Tonies Starter Set / Toniebox REVIEW

AD – This Tonies Toniebox review is a collaboration Toniebox UK

Like many children across the UK at the moment, my girls have had a lot more screen time than usual. We have always been a tech-friendly family; taking advantage of a number of apps, games and resources that offer education, learning and fun, however over recent weeks the iPad has been used far more than normal. If I’m completely honest, we have reached the point of ‘staying at home’ where juggling work and childcare has become more challenging than ever, we’re all tired and bored and as such, our ability and enthusiasm for offering new sources of screen free entertainment has really started to wane.

I was recently sent a Toniebox Starter Set audio player from Tonies, and this appeared to be a great way to engage the girls in audio books, stories and music, without some of the risks associated with screen or tablet use. Over the last few weeks we have certainly put our Toniebox kids music player through its paces! Read on to learn more about the Toniebox concept and read our full Toniebox review.

What is a Toniebox Starter Set?

The Toniebox is an easy to use, child friendly wifi-enabled speaker with padded cushioned sides that are not only made from sustainable fabric but are robust enough to be loved by little hands! They’re also water repellent too – which is great for peace of mind!

Unlike traditional audio books, the Tonies music box offers something a little more magical. Toniebox comes with a reader on top which detects when compatible Tonies characters are placed on top, instantly playing the content held within, whether that be a story, music or other audio content. Tonies characters are about 2 inches tall, hand painted and hard wearing, making a fun play accessory and familiar friend for little ones too. They’re magnetic and are automatically detected when placed on top.

The Tonies starter set includes a Toniebox soft box speaker which comes in a choice of six different colours. Children can chose their favourite or a colour that matches their bedroom colour scheme. The Toniebox is really intuitive and easy to use and recommended for children aged 3 and above. The two little ‘ears’ on top control the volume and sits on a rechargeable docking station, and you can skip to the next song or next chapter of the story by simply tapping the side of the box.

The Toniebox characters currently on the market include stories by Julia Donaldson (e.g. The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom), Disney Classics, Favourite Children’s songs, as well as traditional tales and stories such as Peter Pan, Pinocchio and Little Red Riding Hood.

At the time of writing there are approximately 60 Tonie characters available in the UK. Each Tonie is priced around the £14.99 as well as some bundles.

What are the Best Tonies / Best Tonie Characters?

From Toniebox characters such as In the Night Garden and Peppa Pig ideal for toddlers, to Julia Donaldson Classics like Room on the Broom and the Grufallo and Tonies for older children such as The Magic Faraway Tree and Matilda, new Toniebox characters are released all the time. You can check out our round up of the best Tonie chracaters below.

PS – NEW Tonies are released all the time, so this post will be updated regularly. Some Tonies, such as the Gabby’s Dollhouse Tonie sell out SUPER Fast, but keep checking back or sign up for stock alerts, as the most popular Tonies are restocked regularly.

It’s worth considering a few things when selecting which Tonies to buy – as well as the recommended age, I would also recommend checking the duration – some Tonies have over an hours worth of content, where as others last less than 20 minutes. To avoid any disappointment, it’s always worth knowing what you’re getting to ensure good value for money.

Toniebox Review: What age is the Tonies Toniebox suitable for?

The Tonies Toniebox music player is recommended for children aged 3 and above. Younger children will love playing with the characters (great for imaginative play) but also the independence of putting them on the Toniebox and selecting the story themselves. Toniebox is super easy to use (even for small hands) so enables young children to have full control over their audio experience.

Our Honest Toniebox Review

The Toniebox Starter Set is a great way to get started and introduce Tonies to your children. We were sent a Toniebox Starterset in purple and given that this is Erin’s absolute favourite colour, I was fairly confident she would be excited to see it arrive.

What’s in the box?

The Toniebox Starter Set comes with a padded wifi enabled speaker in your colour of choice, a docking station and a Creative Tonie and is very quick and easy to set up.

Toniebox Review: What is a Creative Tonie?

Unlike the other Tonies which come preloaded with content, The Creative Tonie (a little fella who matches the colour of your Toniebox) can be personalised and configured via the website with 90 minutes audio of your choice – which could be anything from stories to music, simply dragging and dropping the files from your computer to set him up.

Even better, Creative Tonie characters are now available in a range of inclusive skin tones from including beige, light brown and dark brown, meaning you can pick a character that represents your family best. Well done Tonies!

Now more than ever this is a really lovely feature. I couldn’t wait to record Nanny and Grandad to reading the girls favourite bed time stories, or record some personalised goodnight messages for the girls to listen to before they went to bed. If you have family members who (normally) travel a lot with work or parents who live in separate households, this is a really lovely to way to stay connected when they can’t physically be together.

The Toniebox Starterset retails at £69.95 (and currently have 10% off in August). Tonies characters are £14.99 each, or once you have your Starter Set, you could borrow Tonies from toy subscription services like Whirli to keep the cost down.

Tonies Starter Set Toniebox Installation

Toniebox installation is really quick and easy and setting up your Toniebox takes just minutes. You simply need a mobile phone or tablet, the Toniebox on the charging station and your wifi code or password.

The set up guide walks you through the Toniebox installation steps, and in just a few minutes, your Toniebox will light up on the top to confirm that it is fully connected.

What I love about Toniebox is that it is really intuitive to use, so much so in fact that after a few minutes my youngest who is nearly 4, was able to start using it unassisted, popping her chosen Tonie on the top and turning up and down the volume by pressing on the small ‘ears’ at the front of the box. By tapping on either side of the box, you can scroll to the next song or forward wind/rewind the content as required.

