Eric: A great toy invention can come from anywhere, but few ever make it to the shelf. For the first time ever, one lucky toymaker will get the opportunity of a lifetime. Legendary toy company Mattel will make their toy and sell it all across America. But, first, they need to present their toy to a panel of experts. I look at over 10,000 toys every year. Eric: Jim Silver, the leading toy reviewer in America. I think it's a great idea. Eric: Dylan Lauren, founder of Dylan's Candy Bar. Thousands of toys have crossed my desk, and this is unlike anything I've ever seen. Eric: And Jen Tan, creative director of toys at Pixar Animation Studios. If they make it past these experts, they'll move on to the fiercest judges of all. (Suspenseful music) - Eric: Noah. - Just a little off the top. Woman: Aalyrah. Hot chocolate, double whip. Eric: Aalyrah. Mmm! - Man: Let's go, buddy. - Eric: Toby. And Sophia Grace. I'm ready. Eric: After the judges have tested,... Oh, no! Aah! - Eric: ...debated... - It doesn't even look like a dog. Hold on a second. Do any of these toys look like the real thing? No. We agree to disagree. ...and deliberated... Have you come to a decision? This is gonna be really hard. But only one of you can make it to the finals. (Music intensifies) Welcome to The Toy Box, where everything's on the line when it comes to playtime. - Hoo-whee! - (Up-tempo music) (Horn honking) (Mid-tempo music) I'm Perry. I'm from Fort Lauderdale, and I'm the founder and C.E.O. of a toy company. My toy is called the Cock It Drop It Rocket because you cock it, you drop it, and it rockets. It's, uh, a reusable rocket toy. It's a lot of fun. The version of the Cock It Drop It Rocket that I have I made by going to the dollar store, buying a whole bunch of parts, and using things I had around my shop. We're a small toy company, and we don't have the resources that a company like Mattel has. So it would be really excellent if we were able to team up with Mattel and launch Cock It Drop It Rocket. It would really put us on the map. Wow. Cool. What is that? It's the Cock It Drop It Rocket. (Mystical music) That looks like something I want to play with! I wanted something that I could just, you know, cock it, drop it, launch it. - And rocket. - Cock it, drop it-- - Yeah, just have it go up. - Well, rocket. Is it Cock It Drop It Launch It? It's Cock It Drop It Rocket. OK, because you said launch it. Well, I want to be able to launch it by just cocking it. - You're confusing me, Perry. - (Chuckles) I don't want to confuse you. Basically, you cock it, you drop it, and it-- uh, it rockets. - Boom. Exciting. - And then it comes back. And then it comes right back. We made this from all dollar-store parts. And when you say we, who's we? So it's me, but I just say "we" 'cause I'm humble. Typically, when you're humble, you don't have to say you're... - Yeah, yeah, I know. - (Laughs) I'm that kind of humble maybe. - Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. - Maybe I'm that kind of humble. You're gonna go in there. You're gonna meet the mentors now. - I can't wait. - Well, you say that, but what if they're like, "Perry, cock it, drop it, and - "take it outside and trash it"? - And kick it out of here. Don't they say that to every new inventor? I don't know. Do they? Have you invented anything before? Yes, I have. I've done a lot of different inventions. Oh, really? Yeah, if we make them, they're gonna sell. Good luck. Have a great time in there. - So nice to meet you. - Yeah, you too. Perry: This moment is make it or break it for the Cock It Drop It Rocket. So I have high hopes for this, and I'm looking forward to rocket towards that contract with Mattel. (Suspenseful music) - Mm. - Whoa. - Whoa. - Hello. - Hello. I'm Perry. And today we're gonna show you the Cock It Drop It Rocket. It's a resettable rocket that uses your own energy as fuel. - OK. - And, uh, the inspiration originally was a ballpoint pen. We found that, when we clicked it, it cocked. - Right. - When you'd drop it, it would go up a small amount. I like projectiles. I like blasters. I like rockets. So how does it work? - So, basically, you cock it. - All right. - Whoop. You cock it. - Might want to get away from this. - (Chuckles) - You drop it. - Whoa! - Whoa. - It rockets. - OK. Oh, wow. There are a couple rockets out there on the market. Why should I buy this versus buying the others? So, what we've found in the other rockets that we played with, it's more like a gun, where I'm, you know, pulling the trigger to have the event happen over there. We want the event to happen where the kid is. One other thing we have to look at is safety. - Right. - And that was a concern when I saw your demo, is if you're dropping it, how does it not come up in my face? These prototypes are raw, rough prototypes. We're looking at making-- The actual one would be foam. So if it did hit you, it would be like hitting yourself with a pool noodle. And how much would the price point be? I would think that we