Introduction (Does It Do What It Should)

While I was attending CES 2024, I got to see an old friend of mine with Tonies. I first encountered them at CES 2021, the one that didn’t really happen in Las Vegas. It really intrigued me, and this is what I wrote about them when I first reviewed their product (with some alteration):

So what is this? Well, what you see above is the Toniebox, and it is essentially a big speaker. It is definitely made for smaller hands, and it is cushioned in case it gets hit.

Now, you can see in the image that the Toniebox has some kind of figurine on it. This Tonie figurine affixes to the top of the Toniebox with magnets, and then it plays audio from whatever you wish to play.

Seriously, I have never seen a product like this, but it works. I had to set up an account and do the usual things any app-controlled gadget has, but I was able to record sounds associated with this figurine. Then, all I need to do is put the figure on the Toniebox, and I can pinch the pointy ears on top to control the volume.

You can record about ninety minutes on one of these figurines, and then a kid can smack the Toniebox to do a track forward on this guy. By the way, you can program sounds from the Creative Tonie store for songs and audiobooks.

Seriously, I was anxious to review these Tonies products because I can’t remember any time I have seen any device for younger hands or older ones like this. You can purchase the Toniebox on the Tonies site for $99.99 which includes the speaker box and small figurine (in whatever skin color you prefer). Additional figurines are for $14.99, and some of them have Disney-licensed characters.

Okay, this is what I had to say about it last time, and when I was given another for review, I felt it could be cool, so I just did it again. (Yes, I did just copy and paste the text from my last review here.)

You can see in my review, which went very long, how frustrating it was for me to set this up. I want to emphasize “for me”, because I do not blame Tonies for the troubles that I had with this time I reviewed this. In fact, I may have had those troubles the last time, and just dealt with it and forgot about it. After all, it has been about 3 years since I did my first review of this product.

Anyway, you can see me trying to put on the figurine, and then having it fail to play. I then messed with the app, and I got it working. Yes, it might be that I have 5 GHz Internet, but I wasn’t able to confirm that I don’t have that. And yes, I probably should know how to get that on information, but my D-Link router says that it can accommodate both types of Internet.

So yes, I got each figurine (I had three of them) to play when they were put on the Toniebox. Then the issue became why I couldn’t get the tracks to advance when I was slapping the Toniebox. You can have a blast watching me slap the box around, and I don’t care if that sounds like innuendo.

My point is that I was able to get the Toniebox to work, and just to be sure, I tried it out over one week later. Sure enough, the Toniebox and the Tonies figurines played just fine.

Facts About The Company

As far as I know, it looks like Tonies only makes the Toniebox and the Tonies figurines. It looks to be in their vision statement to really bring out that sense of imagination and wonder in kids.

Apparently, Tonies is “made by parents for parents”, which I really like, as it shows that there is a definite kid-focus here, which is precisely what you need if you have a product like this.

What Does This Company Make?

I think what you see here is what you get with the Tonies and Toniebox. They also make shelves for the Tonies figurines, and they make some headphones as well. So yes, it would appear that Tonies is all about the Tonies, which is pretty cool, actually. After all, they might as well specialize.

Just the Specs, Man

If you’re the type that needs this info, this section is for you!

Okay, I don’t really have anything to say here about the Toniebox. As for the figurines, I’m not even sure how they are made. Is it a 3D printer?

If there is something on this that I didn’t cover, please let me know.

What Do the Reviews Say?

The reviews on Amazon are very positive. The one in red has 4.5 stars with 2,420 reviews. It’s hard to imagine it getting any lower, because I’m really giving a lot of points for imagination and creativity.

Okay, Get To The Unboxing Already!

Maybe I Want It, But Is There Anything Else Like It? Maybe For A Lower Price? Please?

Like I said before, the Tonies gets a lot of points for creativity, and I will say that I haven’t really seen a product like it, ever.

All I can say is: I wish I would have thought of this. It sounds like the company is doing fine, if their booth at CES was any indication of their progress.

Tonies, if you are listening, then you should know that I have a few ideas for you. Give me a chance, and I’ll see about giving you some ideas.