Tonie

Tonie is a German brand and system for children's audio storytelling. The core components are the Toniebox, a small, child-friendly wireless speaker, and Tonies, collectible figurines that represent stories, characters, or songs. When a Tonie is placed on top of the Toniebox, the device recognizes the figure and plays the associated audio content. The content can be stored on the figurine itself or streamed from an online catalog, depending on the model and licensing arrangements. Tonies are organized into categories such as stories, music, lullabies, and educational programs.

A notable part of the ecosystem is the Creative Tonie, which allows users to record and store their own audio passages via the Tonie app, enabling personalized storytelling beyond commercially produced content. The Toniebox is designed to be durable and kid-friendly, with simple controls for play, pause, and volume, and no screens on the main unit. It can connect to Wi-Fi for content updates and playback from the online catalog.

The system is marketed primarily to families in German-speaking regions and across Europe, with distribution in other markets as licensing and availability permit. The Tonies platform partners with publishers and media producers to provide a growing library of authorized content, including classic fairy tales, children’s songs, and licensed stories. Safety and privacy considerations apply, particularly for Creative Tonies that involve personal recordings and user data, in line with the company’s policies.