History Main / KidsPreferBoxes

Kids and cats covet big boxes while ignoring the (presumably valuable) contents inside. This happens to many parents when they purchase a super-special, ultra-rare, expensive present for their kid, usually for a birthday or Christmas, only for the recipient to carelessly toss it aside while they focus their attention on doing creative, imaginitve play with the '''awesome''' cardboard box it came in.

** This box-loving behavior even extends to larger cats, like [[https://youtu.be/J11uu8L8FTY tigers and cheetahs.]] Another popular meme has cardboard boxes as a tool to pacify or distract cougars in the wild.

* In the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch "Protective Mom", the titular Latina mother tosses out some vegan sliders that her son's white girlfriend ordered for their dinner, then folds up the paper bag for reusing later. In the sequel, the son's new girlfriend brings a metal tin of store-bought cookies, which the mom empties to make room for her sewing supplies.

* In an extra, if you look closely, you can see Sunny in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' playing with a cardboard box. No surprise, since she is raised by her Uncle Snake.

* Cats love boxes. They love hiding in them. It's the best way to catch a cat. Set out a box and leave. Come back in five minutes. The cat will be in the box. No muss, no fuss. They'll do the same with paper bags if you can't find a box. Or laundry baskets, especially when there's laundry in them. Crockpots are also known to work. There's an [[MemeticMutation internet meme]] about this behavior in felines: "If I fits, I sits."

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E4NastyPattyIdiotBox Idiot Box]]", [=SpongeBob=] buys a big television set, and immediately tosses it in favor of spending the entire episode playing with Patrick in the cardboard box that the television was packaged in. Squidward, of course, is perplexed by the concept, but at least he gets a free big screen TV... [[YourTelevisionHatesYou which just so happens to give him shows about boxes every time he flips the channel]]. (And yes, this includes [[VisualPun championship boxing]].)

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E4NastyPattyIdiotBox Idiot Box]]", [=SpongeBob=] buys a big television set, and immediately tosses it in favor of spending the entire episode playing with Patrick in the cardboard box that the television was packaged in. Squidward, of course, is perplexed by the concept, but at least he gets a free TV... [[YourTelevisionHatesYou which just so happens to give him shows about boxes every time he flips the channel]]. (And yes, this includes [[VisualPun championship boxing]].)

* In the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch "Protective Mom", the titular Latina mother tosses out some vegan sliders that her son's white girlfriend ordered for their dinner, then folds up the paper bag for reusing later.

** This box-loving behavior even extends to larger cats, like [[https://youtu.be/J11uu8L8FTY tigers and cheetahs.]]

** The scientific reason is that cats, being ambush predators, like sheltered places where they can watch for prey without being seen, as well as safe, enclosed spaces they can curl up in to stay warm. They can also sharpen their claws on the cardboard, and they won't even get scolded for it!

** The scientific reason is that cats, being ambush predators, like sheltered places where they can watch for prey without being seen, as well as safe, enclosed spaces they can curl up in to stay warm. Cardboard is also good for sharpening their claws on without being scolded.

** The scientific reason is that cats, being ambush predators, like sheltered places where they can watch for prey without being seen, as well as safe, enclosed spaces they can curl up in to stay warm. Cardboard is also good for sharpening their claws on.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' buys a big television set, and immediately tosses it in favor of spending the entire episode playing with Patrick in the cardboard box that the television was packaged in. Squidward, of course, is perplexed by the concept, but at least he gets a free TV... [[YourTelevisionHatesYou which just so happens to give him shows about boxes every time he flips the channel]]. (And yes, this includes [[VisualPun championship boxing]].)

** The scientific reason is that cats like sheltered places where they can watch for prey without being seen, as well as warm, enclosed spaces they can curl up in. Cardboard is also good for sharpening their claws on.

Kids and cats covet boxes while ignoring the (presumably valuable) contents inside. This happens to many parents when they purchase a super-special, ultra-rare, highly-expensive present for their kid, usually for a birthday or Christmas, only for the recipient to carelessly toss it aside while they focus their attention at the most '''awesome''' cardboard box it came in.

* Shipping containers have been used to build houses.

* The ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch "Protective Mom" has the titular Latina mother toss out some vegan sliders her son's white girlfriend ordered for their dinner, then fold up the paper bag for reusing later.

* The well-established rule that kids like cookie dough better than cookies is similar.

* In the ''Series/FullHouse'' episode "Little Shop of Sweaters", Michelle got a cute little Valentine's shirt from her family but she was more interested in the box.

* A ''Babylon Bee'' parody claims that [[https://babylonbee.com/news/biblical-scholars-claim-jesus-ignored-gold-frankincense-myrrh-just-played-with-the-boxes-they-came-in baby Jesus just played with the boxes that his gold, frankincense, and myrrh came in.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' episode, "We'll Always Have Tom Paris," Dr. T'ana, essentially a humanoid cat, sends Tendi to get a fmaily heirloom. In transit, the heirloom gets wrecked, but T'ana doesn't care, she only wanted to the large woodedn box it came in.

** It was heavily implied during Nythera's flashback that Sneevils used to be human children before being [[BalefulPolymorph shifted into their goblin-like appearance]] to collect boxes for her box fort.[[note]]It failed since they collected the boxes for themselves instead.[[/note]] Most of the children were reverted back to normal but the few who escaped became ancestors of the modern Sneevils seen today.

* As mentioned under the Animated Films folder, ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' [[PlayedForDrama plays this trope for drama]] in the [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Halloweentown]] world. When Sora and company visit the world for the second time, they discover that someone has been stealing presents from Santa's workshop and fear that Jack Skellington might be behind it--but it turns out that it's actually a massive Heartless known only as the Experiment. At one point, the Experiment throws one of the stolen gifts at the group while escaping, and Jack steps on the teddy bear that was inside to pick up the box instead, remarking that ''this'' is the "present" part of the gift. Jack and the Experiment have this in common, as the latter tries to take as many boxes as possible, regardless of whether or not something's inside. [[WomenAreWiser Sally]] eventually figures out what the Experiment was up to--a present is a way of showing someone that you care for them, which, in a way, is like giving someone your heart. Since the Heartless...well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lack hearts]], the Experiment thought it could someone become whole by taking the gifts for itself.