The Toniebox promises screen free eBooks for children 3 years+ with its intuitive interchangeable figurine system and growing library of kids classics, but does it deliver on those promises?
Disclaimer: For the purposes of this article we were sent the products seen in this review for free. No payment has been given for review, and all opinions (positive and negative) are entirely my own.
What is a Toniebox?
The Toniebox concept is simple. A Wi-fi enabled speaker, with a built in RF reader on the top that detects when a compatible Tonie is popped on top. Once initially configured, putting a figure onto the pad automatically downloads the relevant files to the Toniebox. This means no faffing around when it comes to playtime; your little one can get on with playing with their new toy without waiting for long setups (unless you have a slow internet connection). The box itself has a good weight to it, with soft padding on all faces.
It feels quality, and tough enough to survive the inevitable tumbles that come with being a kid’s device. The beauty comes in the lack of screens; it’s a back to basics concept that strays from the norm of tablet-based entertainment that kid’s toys these days have started following. The audio quality is fantastic, with a surprising level of bass, and no distortion at higher volumes. The Toniebox can be played at quite a loud level (ideal for in the garden) but there’s also a headphone jack for quieter story time.
What is a Tonie?
A Tonie is a hand painted figurine, containing a RF chip that allows it to communicate with the Toniebox. When placed on top of the box, its content is downloaded via Wi-Fi. Once this initial download is complete, the box can be played anywhere, as it’s saved to the device’s internal memory. The Tonies currently on offer include books by Julia Donaldson, figures dedicated to nursery rhymes, and Disney themed sets. Each figurine feels tough, and the hand-painted detailing is gorgeous. The baby has got her teething chops around them a couple of time and hasn’t managed to cause damage, so that’s a big thumbs up from me.
There are also “Creative Tonies”, one of which is included in the starter set. Each creative Tonie is configured by you via the easy to use web interface and allows you to upload 90 minutes of audio content of your choice. This could be music, audio books you already own, or even recordings of yourself reading your little one’s favourite stories (ideal if Mummy or Daddy is away on business for an evening, or if they’re spending a night at the grandparents).
How does it work?
The Toniebox come with everything you need to get started; the Toniebox itself, a charging dock, Creative Tonie Figurine and brief setup instructions. Before giving the device to my little boy (aged 3), I decided to go through the setup process fully so that he could dive straight in when he got his hands on it. The process was super-straightforward to follow, as the website guided you through step-by-step. Once configured to my Wi-Fi network, it was as simple as placing the Tonies on the top of the device so it could download the content.
I decided to load our Creative Tonie with Disney music and audio books of my little man’s current favourites (which led to the Jungle Book being on repeat…. But I have only myself to blame). Even adding your own content was as easy as dragging and dropping the tracks into the web browser window (I was using my Windows PC). For purposes of review we also receive 2 additional Tonies; Zog by Julia Donaldson and a Squirrel chock full of Birthday Party themed songs.
Changing tracks is easily achieved by tapping the sides of the device. Tilting causes it to fast forward or rewind (which can be disabled if you have a little one who is too hands on with the device), and pressing the ears increases or decreases the volume. My 3-year-old got the hang of it so quickly after being shown, and in no time at all was skipping to his favourite tracks.
What did My 3-Year-Old think of the Tonie Box?
As mentioned, it really didn’t take him long to get used to how everything worked. Even his 10-month sister has been able to put the figure in the right place to get the music playing. What has been especially lovely is how he has grabbed the books relating to the audio books he’s listening to off the shelf to follow along with. Every day after nursery he has bee-lined straight for the Toniebox, which makes a change to the usual requests for the Kindle or Cbeebies. When asked for comment or thoughts on the toy, he responded “I LIKEEEEEEE ITTTTT”, so I think it’s a hit with him!
How much is the Tonie Box?
For me, price is the biggest negative of the system. The starter set is £79.99, with each additional Tonie retailing at £15. Extra creative Tonies can be purchased at a slightly lower price of 11.99 (available in a range of designs to make them easily distinguishable from one-another). To me, £15 is way too high for 30 minutes of content. You can easily purchase the Julia Donaldson collection of audiobooks online for £8-£10, which gives you all the stories at a much cheaper price. My little boy loves following along to the pictures in the books, so buying the CD tracks and board poops, popping them onto a creative Tonie and following along still works out cheaper than buying each Tonie story individually.
Tonie Box Conclusion
Overall, my impression of the system is positive, although it is marred by the high cost of the figurines. Were they available at a much lower price point or included a version of the book the kids to read along to, it would be more palatable and increase the chances of me buying more stories for my kids as treats.
What are your thoughts on the Toniebox? Have you bought something similar for your little ones? Let us know in the comments below.
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Jon says
What a clever idea. Didn't even know these existed! Great to see the old map / carpet is still getting use! I remember having that as a kid myself!
