Created in 2014 by fathers Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, the Toniebox is a purposefully simplistic portable speaker and storyteller that debuted internationally in 2016 before arriving in the U.S. in 2020. Considering that the Toniebox is enriching, educational, entertaining, and engrossing—all without any incessant, disruptive blinking or blue light—it’s no surprise that it was developed by parents. Join race car Lightning McQueen on his exciting adventure, narrated by David Jeremiah, as he finds himself in the desert town, Radiator Springs. Take music and bedtime stories wherever you go with cute characters, simple controls and no bright screens. Just place a Tonie on the speaker to start your audio adventure. Listen, sing or tell your very own story. Intuitive like child’s play, the easy-to-use Toniebox is perfect for all children from the age of three who want to listen, learn and laugh where- and whenever they feel like it.

Disney’s Cars Tonie is great for engaging children in a bedtime story - and members of the whole family will love singing along with the catchy songs. Introducing the new audio system that changes the way children listen to stories and music – it’s like nothing you've ever heard before. Meet Lightning McQueen, the most beloved race car of the whole world! Enjoy the entertaining story of the ambitious race car that accidentally ends up in a little desert town that definitely has seen livelier days. Narrated by David Jeremiah and accompanied by four songs! Reader: David Jeremiah *To be used with the Tonie Box, available here A Toniebox is required to listen to the Cars story. Simply place the Lightning McQueen figure on top of the Toniebox and away you go, with no complicated buttons or controls to fiddle with, making storytime really accessible for young children and adults alike. Tonies are fun and engaging ways of sharing great stories with young children and Disney’s much-loved Cars is among the latest to be added to the collection.

My greatest moment with the Toniebox audio player happened when I wasn’t even listening to it. Part of the testing occurred during a beach week with my brother’s family, and one evening I went to grab a beverage in our rental house where I saw my 3.5-year-old daughter, 6-year-old nephew, and 7-year-old niece huddled on the floor thoroughly engaged around the Toniebox. As any parent knows, screen-free entertainment can be challenging to sustain. And screen-free entertainment that works for a range of ages is nearly impossible. But, at that moment at least, the Toniebox had pulled off the miraculous.

When storytime and playtime are done, you can use the Sleepy Time Tonies to play calming music for kids, white noise, or nature sounds for nap time. Rolls with the punches WARNING! Not suitable for children under 36 months. Choking hazard. Small parts. To get started, all you need is internet access, a Toniebox with a Wi-Fi connection and a Toniecloud account. Tonie-App available for iOS from version 9 and Android from version 4.4 (KitKat). Each Toniebox also comes with a Creative-Tonie that allows you to record 90 minutes of content. When you’re done recording via the app or a computer, hold down one of the Toniebox’s ears for 3 seconds to sync the file. Moments later, you can hear yourself singing in the same way you had just been listening to Ariel or Aladdin. We recorded a little “Happy Birthday” and also made up a story about a turtle who didn’t know how to swim. Don’t expect the Toniebox to replace a wireless speaker. For one thing, it doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity, so your content is limited to what’s available directly from Toniebox. And while the audio is perfectly clear—and is especially fine if you and the kids are belting the lyrics to “Part of Your World” on top of the music—it can come across a touch soft, even with the volume turned all the way up. It’s got a rated power listing of 3W/5W, frequency range of 180 to 15 kHz, and average sound pressure of 80 dB. What this means is the Toniebox will never achieve piercing, potentially harmful levels. It also means audiophiles-in-training won’t crow about the sound quality. But seeing how kids don’t repeatedly ask to hear that story about how much treble a speaker has, there’s just a lot to like about the Toniebox. Here are some of the key features. Content is king The Toniebox was such a hit with our young tester that she did not want to let it go. Andrew Waite In this age of excessive screens, somehow audio content is on the rise. Podcasts are attracting more advertising dollars, and smartphones have given new life to audiobooks. Perhaps it’s proof that nothing quite replaces the timeless storytelling and singing that originated around prehistoric campfires. The Toniebox delivers some of that timeless entertainment in a fun and engaging way thanks to its colorful fabric and hand-painted characters. That’s why parents who are looking to keep their preschool- through elementary school-aged kids engaged without relying on screens should consider buying the Toniebox.Let your children’s imagination run free. Toniebox and Tonies offer endless interactive listening and playing fun without bright screens, scratched CDs or complicated controls.