{"id":5697,"date":"2017-07-10T10:14:36","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T14:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/opening-up-the-toy-box\/"},"modified":"2017-07-11T09:31:50","modified_gmt":"2017-07-11T13:31:50","slug":"opening-up-the-toy-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/opening-up-the-toy-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening Up The Toy Box"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Pollak, the president of Electus International, talks to <\/em>TV Formats about the new competition series <\/em>The Toy Box, which recently aired on ABC in the U.S.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the competition series The Toy Box<\/em>, toy designers present their concepts to experts and a jury of children, with the winner given the chance to see their creation brought to life by Mattel. The show was developed by Electus, Mattel and Michael Rourke\u2019s Hudsun Media. It is sold as a finished tape and format by Electus International.<\/p>\n

According to John Pollak, the president of Electus International, The Toy Box\u00a0<\/em>gives toy inventors the opportunity of a lifetime to fulfill their dreams. \u201cThese toymakers, they\u2019ve kind of tinkered with toys in their garage or they\u2019ve gone to local toy fairs, or maybe it\u2019s just something they made for their kids,\u201d he says. \u201cBut really, how are they going to access a brand like Mattel to get their toy out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"***Image***\"Pollak points out that The Toy Box<\/em> is appealing to a wide range of viewers due to its universally relatable subject matter, making it ripe for adaptation. \u201cEvery generation has grown up and played with toys,\u201d he says. \u201cKind of like a great cooking show, everyone\u2019s been around food; or a great singing show, everyone\u2019s been around singing in their life. Everyone has been around toys. And it works for every country, every age demographic, gender; it really doesn\u2019t discriminate in any way because it is a show that everybody can appreciate and enjoy, either watching it by themselves or with their family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first iteration of The Toy Box<\/em> aired earlier this year on ABC in the U.S., with Modern Family<\/em> funnyman Eric Stonestreet serving as host. It was also simulcast on Bell Media\u2019s CTV in Canada. Several format option deals have been inked, including with Banijay\u2019s Magnolia in Italy and Spain, and with Znak & Co in the U.K. \u201cBeyond those territories, it\u2019s sold really well,\u201d says Pollak. \u201cWe\u2019re in the process of finalizing a total of about 14 territories that have bought the format so far.\u201d Last month, a format option agreement was signed with Lone Eagle Entertainment in Canada. And a number of other countries have picked up the rights for the 8×60-minute American version.<\/p>\n

The Toy Box <\/em>in the U.S. is more business-oriented than it may be elsewhere since it served as a lead-in to Shark Tank<\/em>, explains Pollak. \u201cABC wanted to see the business side of the show and understand if this toy is marketable, if it\u2019s mass-producible, is it safe, what does it cost? They really wanted to get into the business a bit more and then move on to the kids, whereas in other territories, maybe Shark Tank<\/em> or shows like it haven\u2019t done well, so they\u2019d want to do less of that or maybe even eliminate it. We\u2019ve been working with each territory to adapt it to their market.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the hosts and types of toys will obviously also differ in international treatments, one aspect that Pollak hopes will remain the same is Mattel\u2019s involvement. \u201cOur goal is to have them be the toymaker in each of the territories,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have that brand and you go in and pitch this great show about toymakers and the winners can have their toy made and the network says, Well, who\u2019s going to make the toy? \u2018Oh, we\u2019ll figure that out later.\u2019 It\u2019s never going to get figured out. But when you already have Mattel on board, and they\u2019re willing, able and eager to be involved, it makes the pitching process a lot easier, the production process easier, and of course it just makes the whole execution as seamless as it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pollak is confident about the future and longevity of The Toy Box<\/em> format, especially on the heels of the successful first season in the U.S., where the show has been renewed for a second installment. \u201cWe think that there\u2019s a lot of potential for it to keep growing internationally and domestically,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is one of those shows that people feel good about. It\u2019s not mean-spirited in any way; it\u2019s really rooted in fun and I think that goes a long way for the show. And so I fully expect\u2014regardless of how it does in the U.S. and if it continues [there] forever or not\u2014that there will be territories internationally where we\u2019ll still be doing the show in ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John Pollak, the president of Electus International, talks about the new competition format, which recently aired on ABC in the U.S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":479,"featured_media":5698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[149,1058,916],"class_list":["post-5697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-electus","tag-john-pollak","tag-the-toy-box","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nOpening Up The Toy Box - TVFORMATS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/opening-up-the-toy-box\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opening Up The Toy Box - 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