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Mr. Cardboard Box
By Kathy Harlan
Barbie, Tonka Trucks, Play-Doh, Slinky and Tinker Toys are all playmates in the Toy Hall of Fame. They nestle next to Alphabet Blocks, Etch A Sketch, Jump Ropes and YoYos in the hearts of children everywhere. Last year the much-loved board game Candy Land was inducted into the Hall along with (drum roll please) the un-trademarked and unsung Cardboard Box.
A cardboard box? In the Toy Hall of Fame? An equal of Silly Putty, Raggedy Ann, Monopoly and Mr. Potato Head?
A box is just a box. Or is it? A box can be a rocket ship, a cave, a house, a tunnel, a fort, a maze or just about anything a creative mind can envision. How many Christmas Days have been spent with the youngsters crawling through the box that housed the high-priced toy sitting in the corner? Playing house, blasting off for the moon, defending a castle, playing turtle, tracing life-sized figures, running trains through the terminal – all are common activities created by children who are lucky enough to have a cardboard box.
As with most wonderful pastimes of children, the adults usually take over. “Here, let’s build a house.” And then, “Let’s make furniture to go in the house,” or “Let’s make some windows and hang curtains.” Or the final kiss of death, “This is so educational.”
Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without costumes made from cardboard boxes. Familycorner.com has complete instructions for making a robot, a television set, a pair of dice, a racecar, a jack-in-the-box and other great disguises from a cardboard box.
Science projects rely heavily on boxes as construction materials. Articles advise us how to make composters, solar box cookers, growing columns, chairs, and houses. Yes, houses. Not just simple play houses, but complete structures for people to live in.
An award-winning new building system in Canada uses mostly recycled cardboard as its primary component. It is lightweight, inexpensive and strong enough to resist heavy snow loads and hurricane winds. These "Instant Houses" can be assembled by unskilled workers in as little as one day.
To refine the concept of building things with cardboard, a company has created a product called Bloxes. They are beige squares or rectangles of heavy cardboard, measuring about six to nine inches. Easier to manipulate when building projects than a large sheet of cardboard, they advertise “Build real walls, towering towers, genuine igloos (aren’t genuine igloos made of ice?), and giant domino runs.” And the final selling point – “Sturdy, yet safe enough that kids can knock over their own creations.” Hmm. Same as a real cardboard box.
As if that is not enough embellishment for a simple box, purchase a set of Mr. McGroovy’s Cardboard Box Rivets. Simple plastic rivets, they “expand your creative potential when working with cardboard.” You can get 100 rivets for only $6.95. Mr. McGroovy also offers detailed plans for complicated cardboard structures including castles, fire engines, Santa’s sleigh, and carriages among others. These large projects often require multiple cardboard boxes (the Princess Castle takes eight) so Mr. McGroovy tells you how to obtain them.
Retail stores may tell you they crush boxes 15 seconds after they are empty. But ask them who their delivery company is! Most retailers contract with a local company for delivery and installation. Home Depot and Conn’s, for example, have delivery companies with boxes galore. Refrigerator boxes are the biggest, but it can be hard to get eight of them. Washer/dryer boxes work just as well, even though they are a little smaller, and they are easier to find.
Back to the children and the real star of this piece – the plain, unadorned cardboard box. Would anyone have the nerve to go to a birthday party and present the birthday boy or girl with a brand new refrigerator size box tied with a red ribbon? Would the boy look disappointed and continue playing with his Game Boy? Would the girl turn to Barbie for comfort?
Do the other toys in the Hall of Fame sneer and make rude comments about Cardboard Box or is he an acceptable classmate? Time will tell.
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