New To American Families, Europe’s Jooki Lets Parents Choose Playlists But Kids Decide When And What To Hear With The Touch of A Toy And No Screen In Sight!
Wednesday, September 12, 2018 — Three geek dads created Jooki, a smart player for kids, so preschoolers let go of their phones and grow good habits. With Jooki, kids are in control to listen, dance, imagine while music or stories play without any help from grownups (or Dad’s gadgets). Jooki is the smart player that lets kids choose and listen to music and stories with ToyTouch™ technology.
“I got the idea for the Jooki when I had to take my phone out for the fifth time,” laughs Theo Marescaux, CEO & Founder, “to play the same song over again for my 3-year-old daughter. At home all our music is digital and our kids lost the ability to independently explore music and stories. When I was their age, I could just put a CD or cassette on. That freedom and charm of physical interaction with media has largely disappeared."
Built for kids, Jooki is intuitive with five modern, chunky-sized Characters that can be swapped on a whim to hear something new. Parents link each Character to a playlist created via Jooki’s web or mobile application (Android and iOS). It works with Spotify and many music files (MP3, AIFF, WAV). The portable music player can be used indoors, in the car or at a backyard picnic. There are no plugs, cords or wires to worry about and its battery gives 8 hours of streaming or offline play time. The sound quality is superior thanks to its built-in stereophonic speakers—a big point of differentiation for Jooki. It’s sturdy and bright orange so it’s easy to spot!
Jooki’s brand promise: Every time a Jooki Character touches the Jooki, music or stories will play. The independence offered to young children by this ToyTouch technology is the single most important and unusual thing about Jooki.
“Jooki gives back to children the immediate availability of music,” wrote a reviewer at MidemLab 2018, held in Cannes, France, where the most innovative startups in creative industries gathered, “just like a good old music tape. The high-quality portable WiFi speaker – brightly colored and designed for kids’ hands – works with cute little Characters; when popped on top of Jooki, they trigger playlists. Just like that, nothing else to do to let children enjoy music!”
The rave reviews on Jooki’s Facebook page reveal the same delight by parents. “It was the kind of present you search for a very long time,” wrote one purchaser. “Since it got unwrapped by our son, it runs almost in every situation. It has not lost any attraction over the time because it can be the focused toy or keeps running some songs in the background while playing with other toys. And at the evening always some stories and adventures are running until he falls asleep.”
Pre-readers are the ideal audience for Jooki. A child simply chooses a Character, places it in the outlined circle and like magic, the music or story plays. Lift the Character and the sound stops! Boys and girls are proud of their independence to choose the music or stories without asking a grownup for help. With no plugs or screens in sight, youngsters listen and play without distractions. Daydreaming is encouraged!
Unlike many gadgets, Jooki can be a source of comfort at naptime. As a splash-proof device, it can be used outdoors. Kids can start their day with their favorite get-up-and-go songs or fall asleep with a bedtime story downloaded just for them. Jooki turns off automatically after 15min when there is no activity.
What’s a parent to do? Choose the music, uploaded from a phone using the Jooki app or drag-and-drop from iTunes on a laptop. Or choose Spotify or an internet radio station to create the playlist. Link the Jooki Character to the playlist and place it on Jooki. Now hand over to a child!
As the child matures, and with a parent’s permission, kids can download their own playlists as one online buyer discovered, “My kids love listening to music as they go to bed every night, and I hate to leave their smartphones with them overnight. This is the perfect solution. They load up a playlist on Spotify, pair it with a Character, and then they can turn in their smartphones every night before they go to bed. It's been a great addition to our home.”
Just in time for 2018 Holiday giving perfect for clever grandparents, parents or aunts and uncles who want to create a connected experience with little ones in their lives, discover Jooki on www.jooki.rocks and Amazon where five-star reviews are pouring in including:
“I was looking for a friendly and Spotify compatible music player for my children to bring on vacation and after some research and recommendations I settled on the Jooki. It was an instant hit! It arrived a day early, which is great because we had a play date at home and all the kids jumped on it. Each child ‘called’ their Characters and downloaded their playlists. It’s a pretty easy set up. Kids sang, danced and played all afternoon. Can’t wait to bring it on the trip! You can feel the high quality of the product. It’s worth every penny. I’m very happy to see my kids enjoy the music without having to use the phone. Best gift ever!”
Jooki • $199.99 • Ages 3+
Each Jooki comes with five Characters that can be linked to a child’s favorite playlist. Whether it’s songs from Moana or Dr. Seuss stories, kids pick what they feel like hearing any time of day or night. It’s not magic but your child may think so! Additional playlist tokens can be purchased separately.
