We love the mission of Toniebox- to get our children away from their screens, and to help them learn and be entertained with truly wholesome content. As parents and Christians, we know the power of the word, the teachings of Jesus, and the stories of the bible. It seemed like a natural fit to bring that to the Toniebox for our kids, but we were surprised that there weren’t really any options out there for spiritual or bible Tonie offerings for our kids. So we decided to do something about that. Our kids loved them, so we decided to help other Christian parents bring the bible stores to life for their kids as well.
What Are Bible Tonies?
Bible Tonies take a chip from a Creative Tonie (which are blank figures you can record on), and put those chips into figurines that look like your favorite bible story characters. There are people that have painted the creative Tonie figures offered by Toniebox, but those looked too bland and generic for us. We wanted something better. I had been hobby 3d printing for a couple years, but decided it was time to take it to the next level. We design, prototype, print, and color all of our figurines. We want our Christian figurines to actually look like the stories they’re telling, which is kind of the purpose of the Toniebox characters to begin with. If you’re hearing the story of the birth of Jesus, we want our child to be able to hold the stable and manger in their hand, to see the ark while hearing the story of Noah, and to see the great fish swallowing Jonah while learning its important to listen and obey the Lord.
Because these have creative Tonie chips in them, they are fully compatible with any Toniebox, but they don’t come with any content. That means that you as the parent can control what your kids are hearing. This was important to me because there are so many different denominations, and “flavors” to Christianity. Additionally, you have the power to change the content as your kids grow, so they continue to enjoy their Toniebox and Bible Tonies with age appropriate content. Having a bunch of direct quotes from the bible for a 4 year old might not be right for them, but a 7 or 8 year old might love that. The point is, we put parents in control.
Why There Are No Official Christian Tonies Yet
I don’t know the exact reason why there aren’t any bible story Tonies yet, but I can speculate. Like I mentioned above, there are a lot of different sects or flavors of Christianity. Muslims, Jews, and others also believe a lot of the same stories as well. I understand why they might hesitate to create a single story line for kids. I don’t know if I’d be comfortable with some of the liberties they might take in such a situation. For that reason, I think using the creative Tonie chips is the perfect solution for these figurines. Toniebox might want to avoid it, so we’re here to fill that gap!
Explore Our Bible Story Characters:
Jesus Tonies
We have 2 different styles of Jesus Tonies. The multi-color option is a more fun option that is age-appropriate for all ages. It’s simple, happy, and has been one of the top sellers since we released it to the public. These are perfect for a host of Sunday school songs, bible stories of Jesus and his miracles, and more.
The second style is based on a sculpture made in the early 1800s at The Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many different sects of Christianity have appreciated this work, with replicas being featured in Rome, and in several other locations, including in many locations for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This version is a more lifelike representation, and would be more age-appropriate for older kids.
Nativity Tonie
There are several Christmas themed official Tonies, from frosty the snow man and Santa, to the Grinch, Mickey Mouse, and the peanuts, but there weren’t any of the actual birth of Jesus, until now! A Tonie that puts Christ back in Christmas. As much fun as these other stories are, its important to go back and remember the reason for the season!
Jonah and the Whale Tonie
This one was one of our favorite ones to make. This beloved bible story has been a favorite that most people know, and the imagery of this figure is just a lot of fun for kids. There are lots of fun content options, from the Veggietales story, to a host of others. This story has captured the imagination for literally thousands of years.
The Empty Easter Tomb
Like the official Christmas Toniebox offerings, there are some rabbits and other fun and easter related stories, but there aren’t any official Tonies that tell the real and most important easter story of all. We made this one with a type of plastic that has the colors and patterns of stone, and is one of the more “lifelike” Bible Tonies we make.
Moses, the Prince of Egypt
This design was inspired by the movie, the Prince of Egypt, which was one of my very favorite movies of my childhood. The soundtrack from this movie is incredible, and makes for a good start for the content on your Moses Tonie. The story of Moses has been a bible favorite for literally thousands of years, and there is no shortage of content options out there.
More coming soon!
We have a list of more than a dozen different bible story figurines we’re planning to develop and release. We are currently working on a Daniel and the lions den tonie that is in early prototyping already, and we plan to release them in the next few weeks.
Christian Tonie Songs and Story Ideas
We include some content ideas to get parents started with their kids bible Tonies, but there are so many fantastic options for content for these. There are children’s worship songs, bedtime Bible stories, scripture memory, devotionals, testimonies from parents, prayers, or sermons. There are tons of free and paid options out there for content.
How to Use a Christian Tonie with Your Toniebox
- Record or upload your favorite Christian songs or Bible stories to a Creative or Bible Tonie. Don’t get intimidated by this. We include instructions on how to do this in the Tonie app with every bible Tonie we sell, and we also have put together a guide with a video and an FAQ on how to make a creative Tonie. We’ve sold hundreds of these Tonies and haven’t had anyone not be able to figure it out.
- Place it on the Toniebox — your story plays instantly like any other Tonie would at this point.
- Swap between different Bible characters for each story, and change and update the material on the Bible story Tonie figurines as much or as little as you want!
Why Families Love Bible Story Tonies
Christian families face ongoing challenges with finding wholesome entertainment for their kids. There is so much garbage out there. We want to have more kids and families talk of Christ, sing of Christ, and rejoice in Christ. The gospel is happy, joyful, fun, and beautiful, and we’re excited to help kids see and experience that more first hand. These Bible story Tonies are great gift ideas for any occasion, but we’ve had people buy these for easter baskets, Christmas gifts and advent calendars, baptisms, and more.
“This is exactly what I wanted and my kids love it! It’s so nice that I can control what’s put on it as well.”
-From a recent review on Etsy.
Shop Christian Tonie Figures and More on Etsy
You’re welcome to follow our shop on etsy to see our newest releases. We also make more than just Bible tonies. Our goal is to bring all sorts of wholesome content to kids and families, filling the gaps that Toniebox isn’t filling, including religious and patriotic Tonies and more.
FAQs About Bible Story Tonies
While there aren’t any Bible story Tonies from the Toniebox company directly, there are several options out there from creators that make them using creative Tonie chips.
You record Bible stories in the Tonie app. You can also upload other content there as well, as long as you have an mp3 of the content. We include detailed instructions on how to do this with every Tonie we sell.
Yes, these bible Tonies are compatible with any Toniebox, including the Toniebox 2.
Yes, as long as you have the mp3 files, you can add and upload whatever content you want to these bible Tonies. Parents are truly in charge.