We have a TonieBox that has been much loved by one kid, and now another. And even though everything in my being is telling me to hack it to make it do cool things (mostly because of all the “you just own a _license_ to content” stuff rubs me the wrong way), I wouldn’t dare. It’s a product so simply designed, a 1-year-old can use it. It’s not for me to mess with. This particular thing does not need hacking.
My brittle smart home setup is hanging on by a thread in the spousal approval department. I can’t handle the fury that will befall me if I fuck with the TonieBox.
alt227 · 2h ago
We used to have a TonieBox but I found them incredibly restrictive.
Also I thought that the physical design was poor. Because the figures just sit on top of the box, you cant move it around whilst playing it or the figures just fall off and the audio stops. It was very frustrating watching my kid try to use it in the car on a long journery.
Scrapped that and invested in Yoto player, its pretty much the same thing but its so much better in every way. The cards push into a slot and so dont fall out, it has an app which enables full control of the player which Tonies didnt, and you dont have to hit it to change tracks (which we found incredibly violent). Also there are some nice extras like being able to tap the nfc cards against your phone to set the content.
I would encourage any prospective TonieBox buyer to check out Yoto before taking the plunge.
rawgreaze · 54m ago
Yoto seems marketed towards older children. I don't think my one year old is able to put the cards in the Yoto by himself, but he can easily stand a figure on top of the TonieBox.
kleiba · 30m ago
> Also I thought that the physical design was poor.
Really? Huh, that's interesting because I find them exceptionally well designed and very sturdy (i.e., kids-ready).
> Because the figures just sit on top of the box, you cant move it around whilst playing it or the figures just fall off and the audio stops.
The figures are magnetic and stay on the box when you move it.
> It was very frustrating watching my kid try to use it in the car on a long journery.
Do you have a different version, perhaps, than me?
kleiba · 25m ago
> The Toniebox needing an active internet connection also means that the company behind the Toniebox – Tonies SE – can theoretically track anything and everything my kids are doing with the box.
The toniebox can be put into an offline mode, plus I'm blocking the Mac address on my router. The box works fine, you can download new content (for which, of course, you must temporarily remove the above restrictions) and all my kids are doing with the box is put a tonie on top.
I'm all for privacy, especially wrt. to my kids, but I find this box less intrusive than their grandmother with her WhatsApp account.
maerch · 1h ago
Like many others in threads like this, I initially felt repelled. It’s restrictive, it’s super expensive, and I dislike some (though not all) of the design choices.
But then I remind myself: it’s not a product made for me. I don’t have to like it. Clearly, the target group loves it. My kids have adored it for years. Even now, with my oldest having access to Spotify Kids, she still prefers her Toniebox in the evening before bed. The figurines aren’t just a medium, they’re toys in their own right. They’re shared, traded, and loved. And they really enjoy squeezing those silly ears.
Many other families in my circle tell the same story. Some tried similar products that launched soon after the original, often ones using cards (though not Yoto). But after a few weeks, their kids lost interest and asked for a Toniebox instead. (It reminds me of when my parents bought me a Sega Master System, even though all I wanted was a Super Nintendo.)
phars · 55m ago
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Tonuino project yet. For those looking for a DIY alternative to the Toniebox: it's an open-source project based on an Arduino, MP3s, and an RFID reader, allowing you to build your own custom music and audiobook player for kids.
My children absolutely adore their Tonuino box, and the community around the project is fantastic, constantly sharing creative and impressive builds. If you're a bit handy and enjoy a good DIY project, I highly recommend checking it out. https://www.voss.earth/tonuino/
fxtentacle · 1h ago
While I hate the TonieBox using DRM like everyone else, I feel like it's still one of the best options. (And one of my best purchases.)
Just like Nintendo Switch cartridges, kids can borrow the figures to each other. And here in northern Germany, we even have a public library where you can borrow a selection of figures for free (up to 2 at a time, up to 2 weeks). That means apart from the pricey initial purchase, you can get a wide variety of content legally for free, if you're willing to accept the slight inconvenience of renting/returning the figures in person. Plus no spyware, no notifications, no ads, no subscription. It's superior to YouTube kids in every way.
simgt · 2h ago
I just bought a Yoto Mini for my one year old daughter, she loves it already. I prefer the format of cards over small figurines, and it seems doable to use standard NFC cards and associate them with content I own.
I'd vastly prefer being able to load an SD card in it instead of having it connect to the wifi, though.
ezschemi · 2h ago
Our daughter absolutely loves her Yoto Mini. We have a hundred or so cards, half of them were blank cards that we print and tape pictures on based on the content.
This is probably the best purchase we made for long car rides and flights or just a lazy afternoon on the couch.
declan_roberts · 56m ago
My kids love to go to new libraries and find old audiobooks to add to their yoto.
