ABC will dip back into “The Toy Box” next seasonThe network announced late Thursday that it has picked up the unscripted show, hosted by “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet, for a second season. In a tweet announcing the pickup, ABC indicated production on Season 2 has already begun.
“The Toy Box” premiered as part of ABC’s Friday lineup in April and pulled in modest ratings, averaging a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 2.88 million viewers on the night it aired. It was not a big DVR performer, rising just a tenth of a point in adults 18-49 with a week of delayed viewing.
Still, that was enough to earn the show a second season. The network hasn’t said when it will air, but it’s not part of the fall schedule. Presumably it will be a utility player that ABC can plug in where it needs to be.
“The Toy Box” is sort of a kid-centric version of “Shark Tank.” Aspiring toy makers present their ideas first to a group of adult mentors. If they pass muster there, the inventors move on to a panel of kids who judge the concepts. The kid judges chose one toy in each of the first seven episodes to move onto the finals; the finale was a competition to see which toy would go into production for retail sale.
Toy company Mattel is one of the producers of the series and manufactures the winning product.