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tonies® and BBC Studios bring Bluey to the Toniebox, expanding family storytelling through immersive audio play

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Family-favorite Bluey joins tonies’ leading interactive audio platform for childrenBluey stories, interactive Tonieplay experiences, and exclusive products will come to families around the world

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — tonies SE (“tonies”), the globally leading interactive audio platform for children, announces a partnership with BBC Studios to bring Bluey to the Toniebox for the first time. The collaboration expands one of the world’s most beloved TV series into immersive, audio-first experiences for kids and their families.

Available for pre-order in the U.S. today, June 17, on tonies.com and target.com, the partnership will introduce a range of Bluey experiences designed to inspire play, storytelling and shared family moments, including Classic Tonies, interactive Tonieplay adventures, and themed accessories inspired by the globally celebrated series.

Bluey joins the tonies family at a time of accelerating global growth, with more than 12 million Tonieboxes already sold worldwide. For families, the partnership brings another opportunity to experience Bluey beyond the screen. For tonies, it reinforces the company’s position as the destination for premium children’s storytelling and one of the world’s leading platforms for family entertainment and play.

Tobias Wann, CEO of tonies, says: “At tonies, we’re listening to our audience and responding to what excites them. Few brands capture family connection and playful storytelling quite like Bluey. For years, families around the world have asked for Bluey on the Toniebox, and we are incredibly proud to bring this beloved world to life in a way that feels uniquely tonies. This partnership is another powerful example of why many of the world’s leading family brands trust tonies to thoughtfully extend the stories fans already love.”

Suzy Raia, EVP Global Consumer Products at BBC Studios, adds: “Bluey has always encouraged children to jump into play, and tonies brings that spirit to life in a truly special way. We are especially excited by Tonieplay and how it invites families to actively take part in the stories they love. Together, we’re thoughtfully expanding the Bluey universe through immersive storytelling and play in ways that feel authentic, playful, and true to the heart of the brand.”

Rolling out across North America, DACH, the UK, France, Australia and New Zealand from June through October, the launch introduces families to an exclusive Bluey Tonieplay experience, developed in-house by tonies’ studio and adapted directly from fan-favourite moments from the series. Designed as immersive audio-first play, the experience invites children to step into Bluey’s world through interactive storytelling, playful challenges and adventures, and has been developed in close collaboration with BBC Studios to preserve the heart of Bluey while introducing a new way to engage with its characters and stories through hands-on play.

In addition, three Classic Tonies figurines including Bluey, Bingo, and Muffin will debut in North America, DACH, the UK, France and New Zealand. Themed accessories, including Bluey Listen and Play bags and a Bluey Toniebox 2 sleeve will be available across all markets.

Ginny McCormick, CXO of tonies, adds: “At tonies, we’ve spent more than a decade building expertise in how children naturally listen, imagine and play. That means every experience starts ears-first and every creative choice begins with protecting what families already love about a brand. With Bluey, we’re especially excited to pair that philosophy with our original Tonieplay innovation, creating experiences that help children actively step into a world they already know by heart”.

Since its debut in Australia in 2018, Bluey has built a global fanbase and become one of the world’s most-watched animated TV series. Known for its heartwarming storytelling, humour, and celebration of play and family life, the show has grown into a cultural phenomenon. Its success has been widely recognised across the industry, earning accolades from a BAFTA to multiple Emmy Awards, as well as the 2026 Toy of the Year Award for “License of the Year” for the second consecutive year.

Pre-order is live now at https://us.tonies.com/collections/bluey-collection & www.target.com.

About tonies

tonies® is the globally leading interactive audio platform for children redefining how children aged 1 to 9+ play, learn, and grow independently without screens. Since its founding in Germany in 2014, around 12.2 million Tonieboxes and over 165 million Tonies have been sold worldwide.

On average, children engage with tonies for ~280 minutes per week, making it a trusted everyday companion that brings the joy and magic of interactive audio entertainment and education into family life worldwide.