Charlotte Cook says
I always wanted one of those rugs as a kid lol >_<
Kara Guppy says
What a brilliant idea, Sebby loves listening to audio books so this would be perfect for him
Charlotte Cook says
Lots of Disney figures coming soon apparently, my little man loves the jungle book so hoping for some classics
Carys says
Where you able put audiobooks from audio cd on your computer to put on certive Tonie. If were able to put audiobooks from audio cd how did copy audio cd from computer to your certive Tonie.
Please answer ASAP
Kizzy says
What a great idea but I am with you on the cost. I think if the price was a bit lower it would definitely be a great gift idea for my niece's.
Charlotte Cook says
If the figures were half the price even, I'd be more inclined to pick them up as treats every now and again
Sarah says
What a really great idea!
Charlotte Cook says
Wish I thought of it first!
Marie says
Wow, what a fantastic idea. Love that it’s really simple to use and they can choose what they would like.
Charlotte Cook says
I was impressed with how quickly my little one got to grips with it, even the baby knew where to put the figurine
Lyndsey O'Halloran says
I've never heard of this before but it's an interesting concept. I'd like to look into it a bit more I think. It might be something Erin would like.
Charlotte Cook says
If she loves books, I'm sure she'll love it 🙂
Sabina Green says
It does seem expensive, but I do think it is a great idea. I have not heard of these before, I love the concept of them though.
Charlotte Cook says
I wish I had the idea first hehe
Jade Bremner says
I love this but as you mentioned the price of the figurines after the initial purchase is a bit high. I think over time if the price dropped it would be amazing to get as my daughter wants book after book.
Jenni says
Tonie Box is really popular in Germany, loads of people I know there have one. But same as you, I find the cost of the individual Tonies way too expensive. In comparison, it's 15 Euros for a Tonie, or around 5 Euros for the same story on CD. So we just have a CD player instead. My son got it when he was 3 and has no trouble operating it.
Charlotte Cook says
That's really interesting to hear how it's taken off elsewhere, I wonder if it will get the same reception over here.
Melanie williams says
Oh wow how cool it this! Not heard of a Tonie box before, but this would maker for a perfect gift idea xx
Charlotte Cook says
I think it's something I'd have wanted as a birthday pressie as a kid (but I always did love a gadget haha)
Emma Reed says
Oh I love the look of this!
Emma Mosley says
Wow! Never knew this sort of toy existed! What a great way to bring stories to life.
Nicola | Mummy to Dex says
Interesting idea but I think for us too it’s a little out of our price range. Lovely pics of your kids enjoying it though!
Wendy says
This sounds amazing!!!! I really like the sound of all of it (although agree prix is a bit steep!) and I think my boys would love one of these xx
Laura says
Wow, what a great idea. My son would love it, but it is a bit pricey isn't it?
Laura @ http://www.lauraleanne.com
Amanda Blackburn says
It’s a cute design but overpriced. I’m not a fan of story teller apps or devices. Sitting with your child and reading together is a special moment and teaches so much more. It’s just another gadget that wouldn’t be used after the novelty has wore off. We have fast internet it’s a must in our house so no problem loading. Lovely clear honest review from you ?
Eva Katona says
It is a bit expensive indeed, but I think it's cute and as a tecchy family it would definitely would the thumbs up from us.
Kira says
These look brilliant! I think Alessia would love one if these for her birthday
Julie says
I bought one of these for my nephew as I thought they looked great, but the novelty soon wore off with him. Very unfortunate considering the price...… He prefers his books with the pictures. Its a nice idea, but I do think its a bit of a short term interest!
Clare Kaczmarek says
I just recently got one for my kids and they love listening to a story on it after we've read books together to help them drift off to sleep at night. I would really like to add some favourite bedtime stories to our Creative Tonie but struggling with where to download/buy them from as the Tonies website states that iTunes and Amazon audiobooks are protected and therefore not able to be uploaded 🙁 Could you tell me where you got your audio files from please? Thank you 🙂
Charlotte Cook says
I used audio books CDs that I had already bought, and ripped them to my PC (I managed to get the entire Julia donaldson collection in a charity shop for 50p, although I think the works often have it on offer too). Lots of Disney books also have CDs, and aside from that we just used music from my iTunes library. Hope this helps 🙂
Devin says
I didn’t see that you asked this, but I’m having the same issue!
erin says
Toniebox (Boxina) has just secured a 350 million euros seed by investors and will enter the US market in 2020. It is now considered a unicorn (start-up valued at 1billion dollars +). Crazy.
Devin says
We have a tonie box, and I’m just wondering... where did you purchase your audio books from? It seems that Apple store audio books have some sort of protection, so they can’t be used 🙁
Charlotte Cook says
Hi Devin, I've found that the cheapest way of getting audio books is on CD, quite often in charity shops or second hand stores. This way I managed to get the entire Julia Donaldson collection for a couple of pounds. Discount book retailers often have cheap audio book CDs too.
Hope this helps!