Toniebox Review: Our Experience of Tonies Toniebox Starter Set

The Toniebox has been a real hit with both girls, and we have really enjoyed the Creative Tonie in particular. Their little faces when they heard Nanny and Grandad’s voice reading I Love You Little Monster through the speaker before bed was an adorable sight to see. Its been months since they’ve properly spent some time with their grandparents due to the pandemic, so knowing that they’d taken the time to do this really put a smile on their faces and helped them settle for a good nights sleep!

The Creative Tonie with 90 minutes of content is really ideal, as it can be overwritten, replaced and refreshed when needed and new content added as their preferences change.

Neve absolutely loved the Tonie characters themselves, often playing with them when they weren’t on the Toniebox for her own little creative play or story time, and I love the idea of having a little collection on the bookshelf or buying tonies shelving and letting them pick which one they want before bed. As a parent, my favourite element of the Toniebox is that it’s completely screen free fun – far more calm and relaxing than playing on the ipad. It can quickly become a key part of the bedtime routine.

Pros of the Toniebox

• Fun, engaging characters that are fun to play with as well as listen to
• Range of stories, music and audio fun
• Creative Tonie enables a completely personalised experience
• Ad free with no camera or voice control – secure and safe
• Durable and hardwearing
• Easy to control – even for younger children

Cons of the Toniebox

• The cost of Tonies can really add up, so if you want to expand your collection it can set you back a significant cost.
• Whilst the Tonies range is expanding, the vast majority, in my opinion are better suited to young children.
• The cost of Tonie characters and the Toniebox is obviously more expensive than buying books, audio books or an Amazon Alexa Dot, but I feel the benefits of this engaging audio player fairly compensate for that.

Can you change the volume settings on the Toniebox? 

The audio quality on the Toniebox is really good, with the ability to set volume limits via your login on the website should you wish to do so. There is also the welcome addition of an audio port for the moments where I have an important call at work and need to keep the girls as quiet as possible.

What is the battery life like on the Tonies Toniebox? 

The battery life is pretty good – getting around 7 hours of audio before it needs to be added back on to the docking station. This portability is also a real bonus, meaning they can carry it into their bed to listen to whilst they drift off or even take it on a car journey to keep them entertained without the risk of travel sickness from books or tablet devices.

Erin’s really enjoyed listening to some audio books that we’ve added to our Creative Tonie as part of her bedtime routine, and the best part is that when the story comes to an end, the Toniebox will put itself into sleep mode, so I don’t need to worry about the risk of waking her by sneaking in like a ninja to try and turn it off.

Toniebox Review: Screen free entertainment with Toniebox

Overall, we’ve been really big fans of the Toniebox, and despite it being initially quite a big investment, the reusability of the Creative Tonie makes the options for content pretty much limitless. Whilst the individual Tonies are not cheap, there is something really adorable about these little characters, and for younger children, the combination of audio and play toys is a real positive, allowing them to feel in control of their experiences and chose the Tonie that most appeals to them in that moment.

Having some much needed time away from the tablets, games consoles or TV has also been hugely appreciated by us all, and the ability to bring in messages from loved ones who we aren’t seeing as much as we would like has also been a lovely and welcome addition.

You can learn more about Tonies and the exciting new range of Tonies Characters coming this autumn on their website here.

Check out the latest prices on Tonies Toniebox here:

To see the latest Amazon Toniebox / Tonies deals – click here.

We hope you enjoyed this Toniebox review, in the meantime, here are some Tonies FAQS for Toniebox UK

Frequently asked questions about Tonies Starter Set / Toniebox:

Yoto vs Tonie – How does the Tonies audio player compare to the Yoto Mini Player?

Looking for an alternative to Toniebox? When shopping for a childrens music player, there will always be a debate between the two main players – Tonies vs Yoto. In our opinion, in a side by side comparison between Yoto vs Tonie – the Toniebox is better suited to preschoolers and for those wanting a permanent audio player in their child’s bedroom. The Yoto cards tend to offer greater variety of content for older children, whilst the Yoto Mini in comparison is a more portable audio – storytelling, music, podcasts or radio on the go, ideal for travel or holidays.

What are the differences between Tonies Toniebox and the Yoto Player? 

It can be hard to decide between the Tonies Toniebox and the Yoto Player. Here’s our thoughts on Tonies vs Yoto Player.

Tonies Toniebox standout key features include:

• Cushioned soft design
• Intuitive controls to give independence to young children
• Great for preschoolers – age appropriate songs, stories and music for children 3-5 years
• Tactile characters can be played with independently

Yoto Players stand out key features include:

• a fun night light feature
• ability to use as a bedside light / clock
• exclusive content including books for older children such as Worst Witch, Tom Fletcher and Claude series
• Recordable cards for creating your own content.
• Less intuitive controls
• Less engaging characters – cards boring in comparison to the Tonies characters

We personally feel that Tonies are better suited to the younger audience, and Yoto is better for junior age kids. THat said, new Tonies characters and Yoto cards are being released all the time, so keep an eye on their online store.

What kind of stories are available for the Toniebox Smart Speaker?

The selection of Toniebox characters has grown hugely since we first wrote this review, there are now a huge number of Tonies characters including We’re going on a bear hunt, titles from Julia Donaldson such as the Snail and the Whale, Disney classics and Roald Dahl. There are currently 137 assorted characters to collect.

Are Tonies suitable for older children?

This will very much depend on your child, but in my personal opinion the Yoto player is better suited to older children or tweens, as their book catalogue tends to be more suited to 5-8 year olds than preschoolers.