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 lands slew of award wins as it enjoys ‘exponential growth in the UK’ through 2021

A period of exponential growth here in the UK for the children’s audio platform, Tonies has been compounded with a slew of awards wins and recognition from across the parents media space.

The popular storytelling and music playing Toniebox and its line up of Tonies figures, spanning some of the biggest IP in the preschool space, including The Gruffalo, Peppa Pig, Disney and more, has so far racked up no fewer than six awards, with more still on the horizon.

Tonies won big at the recent Loved By Parents awards, where it took home a total of three accolades. Its Toniebox and cast of Tonies figures secured a Gold award win in the Loved By Parents’ Best Educational Toy 2021 and took home the Platinum in the Best Muscial Toy 2021 category. The winning streak was rounded out with the Loved By Parents Recommended Tried and Tested accreditation.

Meanwhile, the team also took the Gold award at UKMums.TV Baby and Pre-school Awards 2021, as well as the Dadsnet Toy Awards 2021. The firm’s triumphant run was then completed when it secured the Platinum award in Loved By Children’s Best Electronic Toys for three to six year olds this year.

Pinky Laing, PR and partnerships manager at Tonies, told Licensing.biz: “We are thrilled to have won so many incredible awards already this year. We are growing exponentially in the UK and these awards not only mean so much to us as a business but also show the industry is really supporting us and our big plans for the rest of the year.

“Watch this space for more exciting Tonies projects and hopefully more awards to come.”

Completing the firm’s run of success here in the UK for now, and it has also been given the full accreditation of the Good Play Guide which has championed the team’s recently launched Sleep Tonies for their role in helping parents and children establish a ‘soothing bedtime routine.’

“Our testers found that after a few days, children began to associate the bedtime story with going to sleep, often falling asleep before the end,” commented the Good Play Guide team.

Tonies lands slew of award wins as it enjoys ‘exponential growth in the UK’ through 2021

A period of exponential growth here in the UK for the children’s audio platform, Tonies has been compounded with a slew of awards wins and recognition from across the parents media space.

The popular storytelling and music playing Toniebox and its line up of Tonies figures, spanning some of the biggest IP in the preschool space, including The Gruffalo, Peppa Pig, Disney and more, has so far racked up no fewer than six awards, with more still on the horizon.

Tonies won big at the recent Loved By Parents awards, where it took home a total of three accolades. Its Toniebox and cast of Tonies figures secured a Gold award win in the Loved By Parents’ Best Educational Toy 2021 and took home the Platinum in the Best Muscial Toy 2021 category. The winning streak was rounded out with the Loved By Parents Recommended Tried and Tested accreditation.

Meanwhile, the team also took the Gold award at UKMums.TV Baby and Pre-school Awards 2021, as well as the Dadsnet Toy Awards 2021. The firm’s triumphant run was then completed when it secured the Platinum award in Loved By Children’s Best Electronic Toys for three to six year olds this year.

Pinky Laing, PR and partnerships manager at Tonies, told Licensing.biz: “We are thrilled to have won so many incredible awards already this year. We are growing exponentially in the UK and these awards not only mean so much to us as a business but also show the industry is really supporting us and our big plans for the rest of the year.

“Watch this space for more exciting Tonies projects and hopefully more awards to come.”

Completing the firm’s run of success here in the UK for now, and it has also been given the full accreditation of the Good Play Guide which has championed the team’s recently launched Sleep Tonies for their role in helping parents and children establish a ‘soothing bedtime routine.’

“Our testers found that after a few days, children began to associate the bedtime story with going to sleep, often falling asleep before the end,” commented the Good Play Guide team.

David Bowie lands on Tonies platform with 1978 classical music recording of Peter & The Wolf

It’s happened. David Bowie has landed in the toy space thanks to the latest launch from the kids’ audio system, Tonies and the 1978 recording of the cultural icon narrating the double bill Peter and The Wolf/Carnival of the Animals.

Destined to take children on a musical adventure, the classical music Tonie will launch on June 9th this year, taking the form of the story’s Wolf, adorned with its own Aladdin Sane red and blue lightning bolt. The launch will introduce children to the sounds of both classical music and the pop icon, David Bowie.

The new Peter and the Wolf / Carnival of the Animals Tonie will play a double bill symphonic fairy tale as Bowie narrates the story of Peter and the Wolf, while the Philadelphia Orchestra brings it to life, followed by the Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals.

Sergei Prokofiev, the Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, wrote the musical composition of Peter and the Wolf in 1936 to introduce children to orchestra. Each animal and character within the story is represented by different instruments, with Peter conveyed in the narration by the strings whilst the wolf is represented by the French horn.

As well as encouraging independent play, the new classical music Tonie will look to ignite all areas of child development. Research conducted by music charity, the Apollo Music Projects, found that classical music has a direct impact on children’s listening and concentration skills, while also evoking positive feelings. Helping to create a sense of relaxation and calm, classical music can have a positive impact on a child’s emotional wellbeing.

Tim Schumacher, head of Sony Classical, said: “We are so excited to see this wonderful music narrated by David Bowie in 1978, specifically composed and recorded to give children easy access to the world of classical music and help them enjoy it, being released by Tonies.