would want to have it either two for $20 or two for $14. It's got to-- Yeah, you got to stay under $20. Just grab it, push it, let it click. - God, it's pretty hard to do. - Let me see. Let me see if I-- OK. All right, and then let it go. All right? - Let it go like this? - Yeah. Oh. That's right. OK. Whoa! So, uh, what is-- what is that? Is that the rocket ship? That's the Cock It Drop It Rocket. Is it a rocket ship? Well, this will be shaped in a rocket. It will have the different fins on there and things, too. But where's my-- where's my rocket ship that's the outer-space element? - I thought I was getting a rocket. - Right here. This is your rocket. - But I really can't-- - Just imagine. - OK, I'll imagine. - Imagine it's a rocket. If it was easier to actually manoeuvre, a lot of repeat play, um, for sure. That's what we actually see. - What's it called, again? - The Cock It Drop It Rocket. That's my problem. I think you have to change that name. - (Laughter) - I don't-- I can't even say it. - We would change the name to make it appeal to everyone. - OK. I have to say, what's in a name is what matters in terms of things jumping off the shelf. I think you're just too premature in the execution. So for those reasons, I can't send you to The Toy Box. I think you've got a cool idea, but right now, I'm having a hard time envisioning the final look and design of it, and it's really hard to play with. So because of that, I vote no. In regard to this, we don't know how safe it is. Therefore, I'm sorry, it's game over for you. We will work out some other versions, and we'll be back. Perry: It was a blast to spend some time with the experts. I'm gonna think about it, and I'll decide in what format I launch this rocket. Cock it... drop it... (Laughs) (Jaunty mid-tempo music plays) - I'm James. - I'm Kat. - We're from Chicago. - Both: And we're best friends. Kat: And we make games together. We're podcasters and entertainers. We show off games to the world. Hello, heroes, and welcome to "One Shot". I'm James D'Amato, your game master. We made a game called Noisy Person Cards. It's a party game that encourages creativity, fun, and performance skills. We challenge players to voice-act by presenting them with characters and phrases to read in that character's voice. "(Southern accent) I've become my father." (Laughter) And if we do win, the idea that we get to walk into a toy store anywhere in America and see Noisy Person Cards in its bright-pink box next to all of the family games would mean everything to me. That's the dream come true. Hi, James and Kat. - Hey. - Hi. - What did you bring to show me? - We brought Noisy Person Cards. Noisy Person Cards? - Yep. - It's a party game that's about voice-acting. Really? What do you think a goblin sounds like? Do you think it-- (Nasally voice) Do you think a goblin sounds more like this? (Gruff voice) Or does he go deeper and sound like this? Wow. - So you draw a card? - Draw a card. And then you have to create the voice for the character? - Exactly. - And you read from a set number of phrases. - You'd read a phrase card. - OK. So if you were playing a goblin, what would your goblin sound like, Eric? Yeah, he'd say, "(British accent) My unicorn ate my homework." - There you go! - Oh! Oh! - OK, give me another one! - (Both laugh) - Magic mirror. - Magic mirror. (Aristocratically) "I feel like a magic mirror might..." "...be pretentious." "Yeah, well, you know?" - "No one is happier that the princess is alive than me." - Mm. "But is she really marrying the guy who kisses random corpses?" - (Inhales sharply) Ooh. - OK. What's up with that? Yeah, exactly. Right? Speaking of married, are you guys married? - No. - We are not. We are best friends. Uh, we're business partners. We built our life around games. Well, I honestly don't have a lot of worries about you guys. I think it's gonna be awesome. Get in there. Have a great time. - I wish you all the best. - Awesome. Thank you. - Noisy Cards. Be good. Hey, grab her hand. - Thank you, Eric. You guys are best friends. I mean, come on. - Let's do this. - See you. This is huge! I mean, like, games are our thing, you know? Succeeding here could mean a huge boost to our futures as game designers. It could change our lives forever. - Hi. - Hello. - I'm Kat. - And I'm James. And this is Noisy Person Cards, the party game about doing silly voices. - Cool. - OK, that's cool. I'm a game player. So tell us about it. Every round, somebody in the game group is gonna be acting as a judge. That person will draw a character card like goblin or skeleton or wizard. And everybody else at the table has a handful of phrase cards. The goal of the game is for them to say the phrase on their card aloud in the voice of that character. And after that, the judge picks a winner. OK, I think we should play this. (All agree enthusiastically) For this round, we'll do a vampire. Jim: Are you ready? "(Romanian accent) You don't beco--" - I can't do this. - (Laughter) - You were doing so