The intuitive and award-winning system – centered around Toniebox 2 – offers a portfolio of around 1,500 Tonies figurines and about 20 Tonieplay games and more than 3,500 digital titles via mytonies (library and app) – ranging from tonies Originals® to licensed content from around 350 partners including Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Mattel, Marvel, Paramount, Hasbro, Universal, Sony Music.

tonies is rapidly expanding its platform globally. Besides DACH, central growth regions include tonies’ largest market, North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Australia and New Zealand, with Tonieboxes now active in over 100 countries. tonies employs more than 630 people, achieved EUR 630 million in group revenue in fiscal year 2025 (+31% yoy), and is listed in the SDAX segment of Frankfurt Stock Exchange (tonies SE).

About Bluey

The series follows Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog who lives with her Mum, Dad and her little sister, Bingo. Bluey uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun.

Bluey is produced by Ludo Studio for ABC KIDS (Australia) and co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios Kids & Family. Financed in association with Screen Australia, Bluey is proudly 100% created, written, animated, and post produced in Brisbane Queensland, Australia, with funding from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland and the Australian Government.

In Australia, the show is broadcast on ABC. The series airs and streams to U.S. and global audiences (outside of Australia, New Zealand, and China) across Disney Channel, Disney Jr., and Disney+ through a global broadcasting deal between BBC Studios and Disney Branded Television.

Bluey | Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube 

About Ludo Studio

Ludo Studio is a BAFTA, multi-Emmy®, Logie and Peabody award-winning Australian studio and one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies of 2024, that creates and produces original scripted drama, animation and digital stories that are authored by incredible local talent, distributed globally and loved by audiences everywhere.

ludostudio.com.au

About BBC Studios Brands & Licensing

The BBC Studios Brands & Licensing division is the driving force in extending BBC Studios IP through innovative brand extensions, fostering deep fan engagement worldwide. Partnering our iconic brands – including Doctor Who and Bluey – with the world’s biggest brands, promoters, and publishers, ignites the imagination of fans and creates memorable brand-fame moments. Our diverse portfolio spans consumer products, live entertainment, gaming, and publishing, while BBC Studios Digital drives over 1 billion views per month, offering advertising and branded content opportunities. Supported by award-winning teams, we focus on finding visionary opportunities to enhance global brand impact and digital growth.

BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | X | LinkedIn | Instagram 

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KuCoin Wealth Introduces Its First Quant Fund as Demand Grows for Professional Digital Asset Allocation

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KuCoin, a leading global crypto platform built on trust, today announced the launch of the KuCoin Wealth Quant Fund, introducing its first product, the Neutral Enhanced Fund. Designed for high-net-worth users, the fund brings professionally managed, market-neutral digital asset strategies into the KuCoin Wealth experience, offering a more structured approach to long-term capital allocation, risk management and portfolio diversification.

As the digital asset market matures, investor needs are moving beyond simple market access, spot trading and basic yield products. High-net-worth users and professional investors are increasingly focused on how to manage digital assets more effectively across market cycles, activate existing holdings, reduce reliance on one-sided market exposure and gain greater clarity around strategy, fees, liquidity and risk.

This shift is revealing a layer of demand between conventional crypto yield products and institutional-style private fund solutions. While basic Earn products are accessible, they may not fully meet the needs of users seeking more advanced allocation strategies. Private funds and institutional solutions, meanwhile, can involve higher thresholds, longer processes and less standardized access. In response to this market demand, KuCoin Wealth Quant Fund was designed to provide access to a professional market-neutral strategy through an exchange-native product experience with clear subscription, redemption, NAV and fee mechanisms.

