Elmo, Cookie Monster join the Tonies line-up as Sesame Street partners with kids’ audio platform

Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Addy Caddaby, a popular trio from the iconic preschool series, Sesame Street, will be making their way onto the children’s audio storytelling platform, Tonies thanks to a new partnership spanning the US, UK, Germany and more.

Tonies is a screen-free audio entertainment system developed for young children, combining a soft, shockproof speaker cube that plays the audio content stores on a library of Tonies figurines when placed on top of the device. Since launch, Tonies has built up a solid library of audio content through licensing partnerships with some of the biggest names in the preschool space.

Joining the line-up, the Elmo Tonie is dedicated to all things music, teaching kids about different instruments, how to stretch their imaginations, and using music to exercise and to wind down, while the Cookie Monster Tonie is all about healthy habits, from eating and cooking, to exercise and mindfulness.

“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder, and what better way to do that than by providing them with the tools to discover new worlds all on their own,” said Gabriela Arenas, VP, global licensing, Sesame Workshop.

“With more songs to be sung and more wonders to be explored, tonies takes kids on an audio adventure with their favorite Sesame Street friends.”

Christoph Frehsee, Tonies USA president, added: “Working with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, is an absolute dream come true for all of us at Tonies. There isn’t a single person in the world that hasn’t been enchanted by the friendly residents of Sesame Street. We are ecstatic to bring the voices and sounds of this iconic brand to life through the Toniebox.”

Tonies to open exclusive pop-up in Harrods’ Fourth Floor Toy Department

An exclusive Tonies pop-up is preparing to open at the world-renowned department store, Harrods and its Fourth Floor Toy Department this May 29th, welcoming kids and families to the world of the popular children’s audio player.

The pop-up will feature best-selling Tonies from the company’s collection of over 100 characters, including stories from the beloved author Julia Donaldson, such as The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and Stick Man, as well as the young, charming Zog.

Offering content to entertain and educate both infants and children of up to ten years old, the Harrods’ pop-up range will also feature childrens’ favourite, Peppa Pig, as well as a selection of Disney classics including the Lion King, the Jungle Book and Toy Story.

As well as an abundance of Tonies, a range of Tonies accessories will also be available at the pop-up, including the firm’s line of Tonie-Carriers with space to hold 20 of the Tonies figures, each available in six different colours.

Tonies has been active in the licensing space in recent weeks, having announced a new slated of characters to join its audio storytelling platform, including the likes of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Bob the Builder, and PAW Patrol. This week has seen the company detail a partnership with the BookTrust and the Life-changing Libraries initiative, created by How to Train Your Dragon author, Cressida Cowell to move the government to increase funding for primary school libraries.

Tonies library of licensed audio stories now span some of the biggest entertaiment franchises, from Disney and Universal, to Julia Donaldson and more.

Kids’ audio platform Tonies bolsters pre-school portfolio with Bing and In the Night Garden

The children’s audio story-telling platform, Tonies, has detailed the addition of two high-calibre pre-school IPs to its expanding library of licensed figurines, welcoming Bing and In the Night Garden to its portfolio.

In a new partnership with Acamar Films, Tonies will be bringing the studio’s flagship pre-school property, Bing, to the platform in 2022. Meanwhile, an In the Night Garden Iggle Piggle figurine will join a trio of new launches this month, developed to help children sleep better ahead of World Sleep Day on March 19th.

Designed for children aged three and upwards, the In the Night Garden: A Musical Journey Tonie has a running time of 47 minutes and will follow the CBeebies favourites, Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, and friends on their adventures through the Night Garden. Its charming and gentle songs and stories will help promote sleep and comfort to little ones.

The Bing Tonie will launch to retailers next year and promises to deliver new audio entertainment to children.

Liz Peters, portfolio manager, Tonies UK, said: “We are so excited to partner with Acamar Films and we love that Bing finds the big stories in the little moments, helping pre-schoolers navigate the everyday challenges they experience.

“Bing is a firm favourite for little ones across the UK and we are sure that Bingsters and Tonie-fans alike are going to love this addition to our stellar roster.”

Natalie Harvey, executive director of sales, Acamar Films, added: “Collaborating with Tonies is a fantastic opportunity for more pre-schoolers to engage with Bing stories in an innovative way.

“The importance the Toniebox places on storytelling, language development and imaginative play is in perfect alignment with Bing and we are delighted to be a part of their ongoing success story, delivering audio experiences children will love.”

