It’s Pokémon’s 30th anniversary this year, and the collaborations are coming through thick and fast but none interested me more than the new Pokémon x tonies® collaboration, featuring a limited edition lightning yellow Toniebox 2 and 4 new Tonies including Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander.
The Toniebox 2 Pikachu starter set comes in a stunning Lightning Yellow, and I was incredibly impressed with the design. It is a robust and squishy audio player that you can tap on the left or right side to skip between tracks or tilt it left or right to fast forward or rewind, so it blends design and functionality really well.
There’s a dynamic light ring right on the top that functions as a nightlight or sunrise alarm, and guides interactive play. At night it cleverly dims as the volume decreases before shutting off completely, and this can all be managed by parents who can co-pilot via the app.
Setting the speaker up is super easy, you just need to download the tonies® app, connect it to your Wi-Fi and bring your phone close to the Toniebox to pair and get it connected. Then it’s as simple as putting one of the Tonies on top of the Toniebox and it will quickly load. From this point on you no longer need to use the app – Little ones can place the Tonie on top to play, use the ears to control volume and remove the Tonie when they no longer want it to play.
Whilst there’s a huge range of Tonies from Disney, Universal, Bluey, Marvel, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and more! There’s no denying that Pokémon will be a great entry point for a lot of parents who are Pokémon fans and want to introduce their kids in a screen-free way!
FULL POKEMON TONIES RANGE
- Pokémon Pikachu Toniebox 2 Starter Set – Lightning Yellow
- Pokémon: Pikachu Tonie
- Pokémon: Bulbasaur Tonie
- Pokémon: Charmander Tonie
- Pokémon: Squirtle Tonie
The Pikachu Tonie is included in the Toniebox 2 Pokémon starter set for $229.95, but there’s also Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle Tonies, with the Pikachu also available separately, all available for $29.95 each.
As an adult, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed these stories, with them perfectly balancing Pokémon stories and sounds that I’m extremely familiar with, told in a way that is incredibly digestible for younger kids.
Each Pokémon Tonie teaches a set of themes, with the Pikachu one teaching perseverance, confidence and kindness as it goes through an introduction to Pikachu, before introducing familiar Pokémon happenings such as evolutions, Pikachu’s move set, what items do, and it cleverly introduces other Pokémon as well.
It’s great for kids because there’s no screens, but you still get the visual element of the Pikachu Tonie, mixed in with the sounds that come from the Toniebox, which allows them to use their imagination before moving onto the anime, or maybe the games as they get older, and this is currently the only way to get an experience like this with it being Pokémon’s first ever presence on a screen-free platform.
Whether you’re a Pokémon loving parent, or want something educational, but relevant to help your child wind down whilst staying entertained, this is a great product.
