Tonies have recently announced their new Toniebox 2 model, allowing for screen-free gameplay, and with it a range of interactive adventures – including two original productions developed by Collaborate.

We pitched a selection of potential Tonieplay game concepts, and from those ideas, Time Academy was born! In this game, kids steer the story as they travel through time collecting special items. Along the way, they meet a T-Rex, a jousting princess, and kids from the future – all while making decisions and embarking on side quests that make the story their own. Collaborate’s Senior Creative & IP Development Lead, Jenny Palmer-Fetting, wrote the script and developed the interactive story paths for this fun-filled adventure through history and beyond.

“The process was very iterative! The interactive gameplay elements were a totally new feature to the Toniebox 2, so there weren’t any existing examples to guide things. So, the very first draft looked and felt very different to the final script, but it was really fun to figure out what we could do, gameplay-wise. There was a lot of communication with the client about what kind of emotional journey the main character and the player should go on together, how the story should flow, and how to make the choices feel edifying whilst keeping things simple enough for the target age range.”

“It was honestly the best project to get to work on! Interactive fiction opens up so many opportunities not just for telling fun stories and designing puzzles, but also for helping kids gain confidence and getting them thinking about cause-and-effect in stories. I’m really proud to have gotten to work on this project with Collaborate and Tonies!” – Jenny Palmer-Fettig

Another Tonies production we were proud to be part of is the world of the Lalalinos! Cosmo, Akio, and Scout are a musical squad of animal friends who live in the playful neighbourhood of Bumbaloo, where they use music to solve problems and work together as a team. Our creative team was heavily involved in the world-building of Bumbaloo, and went on to create the art and animation for the two adventures in the series. Collaborate’s Illustration Manager, Laura Robjohns, was the lead illustrator on this project and developed the characters into the lovable trio that form the Lalalinos!

‘Getting to illustrate the adorable Lalalinos characters and their world was honestly one of the best projects I’ve ever worked on. Tonies gave us so much creative freedom and it was so much fun creating and expanding their world as new locations and characters were briefed.’ – Laura Robjohns