Introducing Tonies® Blocks, A New Way For Kids To Learn Through Play

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Making their debut today, Tonies® Blocks are the newest additions to tonies®, combining STEAM learning with the award-winning Toniebox system. Blocks bridge tactile play with original audio lessons for young kids, covering science, arts, technology, history, and more. Seamlessly integrated with the Toniebox audio player, Blocks deliver engaging, educational content for young children while removing the screen from the experience. Blocks sets retail for $19.99 and are available exclusively at tonies.com, with additional sets coming next year.

Thoughtfully engineered for creative learning and play, Tonies Blocks are a new addition to the popular Toniebox, a screen-free audio player designed specifically for young children to operate easily, independently and safely without adult supervision. On the outside, Tonies Blocks are similar to classic wooden toy blocks, but embedded within are audio lessons covering a variety of subjects, adapted for preschool and kindergarten level learners.

Blocks are available in themed sets of four, each containing easily digestible 7-10 minute audio lessons, providing 25-30 minutes of educational content per set. The audio content has been developed in partnership with early education and subject experts, and each Blocks set is narrated by a notable expert or celebrity with relevant ties to the topic.

Blocks sets debuting this Fall include "Inventions and Innovation," narrated by astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson; "Kid Comedy," narrated by Emmy Award-winning Jane Lynch; "Gentle Giant Dinosaurs," narrated by paleontologist Jack Horner; and "Marine Life," narrated by SeaLegacy co-founder and marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier.

"Nearly all of today's advances in science and technology are built on the innovations and discoveries from the past," said Neil deGrasse Tyson. "As a scientist, and more importantly as an educator, I'm delighted to help take the next generation of innovators on a journey of discovery through time and space."

"I'm so excited to stir up some good clean fun with Tonies Blocks," said Jane Lynch. "As a kid, I loved hamming it up. I was always testing out material to both the amusement (and possibly chagrin) of everyone around me. Working with tonies to inspire future performers everywhere has been an absolute joy."

"I have always said that little kids are my favorite people to talk to about dinosaurs!" said Jack Horner. "I am so happy to partner with tonies and to inspire kids in this exciting way to learn about these gentle giant dinosaurs that once ruled the Earth."

"For me, it's never too early to teach the next generation about the wonder and beauty of marine life, and hopefully, inspire them to continue to care for our oceans," said Cristina Mittermeier. "It's an honor to narrate these important lessons through Tonies Blocks, and adapt them for both learning and play."

Blocks joins an impressive library of Tonies, which are the toddler version of collectible, audible action figures, including family favorites such as Peppa Pig and Peter Rabbit. The addition of Blocks expands the tonies world, bolstering its educational offerings for children, families and early educators. Sets can be used for both at-home learning to supplement school lessons, as well as in-classroom instruction to augment teachers' curriculums. Understanding the time constraints and pressures that parents and educators feel to keep young kids engaged in meaningful ways, Blocks is tonies' solution to make teaching fun and easy for kids and adults alike.

Blocks is a critical part of tonies overall mission to provide quality content for families and educators. Its release joins noteworthy content partnerships introduced in 2021, including mindfulness with GoNoodle, social and emotional development with actor and author LeVar Burton, and music education and healthy habits with Sesame Street. Additionally, tonies was recognized on Fast Company's World Changing Ideas list in 2021 for their "Tonies for Teachers" program, which helps early educators integrate the Toniebox into their teaching through a combination of ready-made Tonies and Tonies Blocks content, and opportunities for teachers to record their own curricula using Creative-Tonies.

"Tonies Blocks is an exciting new addition bringing the world of physical play and edutainment together in a truly one-of-a-kind way," said Christoph Frehsee, tonies USA President. "Expanding the universe of tonies and developing even more rich, engaging, educational content for little learners has and always will be our primary goal. To be working with such amazing talent and experts in their respective fields makes this launch even more rewarding."

For the latest and greatest on tonies, visit tonies.com and follow on Instagram (@tonies.us), Facebook (@tonies.us) and Twitter (@ToniesUS).

ABOUT TONIES

tonies® is the original screen-free audio entertainment system for young children. Launched in 2016 in Germany, co-founders Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl created tonies with one thing in mind: their children. This revolutionary system allows kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, in a way that stimulates their imagination without screens. The Toniebox was created for kids and parents who want to feel good about their entertainment at home and to bring back imagination in its purest form. Today, tonies is the fastest growing toy company in Europe and a rising star in the United States. Among its many achievements, tonies was named among Fast Company's prestigious World's Most Innovative Companies for 2021, top ranked in Education. For more information, visit tonies.com.