The Neutral Enhanced Fund employs quantitative market-neutral strategies, including arbitrage and long-short trading, with the goal of minimizing dependence on overall market movements. Designed to offer both accessibility and flexibility, the fund is denominated in USDT, has a relatively low minimum subscription requirement of 50,000 USDT, and features a 30-day lock-up period, providing investors with greater liquidity than many longer-term alternatives. Transparency is also a key feature of the fund. There are no subscription or management fees, and performance fees are charged only when an investor’s NAV surpasses their individual high-water mark and generates new gains. No performance fee is incurred during drawdown periods or when the NAV remains below the high-water mark, ensuring that fees are closely aligned with actual investment results.

Supported by an independent custody framework, sub-account management, real-time monitoring and comprehensive risk controls, KuCoin Wealth Quant Fund reflects KuCoin’s broader commitment to building trusted, transparent and responsible digital asset wealth management solutions for users moving from trading toward long-term allocation.

About KuCoin

Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform trusted by over 40 million users across 200+ countries and regions. Known for its user-first approach, the platform combines advanced technology, deep liquidity, and strong security safeguards to deliver a seamless trading experience. KuCoin provides access to 1,500+ digital assets through a broad product suite and remains committed to building transparent, compliant, and user-centric digital asset infrastructure for the future of finance, backed by SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certifications. In recent years, we have built a strong global compliance foundation, marked by key milestones including AUSTRAC registration in Australia, a MiCA license in Europe, and regulatory progress in other markets.

Learn more at www.kucoin.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kucoin-wealth-introduces-its-first-quant-fund-as-demand-grows-for-professional-digital-asset-allocation-302802908.html

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Dying With Dignity Canada marks the 10th anniversary of MAID legislation with new national research and a new education platform

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TORONTO, June 17, 2026 /CNW/ – Today marks 10 years since medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation was introduced in Canada, as a result of the Carter v Canada Supreme Court of Canada Decision. To mark this ten-year milestone, Dying With Dignity Canada (DWDC) commissioned Environics Research to do a landmark national survey and is releasing a study of the data in a new report, A Decade of Choice: Canadian Perspectives on MAID, as well as launching a newly created education platform, WeCanChoose.ca.

The report provides an opportunity to reflect on how people across Canada understand, experience and navigate MAID at a pivotal moment in the country’s ongoing conversation about end-of-life choice. As Canada’s population ages – nearly one quarter of the country’s population is part of the Baby Boomer generation, the oldest of which is now turning 80 – discussions around end-of-life choice become more necessary. The data collected helps illustrate that public support for choice is strong. It also shows who people trust, where they feel uncertain, and what they need to navigate informed end-of-life choices. “The research reflects the need for reliable, clear, and accurate information, and where and how people look for that information,” said Helen Long, CEO of Dying With Dignity Canada. “We know that having choice at the end-of-life matters deeply to people across Canada, and that there is pride in that shared value. But we also see people struggling for straightforward facts, and even those with a connection to someone who chose MAID can be impacted by myths and misinformation. Inaccurate or misleading information regarding MAID and end-of-life choices can cause harm. There is an increasing urgency behind the need to empower people across Canada with tools to help them make informed decisions about their end-of-life.”

Three clear themes emerged from A Decade of Choice: Canadian Perspectives on MAID report.

Trust in the MAID system is high and grows with experience
People across Canada with direct experience of MAID largely view the system as compassionate, trustworthy and functioning well in practice.

Many families feel unprepared for end-of-life conversations
Caregivers play an essential role in end-of-life information gathering and in supporting decision-making, but only about half of caregivers said the person they support has shared end-of-life wishes.  

Misinformation about MAID is widespread
Many people surveyed reported confusion about eligibility, safeguards, and how the process works in practice, highlighting an ongoing need for public education.  The most common misbelief was that a person with Power of Attorney can consent to MAID on someone’s behalf.