I'm also in the process of trying to get my extended family to record something about their life for sort of an oral family history yoto card.
blueblueue · 19m ago
What imo doesn’t get mentioned enough about the music on the (German, can’t speak for English) Tonies is the recordings themselves: They are recorded with real musicians and natural postproduction, not like most kids songs found on YouTube nowadays which are heavily compressed and edited. My kids love using the Toniebox and I am happy they do. For me the quality of content outweighs the negative aspects.
_Microft · 2h ago
OT but maybe fun to know: the domain name translates as “sheep are glorified lawnmowers” ;)
pmg102 · 1h ago
I decided to go for Yoto over Tonie because it explicitly encourages "Make Your Own" cards which you can put any MP3 files of your own or RSS links to podcast.
rawgreaze · 55m ago
You can do custom MP3s with the "Custom Tonies"
declan_roberts · 1h ago
If anybody here is looking for an audio player definitely go with the Yoto.
Making your own cards is awesome and the players themselves are very repairable and sound great.
2color · 1h ago
Same. It's much more customisable out of the box and has a lot of nice features.
prmoustache · 1h ago
Sony Minidiscs works great with little kids as well, especially when used with a non portable "Salon" player which you slot the minidisc on. They are large enough that you can print stickers on them for easy recognition and the media has an arrow drawing that tells people in which direction to slot it in. Any kid learns quite quickly how to use the triangle play button and the square stop one.
This is what we are doing as well. Can absolutely recommend! Kids are really happy with it and enjoy random Checker Tobi episodes every afternoon.
This is what I'm using: https://github.com/alexhartm/tonie-podcast-sync
maerch · 1h ago
Thanks for sharing! I will try this out. Sounds like something my kids would love.
riedel · 3h ago
For anyone interested there is a forum dedicated to tonie box hacking: https://forum.revvox.de
My brittle smart home setup is hanging on by a thread in the spousal approval department. I can’t handle the fury that will befall me if I fuck with the TonieBox.
Also I thought that the physical design was poor. Because the figures just sit on top of the box, you cant move it around whilst playing it or the figures just fall off and the audio stops. It was very frustrating watching my kid try to use it in the car on a long journery.
Scrapped that and invested in Yoto player, its pretty much the same thing but its so much better in every way. The cards push into a slot and so dont fall out, it has an app which enables full control of the player which Tonies didnt, and you dont have to hit it to change tracks (which we found incredibly violent). Also there are some nice extras like being able to tap the nfc cards against your phone to set the content.
I would encourage any prospective TonieBox buyer to check out Yoto before taking the plunge.
Really? Huh, that's interesting because I find them exceptionally well designed and very sturdy (i.e., kids-ready).
> Because the figures just sit on top of the box, you cant move it around whilst playing it or the figures just fall off and the audio stops.
The figures are magnetic and stay on the box when you move it.
> It was very frustrating watching my kid try to use it in the car on a long journery.
Do you have a different version, perhaps, than me?
The toniebox can be put into an offline mode, plus I'm blocking the Mac address on my router. The box works fine, you can download new content (for which, of course, you must temporarily remove the above restrictions) and all my kids are doing with the box is put a tonie on top.
I'm all for privacy, especially wrt. to my kids, but I find this box less intrusive than their grandmother with her WhatsApp account.
But then I remind myself: it’s not a product made for me. I don’t have to like it. Clearly, the target group loves it. My kids have adored it for years. Even now, with my oldest having access to Spotify Kids, she still prefers her Toniebox in the evening before bed. The figurines aren’t just a medium, they’re toys in their own right. They’re shared, traded, and loved. And they really enjoy squeezing those silly ears.
Many other families in my circle tell the same story. Some tried similar products that launched soon after the original, often ones using cards (though not Yoto). But after a few weeks, their kids lost interest and asked for a Toniebox instead. (It reminds me of when my parents bought me a Sega Master System, even though all I wanted was a Super Nintendo.)
My children absolutely adore their Tonuino box, and the community around the project is fantastic, constantly sharing creative and impressive builds. If you're a bit handy and enjoy a good DIY project, I highly recommend checking it out. https://www.voss.earth/tonuino/
Just like Nintendo Switch cartridges, kids can borrow the figures to each other. And here in northern Germany, we even have a public library where you can borrow a selection of figures for free (up to 2 at a time, up to 2 weeks). That means apart from the pricey initial purchase, you can get a wide variety of content legally for free, if you're willing to accept the slight inconvenience of renting/returning the figures in person. Plus no spyware, no notifications, no ads, no subscription. It's superior to YouTube kids in every way.
I'd vastly prefer being able to load an SD card in it instead of having it connect to the wifi, though.
I'm also in the process of trying to get my extended family to record something about their life for sort of an oral family history yoto card.
Making your own cards is awesome and the players themselves are very repairable and sound great.
Built one for my niece. She liked it.
So we bought them a cassette/CD player from Sony for €100.
The idea that you’d buy a speaker with super expensive and proprietary figurines is a bit crazy to me.