Audio toys for little kids provide age-appropriate entertainment without any screens or advertising, so it's no surprise that they're popular with families. With the Toniebox 2, for example, kids sit a figure atop the box and then listen to related stories and songs. Each figure, sold separately, provides different content, and there are hundreds to choose from.
While the traditional figures are cute, they lack a cuddly factor. So we were super excited for the launch this month of Cuddle Tonies, $30 plush figures that are larger and softer than the original Tonies. The small collection features Disney characters: Stitch (a Walmart exclusive), Simba, Mickey, Minnie, Olaf, and Winnie the Pooh. They work like regular Tonies—sit them atop the Toniebox and the audio begins—but are also plush friends. We named them to our list of the coolest new toys of 2026.
Plush Tonies seem to be a hit
We got several Cuddle Tonies to try, and passed them to our Good Housekeeping Editor-in-Chief Elspeth Velten to bring home. "My 20-month-old son, Heath, recently began to get cuddly with stuffed animals and look to them for security for the first time, so the launch of Cuddle Tonies was perfectly timed," said Velten. "He loves hugging Simba and also hearing from him—he interacts with this Tonie more than any of his others. And his look of wonder when he first learned that this huggable stuffed animal was also a Tonie was priceless!"
These are all the Disney Cuddle Tonies available
In addition to Stitch at Walmart, above, these are the Disney Cuddle Tonies available straight from the Tonies brand. As of this writing, Olaf and Pooh are backordered, but you can have Tonies notify you when they're in stock.
Some details about the Cuddle Tonies
Cuddle Tonies are about twice as large as traditional Tonies: The original figurines are roughly about 3 inches tall, and the plush are 6 to 7 inches tall. They're small by stuffed animal standards, but big by Tonies standards.
Tonies and Cuddle Tonies don't need to be charged and do not require batteries. The Toniebox itself must be charged, and the first time you place something new on top of it, it must be connected to Wi-Fi. It acts as a reader, downloading and storing information from the bottom of each figure or plush.
You can get a traditional Tonie for about $20, and the Cuddle Tonies are about $10 more. Each Cuddle Tonie plays 30 to 45 minutes worth of content. That's about the same as some traditional Tonies; for instance, The Lion King Tonie runs for 30 minutes. But other traditional Tonies run longer; the Disney Encanto Mirabel Tonie has nearly an hour's worth of content.
In the end, the Cuddle Tonies aren't going to replace traditional Tonies, which are highly collectible and easy to store. But the plush versions are sweet, and make an especially great present for a Toniebox-loving tot.