Other key findings:

Support for MAID is high, with more than 8 in 10 saying they strongly or somewhat support MAID. (81% in seniors, 81% in caregivers, 89% in connected to MAID).The most common reasons for supporting MAID are related to unnecessary suffering, individual autonomy, quality of life and dying with dignity.Six in 10 respondents across all three key groups surveyed agreed with the statement: “It is important to me that I have personal control over decisions about my end-of-life care.”Nearly half of people across Canada are not prepared for end of life. Almost half of those surveyed said they do not have the necessary legal documents, such as Powers of Attorney, for health and financial decisions, in place.More than half of respondents across all groups surveyed correctly identified all five MAID eligibility criteria. While many Canadians have some awareness of MAID, the survey found they are also exposed to misinformation that can hinder understanding and make it difficult to navigate end-of-life decisions. The online environment now plays a significant role in shaping how Canadians perceive MAID.

Launching WeCanChoose.ca

Today, DWDC is also launching WeCanChoose.ca. This new education platform is informed by our country’s legal and health care context and focused on end-of-life decision making, including MAID. While research shows that public support for choice in Canada is strong, misinformation, stigma and confusion can make it difficult for individuals and families to navigate end-of-life decisions.

WeCanChoose.ca has a tagline of ‘information you can trust, for a death you can live with.’ Behind the creation of this website sits the most comprehensive design research existing on the topic of MAID. The WeCanChoose team analyzed hundreds of pages of findings on lexiconic analysis, journey research, social ethnography, patient story exploration, and more. They conducted more than 40 primary interviews with patients, caregivers, family members, and clinicians. They performed a global landscape review, including a comprehensive cultural analysis and review of global organizational strategies, and looked at more than 60 academic, peer-reviewed papers from health care providers, as well as patient-focused literature. The result was the commitment to creating an educational platform that provides definitive, clear, practical tools to inform end-of-life decisions and counter misinformation. It elevates truth by centring the voices of people with lived experience.

“One of the central questions behind the platform was what it means to create a truly compassionate educational experience for people facing difficult end-of-life decisions. We believe that clarity is a form of compassion. By combining clear, accessible information with the lived experience of people in Canada, the platform aims to provide understanding, connection, and support when people need it most,” said Long.

A 2026 Canadian Medical Association (CMA) survey found about 9 out of 10 people go online for health advice, but a majority report they have encountered misleading or false information. The data compiled for DWDC by Environics Research highlighted the need for trusted sources of information. Many respondents said when it comes to information about MAID they would trust two main sources: health care providers, followed by a “not-for-profit dedicated to providing information and education about MAID.”  The data shows that people across Canada want information that is trustworthy, easy to navigate and responsive to where people are in their journey toward end-of-life care and choice.

“Myths and misinformation are costly and lead to fear, stigma, and silence – and feel increasingly rampant. We believe that the best antidote to misinformation is human truth, and we felt an urgency to create a trusted resource providing clear, accurate information that can be customized to a person’s specific needs, even as those needs change. Our goal is to support informed decision-making grounded not only in accessible information, but also individual choice and respect for the diverse, complex and deeply personal realities people face,” said Long.

WeCanChoose.ca is a resource provided by DWDC at no cost to users and supports people across Canada in navigating the full spectrum of end-of-life planning, offering clear, practical information across a range of topics, including MAID. The site features written content, interactive tools, and video interviews, using plain language and accurate information to help explain the choices and considerations involved in death and dying.

Visit WeCanChoose.ca to learn more, the full study and report are available here: A Decade of Choice: Canadian Perspectives on MAID.

About the research
The national survey was conducted early in 2026 by Environics Research. The report, A Decade of Choice: Canadian Perspectives on MAID, refers primarily to data gathered in two separate surveys conducted by Environics Research including:

A general population survey of people across Canada aged 18 and up, fielded in January of 202610 Years of MAID The Lived Experience, an in-depth survey of more than 2,000 seniors (age 65+), caregivers (age 50+) and people who are personally connected to MAID (age 18+), fielded in February of 2026.

Samples from both groups were drawn from consumer panels, with quotas by region, age and gender, weighted to reflect population distributions of the latest census.