well! - No, you totally can! You're doing great! "(Romanian accent, raspy) You don't become king of the bad guys by returning library books on time." - (Laughs) - Yes! Wonderful! - That's perfect. - Good. "(Romanian accent) I used to be a good guy before I stopped eating broccoli." (Laughter) "(Raspy) Humans are great. I expected them to scream, "but they kept complimenting the way I dressed and giving me free candy. - (Laughs) - "What's Halloween?" (Laughter) Obviously, you chose the candy one. - Yeah, it's the obvious one! - (Laughter) - So that's how the game works. - Who won? I kind of feel like the candy phrase really, really struck me. - Yeah, I like the phrase. - Ah! - So you get the vampire card. - And that's how we score. The points really don't matter, but sometimes they do in competitive families. - No! - Yeah, for sure. - It's about who wins! - Exactly. - (Laughter) Have you thought about follow-up games? We were thinking like a pirate version, - a cartoon version. - I'm thinking a Disney version. A Disney version would be amazing. I mean, I've never seen this kind of colour on a toy shelf. - I see it more in fashion or in makeup. - Right. - Yeah. - But it's interesting. It's almost-- Like, it's not actually the most appealing colour to me, 'cause I like bright colours that pop off a shelf, but... Jim: The packaging needs work. The cards need work. I mean, graphically, it has to look appealing. However, it's a lot of fun, and it's easy to play. That's the key to a successful game. Dylan? Well, considering I won... - (Laughter) - You got lucky. I think that it's fun. I mean, I had fun. - So I think it should go to The Toy Box. - Thank you. I think it's really fun. I love this illustration style. I think there's a lot of potential here. And it was really fun playing, so I would say yes to The Toy Box. - Thank you. - Yeah. I agree with Dylan, and I agree with Jen. Congratulations. - Yes! Thank you. - Thank you! - Oh, my God! - (Both laugh) - Congrats. - (Laughs) - Ah! - We did it! We are on step closer to the contract with Mattel. We're one step closer to seeing that pink box on shelves everywhere. "(Raspy) It's about to get crazy, crazy!" Eric: Later, on "The Toy Box"... I was a fan of robots till I found out that robots can be beat by aliens. "(High-pitched) Your dragon must smell like my dragon." That's something a horror-movie character should say. (Dramatic music) (Soft music) My name is Ryan. I'm from Phoenix, Arizona. My toy is called 3D Liquid Art. It's a way to create three-dimensional images out of water. Since I was a young kid, inventing was my dream. But I've almost given up on my dream many times because I've been doing this for a long time just for fun, and I've tried getting some of the ground, and it hasn't worked out so well. There's a lot of let-down. Every idea you have you think is great, but, you know, it doesn't matter what you think. It's what everybody else thinks. My oldest son asked, "Dad, are you still inventing?" It was shortly after that that I came up with 3D Liquid Art. If Mattel picked up my product, it would show my kids that it truly does pay off not to give up on your dreams. What do you got in your hand? I invented a way to create three-dimensional images out of water. This is a game that I created. It's not one of our 3D Liquid Art images. - You'll see that later. - Hopefully. Yeah, hopefully, if I make it past... - ...the mentors. - Yes. So, basically, I have water here. - Yeah. - I'm gonna add it to my board... and let the magic begin. This is Mr. Squirt. He's getting around. - So you want to keep him on the board. - Ah! Get it in there! You get him on the centre, and that's it. That is so cool. How in the world did you think of it? It was an accident, to be honest with you. I was mixing some different products together and-- - (Laughs maniacally) - Yep. Explosion and... - (Mimics explosion) - Bam. This was created. How long have you been working on it? About two years. And, financially, what are you in? - About 20 grand. - 20 grand? - Yeah. - Good luck, man. - Appreciate it. Thank you. - Have a good time, man. My family is the biggest supporters of me. (Voice breaking) My mom, my dad, um... my wife, my kids, they've all-- they've all seen all my inventions, and they've... they've always told me to go for it. And I've held back sometimes. And so... to win this would-- would be huge. - Hello. - Hi. - Hello. My name is Ryan, and I'm the inventor of 3D Liquid Art. OK, that sounds cool. What we have here is 3D Liquid Art original. So by adding coloured water to those images, they become three-dimensional. The way it works is to add a little bit of water to these images. And we're just gonna add it to the predetermined spots. And that is what becomes three-dimensional. Whoa, that's crazy. This is cool. -Whoa! -So... And is this just coloured water? - That's just coloured water. - With food colouring? It's actually bath tablets, so the same stuff they'd use for kids in baths. - OK. - So it's completely safe. It's reusable. You can-- You know, they can start with a new colour combination. That's cool. I like that you can mix colours. That's fun. You can mix colours, so you can make, you know, different colours. - That's really beautiful. - You know, kids can-- You know, great introduction to colours for kids. - Mm-hmm. - That's cool. After you're done, how do you clean up? 