Gadget Review: Tonies

The Toniebox and Tonie content character combine to make storytime fun.

Pros:
Several characters to choose from for story and song content
Durable, VERY durable
Great to add your own unique content

Cons:
$13 – $20 per Tonie can quickly become expensive
Wish there was greater variety of content (Taylor Swift albums or Star Wars stories)
App is great but could offer more device control

5 out of 5 stars: Perfect companion for your little one’s storytime with some additional content for ears of all ages. Easy to use, even for the littlest of fingers or those with limited tech knowledge. Companion app is mainly used to limit Toniebox’s volume and upload user generated content. Rugged box that can be thrown around by little ones without worry of breaking. A magic box of delight and imagination!

Price – $100 (Toniebox and one Tonie), $13-$20 (for each additional Tonie)
Toniebox, additional Tonies and FUN accessories are available for order at https://us.tonies.com/

Squishy cushion to protect the Toniebox

Volume control? Press those triangle ears!

The Toniebox is a 5″ x 5″ x 5″ cube… picture a tissue box at your grandma’s house. But instead of an ugly yarn-knit sweater, the box is covered in a thick memory foam pillow. The first question for any electronic aimed at little kids: How durable is it? Well, I found out the answer before I even had opportunity to run any tests… I accidentally dropped the Toniebox down my stairs!! The Toniebox took the crash in stride with neither a hiccup in performance nor a dent to the device.

Setup of your Toniebox is straightforward: download the app and it will walk you through connecting your Toniebox to your wifi as well as showing you how to add more content to your Creative Tonies characters. The app is very simple, by design, as the creators want the users, the children, to feel autonomy while using the device instead of giving more power to the app holder. It makes sense as the Toniebox itself is very simple to use: press one of the ears to power on the Toniebox, place a Tonie in the designated play square, it magnetically snaps into place, and the content auto-magically begins to play. Want to pause the song or story? Simply remove your Tonie from the base. Want to skip to the next song or chapter? Tap the Toniebox on one side to advance forward or the other side to rewind. And the volume controls? Intuitively, press the big ear to make it louder, the small ear to turn the volume down. You can leave the Toniebox on the charger or it can run nearly 7 hours until a charge is needed.

Clear explanation on why control from the app is limited.

Tonies dashboard in the app.

So the Toniebox is simple to use but like any entertainment platform, the true value is in the content. Tonies do not disappoint. There are more than 200 physical Tonies to choose from as well as digital content from their store to add as well. There are stories and songs from characters you know and love such as Mickey Mouse, Moana, Encanto as well as the recent addition of Batman, Trolls, Spider-Man and Paw Patrol. Truly something for everyone in the under 8 years old domain. There is even a Calm Tonie to help your little one with meditation and peacefulness. (I’ve been using that one a lot as well!) Each Tonie contains anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes of content. Creative Tonies will include space for you to record your own content such as a message from a loved one or your little one belting out their own songs. Great added value to the device.

Characters from your favorite properties such as Disney, Paw Patrol and DC

Creative Tonie lets you add your own content to a Tonie

Magnetic Tonie easily snap to Toniebox

Overall, there is great replay value with Tonies providing hours of fun for your little ones especially those who love singing their favorite songs or will sit still for storytime. It is a great way to entertain without getting them hooked on screens or let them wander through YouTube to potentially unsafe material.

I would like to see content for teens and adults offered down the road. Imagine a Taylor Swift Tonie featuring her in an outfit from her tour, featuring music from that era… or Star Wars Tonies reliving the greatest moments in the space saga. Not to mention an expanded library of content from Calm or even workouts from Peloton. The potential is endless.

Overhead view of the top of the Toniebox featuring the volume control ears and the Tonie play space.

I love fun packaging.

Changing stand.

This device was given to me by Tonies for my review. All content and opinions are my own without any influence by Tonies. Please contact me with any questions you may have about this device.