As a kid I still remember the joy I felt when anyone in the neighborhood purchased a new appliance. While the adults were eyeing the benefits of a new refrigerator or washer/dryer, we kids had our eyes on that box. We spent hours cutting and decorating the box. Our favorite standbys were playhouses, rocket ships and cars.
Well, the folks at Box-O-Mania say their Play Box is an evolution of the cardboard box. Made of sturdy corrugated plastic, it is easy to put together and take apart and can be stored in a compact carrying case that fits under a bed or couch. Kids can decorate it with reusable stickers and erasable markers to create four themes: Fire Station, Beauty Salon, House and Club House. It can be used indoors and outdoors and is the perfect space for kids to create, learn, imagine and escape in a whole new way.
Our Box-O-Mania Play Box arrived weighing in at 16 lbs. and the carrying cases dimensions are 53.25″ L x 20.5″ W x 3.5″ H. The play box consists of six (6) pieces: a front panel, a back panel, two side panels, the roof and the floor, which locks everything into place. It took me and my father-in-law about 25 minutes to assemble the house. Keep in mind we were in a tight space and had the “help” of an eager two and four year old who kept taking off with our pieces. It is necessary to have two adults to build the play box because installation necessitates holding up walls and pressing long strips of Velcro panels together from both inside and outside the structure.
This play box is big! Once assembled, the play box’s dimensions are 55.75″ L x 36″ W x 57.5″ H. My apartment could only hold the play box for two days of testing purposes and then it got shipped to our summer weekend retreat for outdoor use. The play box is 100 percent corrugated plastic, made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and simply wipes clean with a lightly damp cloth. To remove washable markers, the manufacturer suggests using dry erase marker remover.
My kids had a blast decorating the play box with the accompanying house stickers. They installed sticker curtains, flowers and furniture. They moved their IKEA table and chairs and all the favorite animals inside. We look forward to many more hours of play with our play box this summer.
Anna Tselevich is the brain behind Box-O-Mania, a “unique toy company” that launched this year with her father Max as the CEO. Oh, and Anna is just 12 years old! “It’s like a giant cardboard box but it’s better,” Tselevich explains. “You can make this your own and express your creativity.”
BUY IT: Box-O-Mania supplies a full list of suppliers on their website. Online locations include www.sears.com, www.csnstores.com, and www.drugstore.com. The retail price on CSN Stores is $93.95 with sets of replacement stickers priced at an additional $21.95.
~Jill
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the product mentioned to facilitate this review. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