'Cause I can see the water just like... - Exactly. - ...um, falling off the page. Um, this was developed so the water runs off, and then just a little drain to dump it. So it's not a mess. You will just want something that it can sit on to keep it mess-free. Yeah. - How much is it? - I can make these very cheap. So, I mean, you could sell a whole colouring book for under $10. Uh, you'd add a light box to it, and, you know, you're probably retailing $20, $25. - In the activity aisle, you really want to stay under $20. - Yes. Yeah. You know, a lot of things are under $10. But it's sort of, to me, sad that you can't keep this piece of art now. Yeah, that's true. I have worked with solidifying some of the colours. So I have been able to make a 3D image, have it harden, and then be able to stick it up on a window. - Really? - That I like. - Oh, that's cool. That sounds really good, but that's not what we have here. (Mid-tempo music) Well, it really bums me out that I can't keep your masterpiece or mine. However, I had a lot of fun, so I think you should go to The Toy Box. Thank you. I hate mess. Having some sort of self-contained unit is really important. But it's simple, and it's fun. Therefore, this belongs in The Toy Box. Jen: I like that you put a lot of thought into, um, doing different, like, executions. At Pixar, thousands of toys have crossed my desk, and this is unlike anything I've ever seen. So because of that, I would say yes to The Toy Box. - Congratulations. - Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. "I feel amazing." I'm that much closer to getting a deal with Mattel, and, uh, it proves that just never give up, and you never know. (Upbeat music plays) My name is Rod. I'm from Groton, Massachusetts. I invented Pre-Bot. It is a wooden robot that is the first robot you should buy your child. He has a few friends called the Shape-Bots. Well, I've been working on Pre-Bot for over five years. I've put a lot into it, and I have invested around $7,000. It's my best design. It's basically my Mona Lisa. - Hey, Roderick. - Hi. How's it going? Nothing like a man in a suit with some toys. (Laughs) Thanks. You look great. What are you holding in your hand? What I'm holding is a Pre-Bot and, also, Circ-Bot. Have you always been into robots? I've always been interested in robots -- cool robots, giant robots. Robots are really cool. Favourite robot of all time, or...? Probably would be Grendizer. Probably not too many people know of that one. - "Grendizer, go." - "Grendizer, go." (Laughs) Yeah. That's one of the things that one of the characters would say in it. All right, so, you're gonna go through the door here. - You're gonna meet the mentors. - OK. - They know a ton about toys. - Thank you so much. Go in there, and don't be too... - Robotic? - OK. - Get in there, man. Have fun. - All right. Thanks a lot. To be here is such an honour. I'm nervous, but I really do believe in this toy, so I'm looking forward to making it to the next round. My name's Rod. And this is Pre-Bot, and this is Circ-Bot. Pre-Bot is the first toy robot that you want to buy for your child. It's safe, it's educational, and it's fun. These are the Shape-Bots. - These actually come apart... - Oh, cool. ...so that you can switch them out so kids can use their own ima-- - Can we take these apart? -Sure. All right. - Pre-Bot doesn't come apart. - Oh, he doesn't come apart. - (Laughter) - No magnets. And so you can mix and match them to make your own robot. Jim: It's almost like blocks with personality. I love how he looks like a robot; he looks a little more like a lobster spider character. (Laughing) Yeah. But there's something really quirky and cool, like, design-wise about the Shape-Bots that I feel like is kind of missing with the Pre-Bot. What do you do with the Pre-Bot? Like, what are the features here? Pre-Bot's almost like my idea of having a teddy bear. Um, it's the one that the child would most likely relate to. You know, it has like the head. You can kind of see the ears and its arms. I love that this came with a full package. We haven't seen a lot of finished package, which gives me a lot of faith in you knowing what you're doing. Is Pre-Bot going to The Toy Box? Well, I think you really studied everything from learning elements to the complexity of the toy and the playability of it. I think it should go to The Toy Box. Thank you. I like the Shape-Bots better than the Pre-Bot. That being said, you're filling the void in the marketplace -- you know, wood robots. I love open-ended play. It's about kids being creative. And for that reason, you're going