Gruffalo Toniebox character can be picked up for free with little-known deal

‘My grandsons absolutely love this! They use it every night at bedtime’

Tonieboxes have taken the children’s toy market by storm over recent years. The popular screen-free audio players feature character figures called Tonies that are placed on top and play stories, songs and educational content.

But the characters don’t come cheap and can quickly become a costly outlay for parents. However, a little-known deal means that the Gruffalo audio character (£15 at Argos) can actually effectively be picked up for free.

It comes via the money-saving website TopCashback, where new members who sign-up here can claim a £15 cashback sign-up bonus when they spend £15 or more at a participating retailer. That means new members of TopCashback and all Argos customers – whether new or returning – will get the Gruffalo essentially free after cashback.

The hand painted Gruffalo character works with a Toniebox and tells the story of a brave mouse, a deep dark wood, and everybody’s favourite knobbly-kneed monster. The running time of the story is 17 minutes.

Reviewers have mostly been impressed to date. One said: “My grandsons absolutely love this! They use it every night at bedtime.” Another continued: “Brilliant! My son loves it! Definitely recommend for a Gruffalo lover.”

A third was also very impressed: “Gorgeous story as you’d expect, 2 year old is more interested in the songs but I’m sure she’ll enjoy listening to the story as she gets older.”

Meanwhile another said: “Lovely story and I think it’s read really well. My son loves Julie Donaldson so this is a really good Tonie for him. He also loves the Gruffalo song.”

Despite the majority of the feedback being positive, there were a couple of drawbacks mentioned, including one buyer who gave three stars, saying: “Got this Tonie for my little one as she loves the Gruffalo, the story is great, we love reading it together however the song at the end is awful, my daughter gets so upset when it comes on and it’s frankly just annoying.”

Another four star review said: “My kids love it. Would be amazing to have the TV voices but it’s very well done otherwise!”

There are other options out there besides the Toniebox, including the YOTO Mini, a screen-free Bluetooth audio player that plays stories and music. It’s priced at £59.99 on Amazon and works with physical cards that ‘lets kids explore their imaginations as they explore the world’.

Meanwhile for a more visual toy, the Clementoni Disney Storytime Projector with Narration features eight story cards and is designed to keep toddlers entertained. That’s priced at £31.75 on Amazon and £31.99 at Smyths Toys.

How to get it for less via TopCashback

• Sign up as a new member at TopCashback for free via this link.
• Search for Argos on the site, click through and buy the item normally.
• Get £15 cashback when you spend £15 or more on an item.
• The cashback will track to the TopCashback ‘Earnings page’ within seven days of your purchase.