“To us at Sony, it seems like the perfect fit: a beautiful musical adventure and tales created for children to be enjoyed on an audio player which was also created just for children.”

Pinky Laing, UK partnerships at Tonies, added: “Tonies is committed to helping children through the power and magic of storytelling and music. We are delighted to be releasing our new classical music Tonie that tells the story of Peter and the Wolf and plays the beautiful symphonies by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals.

“Music has been proven to help development with children in their early years. Classical music in particular helps to promote a sense of calm and relaxation, which is all so important for young children today. With the launch of our new Tonie we are continuing our commitment to engage young minds, support the wellbeing of children and help the next generation to learn and develop.”

The new releases from Tonies next month don’t end there, as the firm also gears up to release its new Monster Inc Tonie with a running time of 33 minutes and aimed at children aged three years old and upwards, and its Oi Frog and Friends Tonies with a running time of 35 minutes.

The new Tonies are available from selected toy retailers, bookshops and via the Tonies website www.tonies.com, and will RRP £14.99.

Kids’ audio platform Yoto welcomes Frozen, Mickey Mouse and more in Disney and Pixar partnership

The children’s audio platform, Yoto – the team behind the Yoto Player – has detailed a new partnership with Disney and Pixar to release a collection of childhood classics and fantasy favourites, including Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Moana, and more across its library of content.

The new line-up will launch this May and throughout the year. Alongside licensing existing audio, the studio will also release new, original content created by Yoto.

The first collection of five-minute stories will be released in May and will feature much loved Disney characters such as Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Moana and more. These will be followed by classics such as Disney’s 101 Dalmatians and Aladdin, and Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Cars. Throughout the year, recent blockbusters including Onward and Soulwill also be released.

Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto, said:We’re thrilled that the Yoto platform will now feature beloved childhood classics from Disney and Pixar. Helping children to explore their creativity and imagination through storytelling is incredibly important for us and this will be amplified even further with these new Disney cards featuring some of our favourite childhood characters that will be released throughout the year.”

The Disney cards will be available from Yoto in the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada from 20th May 2021.For more information please visit www.yotoplay.com.

Kids audio platform Yoto partners with Ameet and LEGO for Duplo story cards

Yoto, the audio platform for kids and firm behind the critically acclaimed and award-winning Yoto Player, has detailed a new  partnership with AMEET Publishing and LEGO Duplo.

Under the deal, AMEET will co-create a series of six new audio card packs to complement its well-established LEGO Duplo range. The new series will launch this June.

The new LEGO Duplo series of Yoto Cards will allow early learners to enjoy themes ranging from animals shapes, to mindfulness, using the colourful DUPLO bricks alongside the cards to heighten their imaginative play and motor skill development.

The Yoto Player is a screen-free, camera- and microphone-free connected speaker designed specifically for the use of children from three to twelve years old to safely control their listening by entertaining and educating them while reducing screen-time.

Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto, said: “Allowing children to increase their creativity and imagination through play and storytelling is incredibly important for us at Yoto and so working with a like-minded company with the same core values as AMEET and the LEGO Group was a no brainer for us. This partnership is hugely exciting for us with lots more to come so watch this space.”

Dan Shepherd, international sales and marketing director from AMEET, added: “The Yoto cards will bring DUPLO stories, learning, and play to modern families through immersive audio experiences that encourage creativity and storytelling whilst promoting active, physical play. We are proud to partner with an innovative children’s platform like Yoto.”

The co-created audio cards will be available from June 2021.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid joins kids’ audio platform Yoto Player

Yoto, the team behind the award-winning audio platform for children, Yoto Player, has struck up a partnership with the internationally best-selling children’s book series Diary of A Wimpy Kid to bring three popular stories to the system.

Diary of a Wimpy Kids, Diary of a wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw will now be available on the Yoto Player in the form of Yoto Cards. The stories will each help children learn about important themes such a friendship, fitting in, and standing up for yourself.

The new stories will also encourage kids to enhance their imagination through screen-free audiotime.

The Yoto Player is controlled using physical cards that are inserted into the Player which plays audio content. Additionally, Yoto’s audio cards have the ability to play content through the app by simply tapping the card to the back of a compatible smartphone. The free-to-download Yoto smartphone app also contains a selection of free content available to all, and allows families to play their library of audio through other Bluetooth speakers.

“Providing kids with unique ways to interact with leading children’s stories like Diary of a Wimpy Kid is important to us,” said Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto. “Yoto is built to help children take learning and creative play into their own hands, and partnering with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid helps us equip kids with the tools they need to learn and let their imagination wander.”

Vanessa Jedrej, global brand manager, Wimpy Kid Inc, added: “We’re really glad to partner with Yoto to extend our Wimpy Kid audio experience to young readers. Bringing entertainment and fun to kids in an accessible way is at the nerve-center of both our organisations and we hope our partnership will bring hours of laugh-out-loud listening to new audiences of kids.”

The The Diary of a Wimpy Kid cards are available now from £8.99 from www.yotoplay.com and Amazon.co.uk.