Start-ups Part 5: Even global players start small

By Sibylle Dorndorf

The story of tonies begins in 2013 in a children’s room. The daughters of graphic designer Patric Faßbender are three and five years old and passionate about audio plays. Patric Faßbender is searching for an alternative to scratched and broken audio play CDs. He delves into the topics of product design for children and listening experiences in the children’s room. For the technical development, he brings in his future co-founder, engineer Marcus Stahl. Stahl, also a father of two, and Faßbender create a brilliant product: a cube-shaped speaker that can play audio stories and music as soon as a specially developed audio figure – a so-called Tonie – is placed on top. The deliberate avoidance of technical gimmicks and the simple operation of the Toniebox are key to its tremendous success. Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl take the decisive step and found the startup Boxine GmbH.
 

2016: tonies at Spielwarenmesse

On January 26, 2016, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl present their Toniebox at the PressPreview in Nürnberg. With a 46-square-meter exhibition stand, they participate in the subsequent Spielwarenmesse. Due to budget constraints, the presentation focuses on the essentials: an oversized audio play figure floats above a table-sized Toniebox. The staging centers entirely on the core of the product experience. In summer 2016, Boxine launches the first Tonieboxes and 14 Tonies on the market.
 

Acclaim from media and retail

The Toniebox already creates a sensation at the Spielwarenmesse PressPreview. The media response is overwhelming for the founders. Even the usually cautious retail buyers recognize the product’s potential. And it gets even better: the enthusiasm of the trade is shared by end customers. In the first three months, 30,000 Tonieboxes are sold. The following year, sales increase fivefold.
 

Business booms

The two founders produce new audio content, achieving a child-friendly mix of music, knowledge, and entertainment. Less than three years after market entry, Boxine GmbH surpasses 50 million euros in revenue.
Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl remain grounded. They do not overstretch themselves, the trade, or the market, but expand their product range with a practical approach.
 

2017: tonies and the licensing business

Until 2017, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl have to work hard to acquire licenses. From 2018 onwards, the tide turns: attractive licensing offers start to pour in.
Sales figures continue to rise. From 2017 to 2020, revenue grows to over 100 million euros. Every Christmas, there are regular delivery bottlenecks.
 

2018: Boxine becomes a global player

From October 2018, Tonieboxes are sold in the UK and Ireland. In 2020, the journey continues across the Atlantic – the Toniebox conquers the USA. In September 2021, sales start in France. In October 2023, tonies enters the Canadian market. In 2024, the company expands to Australia and New Zealand. Today, the products are available in over 28 countries on four continents.
 

2019: Fame, honor, and a turning point

The company’s innovative strength is rewarded with numerous awards.

2016: Red Dot Design Award
2017: iF Design Award
2019: Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl receive the German Founders Award in the “Rising Stars” category.

In September 2019, Munich-based industrial holding Armira and other investors join the startup. The founders, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, remain with the company and retain shares.

2021: New name and IPO

The product name Tonies, with its ever-growing recognition, overtakes the company name: Boxine becomes tonies SE. The company goes public. On the first day of trading, the share price rises rapidly.
 

2023: AI enters the scene

In May 2023, the company introduces a story generator based on ChatGPT. Parents and children can access a child-friendly version of ChatGPT via the tonies® app and use artificial intelligence to create new short stories.
 

2024: Tobias Wann becomes CEO

In January 2024, Tobias Wann replaces Marcus Stahl and Patric Faßbender as CEO. The founders withdraw from operational business but remain with the company as advisors. The international expansion of the Düsseldorf-based company becomes the main focus.
 

2025: Next Level – Toniebox 2 and Tonieplay

In August 2025, tonies announces the market launch of the Toniebox 2, the company’s most significant innovation to date.
At the same time, tonies introduces Tonieplay, a completely new way to play: Tonieplay transforms the Toniebox 2 into a screen-free audio play experience where children use the Tonieplay controller to decide what happens next.
 

