Everything you need to know about using a Toniebox

Meet Tonies®. In 2015, Patric Fassbender and Marcus Stahl created Tonies®, a transformative toy that turns bedtime reading into an immersive audiobook experience designed for children. Simply turn on the speaker and attach a Tonie figure to the colourful box to unlock new worlds. As children play with their favourite toys, they can listen to stories and songs to enhance imaginative play from breakfast to bedtime.

Children can use Tonieboxes independently: simply squeeze, tilt, and touch the speaker to adjust the chapters. Compatible over-ear headphones also mean the stories don’t have to be blasted out of the nursery or playroom. If you’re looking for children’s activities that lower screentime, Tonies is just the thing you need.

Using a Toniebox will help improve your child’s vocabulary and literacy skills! In a survey from the National Literacy Trust and the Tonies’ Schools and Nurseries Education initiative, they found:

- 95.6% of children enjoy hearing stories read aloud to them.

- Nearly 380,000 UK children do not own any books.

- 23.4% of children listen to more audiobooks than they did in 2020.

- 81.6% of children have a favourite storybook character: Harry Potter, The Gruffalo, and Matilda are popular.

Find out how to use a Toniebox with our helpful guide — get Toniebox starter sets, characters, and Tonies headphones with JoJo Maman Bebé.

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How to Use a Toniebox

The Toniebox is a must-have for any literary lover. Creative Tonies characters hold up to 90 minutes of stories that can be played without Wi-Fi access. Choose to listen to preloaded tales, or upload your MP3s, audiobooks, and sounds to the Toniebox characters through the mytonies app. With lots of free content for families to explore, there’s limitless opportunities to invent fantastical stories and worlds.

Pack the in-car entertainment

As the Toniebox weighs 600g, children will want to hold their new toy wherever they go. It boasts 7 hours of battery life, so it’s ready to entertain kids on any car journey. Instead of playing “Babyshark” on repeat, listen to the tales of Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit, and more during the school run, playground trips, and big days out.

Control your child’s Toniebox usage

Set up or log in to your online Toniecloud account, adjust volume levels and story access for family-friendly reading and listening. Children can’t listen all night; as soon as the bedtime story ends, the Toniebox will automatically turn off and fall asleep. Although children can independently use their Toniebox, parents and responsible adults can also stay in total control over what their child accesses.

Toniebox Starter Sets

Introduce children to a world of audiobooks, music, and educational fun with a complete Toniebox kit. Toniebox Starter Sets come with a Toniebox speaker and a creative Tonie character that fits up to 90 minutes of stories. Upload MP3s and audiobooks onto the portable device, or use the Toniebox Starter Set to narrate your stories. It can simultaneously play and download content, so the audio adventures can continue forever — well, for at least 7 hours before it needs charging.

Toniebox Headphones

Toniebox speakers allow children to listen to stories out loud. However, the versatile Tonieboxes also allow for quiet listening on the go. Coordinate your Toniebox with colourful headphones. Cushioned ear pads and a padded headband ensure little heads and ears listen to their favourite stories in comfort. Adjustable features mean children can grow with their Tonie headphones, and volume-listening speakers protect tender ears from loud sounds. Plug the Toniebox headphones for on-the-go audiobook listening.

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