Tonies

[5] The concept of Tonies originated in 2013, when the prospective founder, Patric Faßbender, had the idea of developing a digital audio system for children in order to avoid scratched CDs and provide screen-free entertainment.

[6][7][8] In the summer of 2016, product development was completed, and Boxine launched the first Toniebox and 14 Tonies (audio play characters).

From 2018 onwards, publishers and large entertainment companies offered licences on their own initiative, and the company went on to produce Tonies characters such as Bibi and Tina, Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol,[10] Pippi Longstocking, Benjamin the Elephant, characters from the Three Investigators series, and Sesame Street.

Sales increased every year, with a temporary disruption of deliveries in 2017 and 2018 due to high demand, resulting in the depletion of boxes and figures.

[14] In the German-speaking areas, Tonies increased its sales by 4.6 percent compared to the previous year, amounting to €158.3 million in 2022.

[20] In January 2019, Boxine introduced the Tonie Clip, a new technology enabling the connection of existing toys to the Toniebox.

In the same month, Playmobil became the first cooperation partner, incorporating the Tonie Clip into their radio play series, Playmos.

[22] In September 2019, the industrial holding Armira, Santo Venture Capital, and Zalando founder Robert Gentz invested in Boxine.

[28] At the end of August 2021, it was announced that Boxine would be listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange through a merger with the shell corporation 468 SPAC I SE.

Through the Mytonies app, parents and children were able to access a child-friendly version of ChatGPT and use artificial intelligence to invent new short stories.

[37] On 1 January 2024, the founders Faßbender and Stahl left the operative business of Tonies, and Tobias Wann became managing director.