to The Toy Box. - Congratulations. - Oh! - Congratulations. - Yay! Great. Thank you so much. This is awesome. Looks like I'm one step closer to the contract with Mattel. You know, if Pre-Bot gets shut down, that would be really difficult to handle. Pre-Bot's pretty much like my baby right now. Coming up... "(High-pitched) Aah! Oh, please. Please try to stop having so much fun!" (Laughs crazily) I tear apart my room. I don't clean it up! # Oh, give me a home # It makes me feel really impressed, actually. Will you make it to the finals? (Up-tempo music) (Mid-tempo music) My name is Lori. I'm from Overland Park, Kansas. And I'm the creator of the BedTime StoryBug. It's a plush ladybug with the ability to record messages for kids. I actually created the BedTime StoryBug about three years ago. All total, we have about $30,000 invested in it. This toy could help people all around the world deliver messages to the people they love. # Oh, give me a home # # where the buffalo roam # # And the deer and the antelope play # That's so pretty. That's the state song of where we're both from! - Yeah! - Kansas in the house! - Lori. - Yeah. What up? Let's do the secret handshake. (Mid-tempo music plays) - You know the Kansas secret handshake, right? - Uh-huh. Yeah, and then you just do this, and then it's... - There. - OK. - Nailed it. - (Laughs) Let's hear about BedTime StoryBug. OK, so, when my daughter was little and I had to go somewhere, be overnight, I didn't say goodnight to her. You know, I would talk to her in the morning, and she'd go, "Oh, I just wish I could've heard your voice," or... - Oh, my gosh. Your daughter really knows how to lay it on thick. - Yeah, I know. - Kids do that. - Wow. So we created this. There are two 20-second messages, and then this one is a full three minutes, so it holds a storybook. - (High-pitched) I want that. - You should have one. - All right, get in there. Have fun. Don't be nervous. - OK. - Really just be confident in your product, OK? - OK. - Good luck. - Thank you. "We've invested a lot of money out of our personal funds" because we believe in the product so much. So getting the deal with Mattel, I mean, that would just be an impossible dream. Let me introduce you to the BedTime StoryBug. When my daughter was little, I used to work for a major airline, and occasionally I'd have to travel. And the worst would come at night, knowing that I couldn't talk to her. So we created the BedTime StoryBug. It's a way to keep that connection even when you can't be there. So you can record their favourite story. The first two legs are 20-second capabilities. Like, this one... I love "The Toy Box." The final one is the storybook, and it's a full three minutes. You just pull the Velcro out, flip it over, open it up. You just press and hold. That's it. I'd say, in about two years from now, a lot of stuffed animals are gonna have Bluetooth, in which you can just change it through your phone. I personally don't want to download another thing. I don't want another thing that I have to attach or whatever. It's just self-contained. That's very well put, 'cause we got a ton of baby gifts, and they're all like, "Hook this up to your iPad and your app," and this and that. And I'm like, "I can't." How much is it? - $29.99. - OK. - This is a bright red-and-black bug... - It is. It's a bug. ...which scares me, personally. I don't love insects and bugs. I actually like that it's a bug, but, um, right now, you know, you've got black embroidered eyes against, you know, black face right here. So you can't really see the eyes. - Right. - So I think that, you know, maybe just adding a little more, um, personality to the design and differentiate it from, you know, - um, something else. - OK. Very good. Well, um, I don't like the bug. - However... - (Laughter) However, being a new parent and, uh, feeling guilty all the time if I miss those key moments to say good night... So I think it belongs in The Toy Box. - Sweet. - Jen, what are your thoughts? It is cute, but I think there is something a little generic about the look of it all, so maybe adding a little more personality in the design. But I like your idea and I like your story, so I would say yes to The Toy Box. Congratulations. - Congrats. - Thank you. Thank you so much. - Good luck with the judges, though. - (Laughter) Yeah. To get validation and enthusiasm for our product is beyond belief. I mean, I'm so excited. Hoo-whee! (Mid-tempo music) Winning this would give me the opportunity to pursue inventing as a full-time career. - Congratulations. - Thank you. So, you have to be thrilled. You're in The Toy Box. You're one step closer to getting a deal with Mattel and bringing 3D Liquid Art to stores everywhere. - I'm here. - There's just one more step. You're gonna be pitching to the judges, and they're gonna decide whether you move on to the finals. And only one toy's gonna go. - You want to meet them? - Yeah. OK. Watch this. (Rock music) - They're kids, bro! - They're my