A new era begins

Since January 2024, Tobias Wann has led tonies SE as CEO. Wann began his career at the University of Witten/Herdecke and is described in the university blog as follows: “From visionary student to CEO of an innovative company.” He is the one steering tonies into the future.
Tobias Wann comments on the launch of the Toniebox 2:
“With the introduction of the Toniebox 2, we are presenting a completely new generation of our Toniebox for the first time in the company’s history. The Toniebox 2 is much more than just an updated version of the original – thanks to its interactive design, even the youngest children can control their listening and playing experience with simple, intuitive gestures. The seamless transition from linear listening to active discovery and restful sleep is designed to foster independence and self-confidence in children as they learn, play, and grow. With these enhanced features, tonies evolves from a daily storyteller to an all-day companion.”
 

Time Jump: Back to the roots

A retrospective and many insights with tonies founders Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl.

Interview

Patric Faßbender, Marcus Stahl, you presented your idea to a broad industry audience at Spielwarenmesse 2016. What were the initial reactions to your concept?

Patric Faßbender: We had already presented the Toniebox to the most critical jury imaginable before coming to Nuremberg: our own children and the children of our friends. So, although we approached Spielwarenmesse with respect, we were also very excited.

Marcus Stahl: We were, of course, delighted to receive such positive feedback from our industry colleagues. We actually spoke with several people who considered the Toniebox the first real industry innovation in years – praise that also came from international visitors. Even before the launch in the DACH market, we sensed that the Toniebox could also succeed outside the German-speaking region. Honestly, that surprised us and motivated us even more to bring our product to other countries later on.

Patric Faßbender: It’s fascinating to see that what happened in Germany in 2016 is still repeating itself in other countries today. When tonies expanded to Australia and New Zealand in 2024, the local toy market was stagnating. Since the launch of the box, the entire industry has been on the upswing again. Wherever the product is introduced, it meets with overwhelming demand because it offers something to children and parents that didn’t exist before.
 

What were the biggest hurdles you had to overcome at the time?

Marcus Stahl: Founding a company is a marathon with hurdles: If you’re convinced of your idea, well-prepared, and get into a working rhythm, you can actually grow from the obstacles and even gain momentum. At first – before the Toniebox launched in 2016 – the fabric cover gave us headaches. We always aimed to give the box a high-quality feel, even in mass production. That turned out to be more difficult than expected. Once we overcame this hurdle, we soon faced a luxury problem: managing growth – no longer being just the architects of a toy, but of an organization. That was a change of roles, but one we had anticipated from the start.
 

What advice would you give to founders today?

Patric Faßbender: We talk to many founders across Germany. They are usually very creative people with an incredible number of ideas. But often, there aren’t (yet) the resources to implement all of them. That’s why it’s just as important to focus on the essentials and not only prioritize what you do – but also what you don’t do. You simply can’t afford to get distracted.
This becomes much easier the better the team around you is. That was one of our key experiences when we went from being architects of the Toniebox to architects of our company. So, we can only encourage all founders: bring people on board who know more about their field than you do. That not only advances the company but also broadens your own horizons tremendously.

Marcus Stahl: Above all, you should do everything you can to pursue your goal with the same energy and passion, even in the face of setbacks, as you did on day one. It may be difficult to accept obstacles as learning experiences when schedules slip or prototypes need to be revised. But once you succeed, you’ll enjoy it all the more when your founding idea becomes a success story.
 

Start-up Articles Overview:

Startups Part 1: In the beginning was the idea
About innovative strength, success and the risk of failure

Startups Part 2: Founding in the toy industry
Smartek – From company foundation to universal genius

Startups Part 3: Welcome Zebras and Unicorns
Zoological diversity and the potential of start-ups in times of multiple crises

Startups Teil 4: The vision of a better world
Agnawool – Social responsibility over profit maximisation

About the author 

Sibylle Dorndorf has been covering the toy industry for almost 30 years. The journalist last worked as the editor-in-chief at the TOYS family of magazines of the Göller Verlag publishing house from Baden-Baden, Germany. Her passion: Companies that reinvent themselves; brands that credibly position themselves; people who have something to say; and products with a future.