Audio storyteller Tonies welcomes Disney’s Aladdin, Peter Rabbit, and Miffy to its licensed library

The audio storytelling platform, Tonies continues to strengthen its licensed story portfolio with new additions from Disney’s Aladdin, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, and Miffy.

Expanding its licensing partnerships with Disney, Penguin Random House, and Miffy brand owner, Mercis, Tonies has launched the three new additions to its growing collection of licensed story-telling figurines.

Each character can be placed on top of the Toniebox audio system for children to listen to their classic stories, as the firm offers children new ways to engage with their favourite characters through both screen-free play and storytelling.

Peter Rabbit introduces children to the world of Beatrix Potter with the inclusion of a collection of stories featuring The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Mr Tod, and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies.

Meanwhile, Miffy’s Adventures features ten tales of adventure as Miffy and her friends learn to cope with difficult situations and discover new things.

The line-up is completed with Disney’s teling of its animated classic, Aladdin.

The latest additions have been made available to retailers across the UK from this week.

Peppa Pig joins growing raft of licensed characters in the Tonies portfolio

Hasbro and Entertainment One have signed a new partnership with the popular children’s audio system, Tonies to bring its pre-school property Peppa Pig to the line-up of Tonies characters this October. Through the partnership, a total of nine different Peppa Pig stories totaling over an hour of content is coming to the platform this AW.

Peppa Pig is the latest in a line of big launches for the Tonies brand this year, a company that has seen vast success over the last year having engaged with parents and families in search of entertainment during the UK’s lockdown months.

The new launch engages children in the world of Peppa, George and the cast of Peppa Pig with stories including Peppa Goes on Holiday, and George and the Noisy Baby. The Tonies stories will feature a full cast of voices, music, and special effects from the popular TV series.

Launched in the UK in 2018 by Patric Faßbender and his friend and co-founder Marcus Stahl, the Toniebox is an intuitive speaker system that has gone on to revolutionise story time for children. The Toniebox is a screen-free audio toy with simple controls that boasts an interactive way for children aged three to eight to engage with their favourite stories.

Through its growing portfolio of licensed characters, it is fast becoming a favoured route of engaging children with their favourite licensed IP, too. Kids can listen to each Tonie character’s audio content simply by placing the Tonie character on top of the box.

Tonies UK GM Manon Sel, said: “We are delighted to announce this latest addition to the Tonie-Family, which is sure to excite children and fill their homes with even more audio joy this Christmas. The characters of this hit series join our ever-growing line up of both licensed and Tonie-owned figures and bolster our range of audio content.”

Over 14 million Tonies and 1.5 million Tonieboxes have been sold across Europe since the launch and 2020 started with the exciting announcement of the brands’ expansion to the USA – expected towards the end of this year.

Fireman Sam and Despicable Me join the Tonies licensed audio tales portfolio

Fireman Sam and Despicable Me are the latest properties to join the popular children’s audio system, Tonies, joining a growing roster of licensed stories that includes The Lion King and The Gruffalo.

Based on the BBC children’s TV series, the Fireman Sam Tonie runs for 60 minutes and tells the tale of its hero Sam saving the day in the fictional Welsh town of Pontypandy. The Despicable Me: The Junior Novel, meanwhile, runs for 116 minutes and follows the tale of Gru and his minions.

In addition to the two licensed stories, a third Tonie completes the newest wave, taking the form of the Easter Bunny Creative Tonie, depicting a bunny holding a basket of Easter eggs and allowing users to record their own audio via the Tonie app.

Tonies co-founder, Marcus Stahl, said: “We are delighted to introduce two such well known and loved titles to our collection. Minions have become iconic animated figures in their own right, and it is fantastic to be able to add the timeless character Fireman Sam to the collection.

“We look forward to seeing the response from new and existing customers and have more exciting launches planned in the coming months.”

Launched in the UK in 2018 by Patric Faßbender and his friend and co-founder Marcus Stahl, the Toniebox is an intuitive speaker system that is revolutionising story time for children thanks to its screen-free engagement.

Billed as an ‘easy, fun and interactive way for three to eight year olds to play their favourite stories and songs’ Tonies encourages kids to place a Tonie figure on top of the box and the content from the audio will begin to play.

Over 10.5 million Tonies and 1,000,000 Tonieboxes have been sold across Europe since the launch and 2020 started with the exciting announcement of the brands’ expansion to the USA – expected towards the end of this year.