people. - Welcome to our house of toys! - Hey! Happy Hanukkah! Happy New Year! These are our judges. This is Sophia Grace. Toby. This is Aalyrah. And Noah. These guys love messes. I tear apart my room! I don't clean it up! - (Laughs) - All right. OK. So, the floor is yours. Go for it. So, my product is called 3D Liquid Art. Have you guys ever heard of 3D water? - I have not. - No! No, I've never heard of that. Are you a robot from the future? - You are a bright one there. - This guy's the Terminator! (Laughs) OK. You guys ready to play? - Yes! - Yeah! - Let's play! Come on down. - (Screams) - OK. So, you get a little dropper. - I need this one. - And you get some water. So see what happens with the lights? And then watch it glow. - But how come it's so clear? - Well, that's a clear liquid. Just one little dot. Yeah, there you go. Now try to get him around the maze. - Yeah. - Whoa! What... - (Laughs) Literally, this game is just amazing. I was going over there, and I was playing with it, and I was expecting for us to just get bored with it in the end. But this is a genius idea. Can we just look at Aalyrah's picture for a second? 'Cause that is just so nice. Oh, my gosh. It's so pretty! - That is awesome. - Car. 3D art is amazing. My mind is just becoming 3D right now. I made purple. Yeah, made purple. (Gasps) And the paper doesn't get wet if you put it on it. No. Isn't that awesome? Here. Watch this. Let's get rid of this over here. Yeah, apparently, he's done. Oh, there we go. So, 3D Liquid Art is so cool, but this is pretty messy, and I can't save it. Aalyrah, go ahead. How many sheets does this toy come with? I was thinking probably 10 to 15 sheets. So, my mom doesn't really like me making a mess when I'm playing with toys. Would you say your toy kind of creates a mess? On the table, there might be a little bit of a mess. Great job. We'll see you back here in The Toy Box for the judges' final decision. Thank you. Bye, guys. "If I win tonight, it would mean that," for the past 20-some years of inventing, that it was not a waste. And it'll show my kids that never giving up truly does pay off. The judges have to go potty, so we'll be right back. 1 This is very, very nerve-racking because of it being a very high-stakes situation. James: I hope we manage to impress these judges. - (Deep-voice) Into The Toy Box we go. - (Laughs) I'm super excited you made it through that last round. I was secretly pulling for you. So you're here. You're one step closer to getting a deal and having Mattel make Noisy Person Cards and sell it all across America. Here we are! We're so close! The next step isn't always easy, because we have judges that are very honest. They'll tell you exactly what they're thinking. All right, you want to meet the judges? - Absolutely. - Yes. - All right. Judges, move on your fancy stage forward. (Suspenseful music) - (Laughs) - What?! Welcome to The Toy Box. Top of the morning to ya! Eric: So, take it away. OK, this is Noisy Person Cards. It's a party game about doing silly voices. OK, who wants to play Noisy Person Cards? - I want to play! - Yeah! - Whoo! Aalyrah: Oh, wow! Cool! I do love to be noisy! So, everybody grab two cards. For this round, you guys are gonna be the judge. - We'll act as the judge. - And you guys get to do the voices. Kat: So, for this round... You will be reading in your best... Grandma voice. - Ooh! - Oh! OK, this is funny. "(Raspy) Let's turn it up. It's about to get hot, hot, hottest. "It's about to get crazy, crazy." Ooh-hoo! Grandma! - I want to go! - Grandma Noah. "(Weakly) How mad would you be if you turned into-- "if you turned out to be a v-v-vampire?" (Laughter) Noisy Person Cards, it makes me feel really impressed, actually. It's a fun party game. I bet everyone's gonna be screaming like, "(British accent) Hello! My name's Richard!" OK, Aalyrah's up as Grandma. "(Hoarsely, high-pitched) Your dragon must smell like my dragon." - (Laughter) - Ooh! - Come on! - I guess I have to go now. - Yeah. - "(High-pitched) Aah! Oh, please. "Please try to stop having so much fun!" (Laughs crazily) (Laughter) - Oh, my gosh. - What was that?! - Eric: Sophia. - OK. "(High-pitched) I'll grant you three wishes, "but one of them has to be for a breath mint." Ooh! - Good job. - That was good. - Oh, come on! - Let's go to the judges. - Oh, man, Kat. This is a tough round 'cause... - This is a tough round. ...they're all really good at Grandma voices. Yours, I think, was the most appropriate grandmother. - Thank you. - Aw, man! - I would've voted for Noah on that one. - You got to be kidding me! All right, let's go back up there. Let's go back up. Who came up with these phrases for the game? We made up, uh, like-- What? Two thirds of them, at least. But, um, also, a bunch of our friends. - We got them to write some of them. - OK. Is this game for whole families? - Yes. - Absolutely. We like the idea of bringing different voices to the table. How much fun would it be to watch Mom and Dad do silly voices, right? Really