Common Sense Media Review
Like a day at summer camp; preschoolers OK.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Aimed at kids ages 3 to 6, OUT OF THE BOX is like a 30-minute kindergarten class that's divided into segments: music time, craft time, and story time. Hosts Tony James and Vivian Bayabuy lead the kids through activities based on the day's theme and constantly direct their attention toward the camera, encouraging viewers to take part. For example, in an episode focused on the concept of flight, the "music time" segment included simple songs about flying with easy-to-follow choreography; during "craft time," Tony and Vivian taught the kids to make "purple parachute people" out of Dixie cups, tissues, yarn, and tape; and during "story time," Tony and Vivian told a creative version of Peter Pan while the kids acted out parts of the story.
Is It Any Good?
There are plenty of opportunities here for kids to play along and be creative -- though kids will certainly need supervision and help finding materials during the "craft time" segment. Parents might also find Tony and Vivian's over-the-top bubbliness a little too much to handle.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different activities that the series takes viewers through. Kids might be interested in creating the craft they saw on an episode. What types of lessons do the hosts help their viewers learn?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 10, 1998
- Cast : Tony James , Vivian Bayubay
- Network : Disney Channel
- Genre : Educational
- Topics : Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- TV rating :
- Last updated : January 9, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate