Where did the phrase "Out of the box" come from?

Answer 1

Most likely it means thinking out side the tiny cubicle the average office worker is confined to, similar to a box.

Answer 2

Do you mean to "think outside the box"? If so, that phrase actually comes from a mind challenge. There are four dots in a square formation. You need to connect all the dots using a certain number of lines (8, I think). How do you do it?

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Well, you have to think outside the box. Don't just connect the dots in a square. You have to create lines outside the box to use up all 8 of the required lines to succeed at the challenge.

To "think outside the box" is also a paradigm. It has been transformed from the original meaning above to mean solving a problem using unconventional methods and being creative with solutions instead of doing the obvious.

Answer 3

It's possible that it came from the batter's box, or the office cubicle, but I think it is more likely that it came from the theories of the noted child psychologist B.F. Skinner, who advocated raising children in confined stalls like pigeons or veal cattle. His book Beyond Freedom and Dignity is a frightening vision of what society could become, if his ideas were followed. I believe that people recognized his ideas for the harmful things that they were, and advocated thinking 'outside the box' of the limitations that he proposed. I suspect that he was badly abused as a child.

Answer 4

(copied)

right "out of the box" ...

: Thinking OUTSIDE the box (which is similar to coloring outside the lines) should not be confused with "out-of-the-box." The latter expression, often preceded by "right" as in "right out of the box," means so new that the speaker hasn't had time to break anything yet, or "brand new."

(copy)

first crack "out of the box" ...
It seems to me that it might be an amalgamation of two similar cliches; "first crack" meaning "first attempt", and "right out of the box" meaning "from the beginning". "Right out of the box", in addition to the obvious indication of opening a new purchase or gift, has strong baseball associations. A baseball batter must stand in one of two designated chalk-outlined areas called the "batter's box". All base running starts from this box. A runner who can run to first base quickly will often be spoken of as "fast out of the box". The cowboy/rodeo usage would certainly reinforce the "from the beginning" meaning, but baseball slang is much better known in the USA than rodeo jargon.