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TEDDYCLOUD IS AN ALTERNATIVE SERVER FOR YOUR TONIEBOX

Run your child's story box on your own server so it keeps working when the company's cloud doesn't.

by toniebox-reverse-engineering community

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

HomeAutomation

Built withESP32Raspberry Pi Pico / RP2040

difficulty
●●●○○
time
an evening
license
GPL-2.0
repo
repo ACTIVE1,058 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
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COMPAREE VERDICT

TeddyCloud replaces the manufacturer's cloud service for the Toniebox children's audio player with a server you run at home. You decide which data, if any, is sent to the manufacturer's cloud, and the box no longer depends on the company keeping its service running. Once it points at your own server you can also put custom audio on the figures — recordings of a grandparent reading, your own stories, anything. The catch is that you have to open the box to dump its certificates and flash a replacement CA, using a UART adapter or a flash programmer depending on the chip. The documentation is thorough and the community is active, but this is a one-time modification done carefully with the guide open, not a quick hack. The server itself runs in Docker and has a web interface. Most likely to go wrong: misidentifying your chip variant or skipping a certificate step and wondering why the box won't connect. If you already own a Toniebox and the idea of a manufacturer-controlled toy bothers you, this is the honest way out.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Complete server software with web interface for managing Toniebox audio files locally
  • —Detailed wiki covers setup, certificate patching, wifi chip access and reflashing
  • —No hardware BOM — you bring the Toniebox, the server runs on any machine at home
  • —Opening the Toniebox to reach the wifi chip voids the manufacturer's warranty
  • —GPL-2.0 licence allows commercial and personal use with source disclosure
  • —Community-maintained, active development with regular commits

Parts to buy

3 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Toniebox if you don't already own oneFind
  • Interface hardware for your chip: a 3.3 V USB-UART adapterFind
  • Tag Connect cable and serial adapter (CC3200)Find

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Can I build this?

Printnothing required
Buya Toniebox if you don't already own one, plus the interface hardware for your chip: a 3.3 V USB-UART adapter (ESP32 box), a Tag Connect cable and serial adapter (CC3200), or a SOP8 clip and a flash programmer such as a Raspberry Pi Pico (CC3235)
Toolsa machine to run Docker, a UART adapter or flash programmer for your chip variant, the flashing tools named in the guide (esptool, cc3200tool or flashrom), and soldering tools if your variant needs them
Skillscomfortable with Docker and command-line tools, basic soldering if reflashing the wifi chip, patience for step-by-step certificate work
Timean evening for the server setup, plus the time to open the box, dump its certificates and flash the replacement CA
Cost$, dominated by the Toniebox itself if you don't already own one; the server software is free
SafetyStandard soldering precautions if accessing the wifi chip. Low-voltage electronics throughout; no mains work. Opening the box voids the warranty.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

Project Scheherazade: Liberating the Toniebox with TeddyCloud

Community walkthrough by AirborneSurfer showing a Toniebox moved onto TeddyCloud; the official guide on the project website is the step-by-step reference.

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Gallery

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Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the project wiki to understand the certificate patching and server setup process(The wiki is the primary documentation; start there before touching the box)
  2. 2.Set up the TeddyCloud server using Docker on a machine that will stay running at home(The server must be reachable by the Toniebox on your local network)
  3. 3.Follow the certificate patching guide to generate and install the custom certificate(This step is required for the box to trust your server instead of the manufacturer's)
  4. 4.Identify your chip (CC3200, CC3235 or ESP32), open the Toniebox and follow the guide for that chip to dump the certificates and flash the replacement CA(This step is required. The ESP32 box needs a UART connection and a jumper; the CC3235 box needs its flash chip read with a clip or by desoldering.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Opening the Toniebox and flashing a new CA is a hardware modification the manufacturer does not support — assume it can affect your warranty
  • Certificate patching must be done correctly or the box will refuse to connect to your server
  • Back up the box's flash before changing anything, and follow the guide for your chip slowly — the docs warn that reading the CC3235 flash in-circuit can be tricky and that USB-C UART adapters have been reported not to work.
  • The server must be running for the box to get new or live content, downloads from the original cloud and settings changes, so host it on a machine that stays on.
  • The Toniebox 2 is not supported yet, and the original box comes in CC3200, CC3235 and ESP32 variants with different procedures — identify your chip before you start
  • Tonie audio is a special Ogg/Opus container with a custom header — let TeddyCloud convert your files (it can convert any audio file in the web interface) rather than copying raw MP3s.

Do I have to open the Toniebox?

Yes. Every supported box (CC3200, CC3235 and ESP32 variants) needs its certificates dumped and a replacement CA flashed, which means opening it and connecting to the chip. The Toniebox 2 is not supported yet.

Can I still use the original cloud service after switching to TeddyCloud?

Yes, through TeddyCloud. It can pass requests through to the original cloud and cache official Tonie content locally, and you decide per figure whether it may talk to the manufacturer at all. Pointing the box straight back at the original servers without TeddyCloud means flashing the original certificate again.

What happens if the TeddyCloud server goes down?

Audio that is already on the box is stored on its internal SD card, so the docs give no reason to expect existing figures to stop playing. What needs the server is new content, downloads from the original cloud, live content and settings changes — so keep the server machine reliable if you use those.

Is this legal?

We are not lawyers, and the project's documentation does not address this. Running your own server for a box you own is a personal modification; sharing copyrighted audio files with others is a separate matter, so stick to your own recordings and content you have the right to use.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Flashing the box means opening it, but it also means the box keeps working without the company's cloud. Would you make that trade for a child's toy?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: TeddyCloud is an actively developed GitHub project under the toniebox-reverse-engineering organisation, licensed GPL-2.0, and the step-by-step setup guide lives on the project's documentation site. It replaces the manufacturer's Boxine cloud with a server you host yourself: it can cache and pass through original tonie audio, serve your own audio files, and with the nocloud flag stop chosen tags from talking to the manufacturer's cloud. Docker images are published automatically from the main branches. The real hurdle is the box itself: depending on the hardware, you have to dump the box's certificates and flash a replacement CA, which means opening it, and the newer Toniebox 2 is not supported yet. If you are comfortable with that step, the rest is methodical work through the documentation. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

toniebox-reverse-engineering community

TeddyCloud is maintained by the toniebox-reverse-engineering community. The project grew out of reverse-engineering work on the Toniebox protocol and has evolved into a complete local server replacement.

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