About Dying With Dignity Canada

Dying With Dignity Canada is the national charitable organization that ensures access to end-of-life choice and supports people in understanding and navigating their options – including medical assistance in dying (MAID). Through its programs, the organization supports Canadians as they make informed, values-based decisions about their end-of-life care. This includes providing clear, practical information about how MAID works in practice, what to expect throughout the process, and how to plan in a way that reflects individual preferences and circumstances.

Please visit the Dying With Dignity Canada media centre for additional information.  www.dyingwithdignity.ca

SOURCE Dying With Dignity Canada Inc.

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Best Sunglasses Brands in 2026: Quay Named a Top Pick for Affordable Style and Everyday Wear by Expert Consumers

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NEW YORK, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As consumers continue prioritizing affordability and versatility in fashion accessories, Quay has been recognized by Expert Consumers as a top sunglasses brand in 2026 for accessible pricing, trend-driven design, and everyday wearability.

The recognition reflects broader consumer demand for eyewear that balances style, comfort, and functionality without entering luxury-level price ranges. Industry coverage throughout 2026 has pointed to rising interest in mid-priced sunglasses that offer contemporary silhouettes and practical lens features suited for daily use.

Best Sunglasses Brand

Quay – an eyewear brand known for creating fashion-forward sunglasses and optical frames that combine trend-driven design, everyday functionality, and accessible pricing.

Founded in Australia and shaped by music, festival, and street-style influences, Quay has expanded into a global eyewear brand known for bold, fashion-forward frames designed for a wide range of personal styles and occasions. The company’s collections include aviators, oversized frames, cat-eye styles, shield sunglasses, and polarized options aimed at both fashion and everyday utility.

Growing Demand for Affordable Fashion Eyewear
The sunglasses market has seen increasing interest in products positioned between fast fashion accessories and premium designer eyewear. Editorial coverage from fashion and lifestyle publications has highlighted how consumers are seeking versatile sunglasses that can transition from travel and commuting to casual and social settings.

Expert Consumers noted Quay’s ability to deliver trendy eyewear at accessible price points, with many styles available under $100. Current collections feature lightweight frames, polarized lenses on select models, and a mix of classic and statement silhouettes intended for everyday wear.

Popular styles in Quay’s lineup include:

High Key PolarizedNightfallOn The FlyLevel UpVibe Check

The brand’s catalog also includes blue light glasses and prescription-ready options, reflecting growing overlap between fashion eyewear and functional daily accessories.

Design Trends Continue Shaping Consumer Preferences

Fashion editors and consumer trend reports in 2026 continue to point toward strong demand for retro-inspired shapes, oversized frames, and minimalist oval silhouettes. Quay’s product lineup aligns closely with several of these ongoing eyewear trends, particularly through its emphasis on bold styling and seasonal collections.

According to Quay, the company’s design philosophy centers on making premium statement eyewear more accessible while maintaining a focus on confidence, individuality, and self-expression.

The brand has also maintained visibility through collaborations, celebrity wear, and social media-driven fashion trends, helping expand awareness among younger consumers seeking affordable designer-inspired looks.

Everyday Wear and Accessibility Remain Key Purchase Drivers

As economic conditions continue influencing discretionary spending, value-focused fashion purchases remain a major factor in the accessories market. Consumers are increasingly evaluating eyewear based on:

Versatility across different settings and outfitsComfort during extended wearAvailability of polarized lens optionsPricing relative to designer alternatives

Quay’s positioning within the accessible eyewear category has helped the brand remain competitive among consumers looking for fashionable sunglasses without premium luxury pricing.

For the full review, please visit the Expert Consumers website.

About Quay

Quay is a global eyewear brand offering a wide selection of sunglasses and prescription glasses. The company’s collections emphasize contemporary design, functional lens features, and pricing that remains accessible to a broad range of consumers. Quay products are available through its direct-to-consumer website, Quay stores and select retail partners worldwide.

About ExpertConsumers.org: Expert Consumers delivers news and insights on consumer products and services. As an affiliate, Expert Consumers may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

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SOURCE ExpertConsumers.org

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