Kickstarter-funded speaker company Jooki has been showing off its music box for kids at the 2018 CES conference, impressing audiences with its interesting way of allowing children to pick their favorite tunes.
The bright and bulbous blue-and-orange jukebox is the shape of a small pillow and is controlled via a series of plastic figurines. To change the music, kids simply place a plastic figurine or token on the center of the speaker, at which point the pre-selected music paired with the figurine will play. Each figurine — whether it’s a plastic fox, blue whale, silver knight, or green dragon — corresponds to a certain song, and each token corresponds to a playlist of songs, audio clips, albums, or radio stations.
As such, the Jooki allows kids to pick their favorite music without access to a smartphone and it allows parents to make sure their kids are only listening to approved media and streaming services — and not buying things on, or destroying, their phone.
“The idea comes from my daughters, who at the time we three and four and a half,” CEO Theodore Marescaux told Digital Trends. “They asked me to play a song. We don’t have CDs anymore, so I just had to take my phone out and play that song, and they wanted [to hear] it over and over and over again. Then I made a mistake: I actually handed them my smartphone, and two things happened: My smartphone disappeared, and my kids disappeared behind the screen of a smartphone.”
For parents who are nervous about allowing their kids access to smartphones and the distractions that come with them at an early age, the Jooki could be a fun and empowering tool that doesn’t keep them from enjoying the music they love.
Those interested in purchasing the Jooki are encouraged to check out the company’s website, and also be sure to check out our list of the best Bluetooth speakers if you’re looking for other portable listening options.
