join the Parade"	December 2, 2002[6] / September 22, 2001[8]	303
4	"Winning the Gold"	December 9, 2002[6][9] / September 20, 2001[8]	304
The kids hold their own Olympics.
5	"Brick by Brick"	December 4, 2003[6] / December 16, 2002[9] / September 20, 2001[8]	305
The kids build a town as pretend construction workers.
6	"Dinosaur Romp"	May 3, 2004[6] / December 23, 2002[9]	306
Tony, Vivian, and the kids explore dinosaurs.
7	"Topsy Tempo"	December 30, 2002[6][9]	307
8	"Weather or Not!"	May 6, 2004	308
Different kinds of weather.
9	"It's Mother's Day!"	May 5, 2003[6][9]	309
The kids rehearse their performance and make personalized invitations to their mothers. Note: This episode is the first to have Tony play his guitar at the end while he sings with Vivian. In "Campout Kids" he played his dad's guitar.
10	"Loud and Soft!"	March 3, 2003[6] / September 25, 2001[4]	310
The differences between loud and soft sounds.
11	"Thinkin' Lincoln"	December 16, 2002	311
12	"Horsing Around"	March 10, 2003	312
Pretending to be horses.
13	"Making Mistakes"	March 17, 2003	313
The group makes up mistakes.
14	"Games!"	March 24, 2003	314
Playing carnival games. They also act out a story about the Three Billy Goats Gruff getting stopped by a competitive troll on the way to a carnival.
15	"Pop to It!"	May 10, 2004[6] / May 15, 2004[9]	315
A make-believe trip to the movies.
16	"Read the Signs"	May 14, 2004[6][9]	316
The kids learn how to read signs and follow directions.
17	"First Things First"	May 17, 2004[6][9]	317
The importance of order.
18	"A One and a Two"	May 21, 2004[6][9]	318
The kids learn how to have fun playing alone - an important life skill.
19	"Bendy Stretchy"	August 2, 2004[6][9]	319
The importance of bending and stretching.
20	"Alike and Different"	December 23, 2002	320
21	"Happy New Year!"	January 1, 2003[4][9]	321
(not listed in copyright registry or aired on Disney Junior Canada)
22	"It's Father's Day"	June 9, 2003[6][9]	322
The kids play games with their dads and pretend to be fathers themselves.
23	"Surprise, Surprise"	September 20, 2004[9]	323
The kids learn the importance of friends and sharing.
24	"Wonderful Words! (*)"	August 4, 2004[6][9]	324
The kids act out a rhyming story. (*) (misspelled in the copyright registry as "Wonderful World")
25	"Kids Are Kids"	September 27, 2004[6][9]	325
The kids learn about accepting differences.
26	"Nutcracker Sweet"	August 10, 2004[6][9]	326
The kids act out the story The Nutcracker.
27	"Something's Fishy Around Here"	September 26, 2004[6][9]	327
The Kids learn about accepting Fishing.
28	"Earth of the World"	September 25, 2004[6][9]	328
The Kids learn about accepting Earthing.

References

1. "Rolie Polie Olie. / A spookie ookie Halloween (DVD video, 2003) [WorldCat.org]". Retrieved 2011-10-08. Playhouse Disney bonuses: Out of the box: Trick or treat
2. McClintock, Pamela; Oei, Lily (2004-03-04). "Ellen the talk of Emmys". Variety. Retrieved 2011-07-12. Directing In a Children's Series: ... "Out Of The Box" (Dis)
3. "World Book Classroom: Dramatic Learning". Retrieved 2011-07-12.
4. "Out of the Box - Episode Guide - MSN TV". Retrieved 2011-07-30.
5. "Out of the Box - Episode Guide - LocateTV". Retrieved 2011-07-30.
6. "United States Copyright Office - Public Catalog Search". Retrieved 2011-07-30.
7. "Out of the Box Episode Guide - TVGuide.com". Retrieved 2011-07-30.
8. Zap2it daily schedules for Disney Junior Canada
9. "Out of the Box TV Show Seasons and Episode Guide - XFINITY TV". Retrieved 2011-07-30.