fun. Um, can you please do an impression of Barbie? - "(High-pitched) OK, I guess Barbie would talk in a higher voice..." - Yeah. ...but she's also confident because she's had every job. Yeah. That was like-- She's had every job. Look at that wall. - Even an astronaut! - All right, James, Kat. I think you did a great job. Are we ready to, uh, let them go from The Toy Box? - I think we are. - Good night! - All right, good job. - Nice meeting you. We'll see you back here for the final decision. - Thank you, guys. - Bye! - Goodbye! Seeing them play it felt really good. James: We are on the precipice of going to the final round, and we're that much closer to being a part of, like, the Mattel legacy of toys. (Lighthearted music) (Upbeat music) Hi, Lori. Hi. It was super exciting to get the three yeses and to be moving on to The Toy Box. - You made it. - Yes! - Congratulations. - Can you believe it? - I can. - (Laughs) How are you feeling on the inside right now? I'm nervous. This is an amazing opportunity. I can't even begin to tell you what this means. Four ladybugs, four judges behind me. - You want to meet them? - I do. OK, judges, please come meet my bug friends. (Ominous music) (Up-tempo music) You made it to The Toy Box. All right, everybody. This is Lori. These are our judges. Tell them what you have. Do you ever, like, super-miss your mom and dad and so you just want to hear their voice or get a hug? So that's why I created this. The magic of this toy is that when you press the button, it delivers that voice that you want to hear. - All right, come down. Let's look at BedTime StoryBug. - Let's play. Aww! It's so cute. (Demonically) Hello, Noah. - (Laughs) - (Laughing) What? - StoryBug: (Demonically) Hello, Noah. - Oh. (Laughs) I don't have a good experience with bugs. I had a fly in my eye once. I wouldn't want to cuddle with a bug, especially a ladybug. Aalyrah: Good morning. StoryBug: Have fun with Grandma this morning, and I'll see you both after lunch. Sophia Grace: I think it's a really great invention. Because if your mom and dad record a message every night they get back from work, children will have something different to look forward to when they wake up that morning or go to bed that night. (StoryBug playing "Good night, sweetie" repeatedly) Eric: All right. Thanks, buddy. Let's not just keep doing that. I love you, Toy Box! Good morning, sunshine! Hi. My name's Bob. It's so lovable, and it's-- it's just so cool how you can record your little messages. And I think that it will make kids believe more in magic. Why'd you choose the classical ladybug? Bugs are so cool. Bugs are fun, and ladybugs especially 'cause they're so nice. Aalyrah: Is this toy for girls or boys? Well, I thought that that's the red and the black and it's a bug, so it could go either way. I mean, why not just give the kid a tape recorder? 'Cause it's not as special. You can't snuggle with a tape recorder. All right. Let's let Lori go. Thank you so much. We'll see you back here in The Toy Box for the judges' final decision. Aalyrah: Bye. Lori: If they selected the BedTime StoryBug as the winner, it would just mean the world. (Demonically) Good night, Noah. Sleep tight. (Laughs demonically) That's something a horror-movie character should say. (Upbeat music) Roderick: It's been so long in me developing Pre-Bot. I'm really looking forward to seeing what these judges think, and I'm hoping they think it's a great idea. - Roderick! You made it back! - (Robotically) "I am so happy for you." - Whoo! (Laughs) "It is so nice to see you." - You made it! - Yes. You just have a couple other things to get over the hump here with. - OK. - And those are our judges. - Mm-hmm. - They're not robots. Here they come. Judges! (Majestic music) Welcome to The Toy Box. (Both laugh) This is Roderick. Say, "Hey, Roderick." - Judges: Hey, Roderick! - The floor is yours. OK. This is Pre-Bot, the first of the robots that I made. Pre-Bot also has a few friends, and that's the Shape-Bots. - Who wants to make up their own robot? - I do! - Let's do it! - Come on down! (Upbeat music) Toby: Hello, Pre-Bots. Uh, I need a head. What do I do with these robots? I know that it's more for, like, younger kids than me. 'Cause I'm 8. Mm! Oh, I can't take apart Pre-Bot? Not yet. Not yet. - But that's the upgrade that's coming up. - Man! Guess what. I was a fan of robots till I found out that robots can be beat by aliens. I made a robot. I mean, I like Pre-Bot. I think it's a great toy, but I wouldn't, like, play with it myself, and I wouldn't buy it for myself. OK, so, now we'll, uh, take some questions from the judges. Did you do your homework on this? Yes, I did my homework on this. I looked up a, um, - whole bunch of different robots. - Are you in college? (Laughing) No, I'm out of college, but I really, uh-- No one gets homework when they're not in college. - How many times would I have to rub my dad's feet to buy your toy? - (Laughter) He's asking basically how much the toy costs. Pre-Bot