I am, by any objective measure, the fun aunt. My nephew Luca has me wrapped so tightly around his finger I’ve basically stopped noticing the string. I’m the one he asks for extra dessert, for an unauthorised trip to the playground and for “just one more” Spidey episode, for all the things his mum has very reasonably already said no to. So when Tonies and Pokemon asked if I wanted to test-drive their new screen-free launch on an actual child, I knew exactly which small, chaotic accomplice I’d be recruiting.
Screen-free Sagas
Screen-free kids’ tech has a bit of an image problem. It’s often the thing you wish your kid liked as much as the iPad, rather than the thing they actually reach for first. Tonies has spent over a decade quietly chipping away at that gap – and now it’s bringing in reinforcements: Pokemon.
Tonies and The Pokemon Company International have launched four exclusive Pokemon Tonies – Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. Plus a Special Edition Toniebox 2 in Lightning Yellow, built specifically to give kids their first audio-only adventure into the world of Pikachu and friends.
How a Little Yellow Speaker Box Turns Into a Pokemon Adventure
For anyone who hasn’t met a Toniebox before, the concept is simple: it’s a screen-free speaker that plays audio stories when you place a small figurine – a “Tonie” – on top. No app to navigate, no screen to stare at, no ads. Just press play by placing a toy.
What’s new here is the story itself. A professor-narrator guides kids through their first steps as a Pokemon Trainer, introducing them to different Pokemon types, their abilities, and the role of Poke Balls along the way. There’s also a Trainer Academy built into the experience – part of the story rather than a side quiz – where kids learn what separates a Fire-type from a Water-type, and what it actually takes to become a Trainer.
It’s a neat trick: entertainment and a bit of genuine learning, delivered entirely through listening rather than watching.
What’s Actually In the Box
- Toniebox 2 Special Edition (Lightning Yellow) – the starter set, bundled with the Pikachu Tonie for a Pokemon-ready setup out of the gate. RRP $229.95.
- Four individual Pokemon Tonies – Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, each carrying its own story and compatible with both the original Toniebox and Toniebox 2. RRP $29.95 each.
Everything is now available at tonies.com.au and in stores.
Putting It to the Test
I handed this one straight to Luca, on the theory that if anyone was going to have opinions about Pikachu’s audio debut, it was him. Luca is three, deeply opinionated, and treats “no” as more of a suggestion than an answer – so he seemed like a fair test of whether a screen-free yellow box could actually hold his attention against, say, my phone.
He clocked the Pikachu Tonie before I’d even finished unboxing it and demanded to know why it “didn’t do anything” when he shook it. Fair question. Once I explained you had to actually place it on the box, he lit up like I’d handed him a cheat code. The professor-narrator won him over almost instantly – he informed me, with total confidence, that Pikachu is “obviously” an Electric type and that I was “actually wrong” when I guessed Water. I was not consulted on this ranking. I was simply corrected.
The Trainer Academy bit is where he really settled in. I fully expected him to treat it like the vegetables of the experience – something to sit through before the “fun part” – but he leaned in, repeated a couple of the type names back at the box like he was quizzing it, and made me listen to the Fire-vs-Water explanation twice. Twice. He also point-blank refused to hand the Toniebox back when it was bath time, which, if you’ve ever tried to separate a three-year-old from a toy at bath time, you’ll know is basically a three-star review.
Screen-time competition test: I put my phone on the table, mostly as a control group. He didn’t touch it once. I’m choosing to take this as a personal win and not think too hard about what that says about my phone.
Did Luca Love It?
We’ve seen Lego make Pokemon tactile. Now Tonies is making it audible. Between the two, screen-free play is having a genuinely good year – and for parents (or aunts) trying to claw back a bit of quiet from the group chat about screen time, a talking Pikachu that lives outside a tablet might be the easiest sell in the house.
As for Luca – the Toniebox didn’t just survive contact with a three-year-old; it won. It’s now installed permanently on his shelf, Pikachu on top, and I’ve been informed I’m no longer allowed to touch it “because I don’t know the types.” Rude, but accurate.