will cost around... I say around $16. How did your brain come up with this idea? I've been coming up with stories and comics since I was little. I used to like to draw my own little comics. And so coming up with new ideas is something just that happens with me. So, Roderick, I'll let you leave. You'll be back here in The Toy Box for the judges' final decision. Everybody do their best robotic wave goodbye. - (Robotically) Goodbye, Roderick. - (All say goodbye) Bye. I think the kids were the toughest judges so far. (Robotically) Hello, Pre-Bot. My name is Eric. (Upbeat music) All right, judges. Four amazing, unique toys, completely different. But, wow, I got to say, all four of them were phenomenal. Unfortunately, only one can make it to the finals, so we have to come to a decision. So let's kick it off. We're gonna start with Pre-Bot. Noah: What I liked about Pre-Bot is, with friends, I can make crazy robots. So you like the functionality of Pre-Bot, all the options and-- Yes, but the one thing I didn't like is that, why couldn't I have tooken apart Pre-Bot? I think the colours were a little simple, and I think maybe he could expand his, like... They're bright, but they're sort of boring. They're just kind of boring bright. All right, so let's move on to BedTime StoryBug. Uh, I'm gonna start with you, Aalyrah. Really lovable. But, um, something that's kind of negative is the voice box might go out and you'll have to keep on getting new batteries over and over again. A lot of toys require batteries. One thing that I liked about BedTime StoryBug is that it keeps you from missing your mom. Are you missing your mom right now? - Yes. - Aw. All right. Noisy Person Cards. You can do crazy accents like "(Hoarsely) Hi." (Normal voice) One thing that I didn't like is it would hurt kids' throats. - I agree. - OK. Well, good to know. Sophia Grace, I would love for you to do this in an American accent. (American accent) "I think it's a little plain. I mean, it's not really a bright pink. "It's kind of a light pink. So the thing that they could improve would be, "like, the packaging -- to stand out more to people." - (Imitates explosion) - Eric: So cool. All right, so, moving on to 3D Liquid Art. It makes a big mess, and parents hate messes. They would be mad. It's a great birthday present. It's really cool how, when you shine a light, it turns into, like, this kind of gel. Oh, and another thing -- every time I lose a tooth, I get 20 bucks from the tooth fairy. Eric: OK. Thank you. (Laughs) We got to choose one toy out of four great toys. We can only pick one to move on to the finals, and you guys have to decide which toy that is. (Suspenseful music plays) (Exhales deeply) Have we reached a decision? - Yes. Toymakers, please come into The Toy Box. Roderick... Lori... Ryan... James and Kat... We had four great toys today, guys. It was a tough decision. But they ultimately came to a decision, and only one of you is gonna make it to the finals. I'm gonna throw it to Toby and let him take over. Pre-Bot. Your toy was on point. BedTime StoryBug, if your mom or dad's on a trip for a long time, you can hear their voice, and that just makes you feel great. Noisy Person Cards. If you're nervous (High-pitched) "and in the light like this, "it really helps you take off your imagination," because it teaches you never be nervous. 3D Liquid Art. Your toy, you can make anything with. But at the end of the day, only one toy stood out tonight. (Suspenseful music) BedTime StoryBug. Will you make it to the finals? My reply is no. Your journey has ended. But you did great. - Lori: Thank you. - Eric: Thank you so much. Lori: This would've been the shot of a lifetime. The dream is still alive. It just is gonna take a little bit longer, and the road is not gonna be quite as easy. Eric: All right. BedTime StoryBug has been squashed. Three of you -- if you count you as one -- - are left in the competition. - That's fair. Sophia Grace. It's been a very, very hard decision, but... only one of you can make it to the finals. 3D Liquid Art. Will you make it to the finals? (Suspenseful music) The magic eight ball says... Yes, definitely. (Upbeat music) - Congratulations. - Eric: You made it. - Thank you guys so much. - Thank you so much. Noisy Person Cards, Pre-Bot, you guys were wonderful. Great job! Roderick: I feel positive about the future. Just because one door closes doesn't mean all of them are closed. - Have a good night, guys. - Thank you. Roderick: All right. Take care. James: Even though we're not gonna be working with Mattel, - I feel like we learned a lot. - Yeah. - And we had fun doing it. - Yeah. - Ryan! - I made it! - Congratulations, man! You did it! - This is a dream. - Are you so excited? - I am so excited. You are on step closer to having a deal with Mattel. You made it to the finals. Judges, you did a great job. I'll see you back here next week... All: ...in The Toy Box! (Upbeat music) www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2018