Sylvanian Families

of the Forest Epoch System Collection

Hi Everyone!

I wrote this post and then, given the awful week of news, it no longer felt reasonable to share it. But then I thought perhaps it might be calming, a brief respite from the news to read about something soft and joyful. It certainly soothed me to write it. I hope everyone is safe <3

It has been wonderful to roam the streets of London again, savoring every cobble, every glossy red bus, every… hold the phone - is that… A SYLVANIAN FAMILIES SHOPFRONT??

I crossed the street… could it actually be THE Sylvanian Fami- Yes! It was!

Well what time does it open tomorrow? I’ll be here first thi-

Nooooooo!

I walked home and pined for March 2023, but consoled myself that if I could not visit it, at least I could google it.

In 1992 Simon and Angela Harwood (who prefer to be known by their Sylvanian alter-egos, Taylor and Rose Timbertop) established the only independent Sylvanian shop in Europe on Mountgrove Road in London. The website is run by the Harwoods’ daughter, who is known as Daisy Timbertop, a Sylvanian brown bear. Here is their family photo:

They had to shut their doors last Spring due to a never ending trend of independent shops going under, but they went out with a bang.

Sylvanian Families, otherwise known as Calico Critters in the US, was started in Japan in 1985 by Epoch and were originally known as:

Pleasant Friends of the Forest Epoch System Collection Animal Toy Sylvanian Families.

For those unfamiliar, they are the coziest sweetest felted animals that came with houses, bakeries, schools and tiny cake accessories. If my childhood dreams had come true, my entire bedroom floor would have been home to a Sylvanian Village I had to step over in order to get to my bed.

Also can we please talk about this bakery delivery van:

"Sylvanian" means "of the forest", from the Roman god Silvanus - who was the protector of the forest. Especially fond of ‘trees growing wild’, he was said to have “some of the menace of the unknown.” Chic.

A common sacrifice to Silvanus was grapes.

Attempts to make a Sylvanian Families television show has spanned decades, first in 1987 and most recently on TikTok. Here’s an episode of the 1987 show:

With an iconic character cast list I would gladly repeat in my head to calm me down:

Hickory, Velvette, Bubbles and Barry.

Unrelated but also a soothing word:

The design of the show is giving original Care Bears which came out two years prior in 1985.

Sylvanian Families

Heroes

Villains: Packbat and Gatorpossum

Care Bears

Heroes

Villains: No Heart and Beastly

And while it is cool that Packbat is a vampire, I am voting for Care Bears’ No Heart as best villain as I feel a deep kinship with:

He lives in his castle inside a storm cloud, and rarely ever leaves it.

In 2015, Sylvanian Families in the UK held a competition to discover the village in England that was most like Sylvania. Old Basing in United Kingdom won and was voted in as Sylvania's Twin Village.

Sylvania is sited as:

an enduring, idyllic fictitious village which transcends time, built around the concepts of nature, family units and caring for one another.

Which reminds me a lot of the ethos behind Solarpunk

The term, coined in 2008, refers to an art movement which broadly envisions how the future might look if we lived in harmony with nature in a sustainable and egalitarian world.

So this?

Every Sylvanian Family member has a backstory:

Splashy Otter Mother is “always smiling,” for example, while her daughter Splashy Otter Baby Girl “loves looking at fish.”

These feel a little underdeveloped if you ask me.

But what is not underdeveloped is their very strong wardrobe. I have been putting together a mood board of autumn outfit inspirations, after seeing Haley Nahman’s gorgeous offerings:

and then, like a plaid cravat and perfect complimentary bowtie emerging from the mist, I realized my fall wardrobe inspo has been right under my nose the whole time:

And don’t even get my started on the Halloween looks. The colours, the outfits, invite me over already!

And in the spirit of Halloween i’ll answer the question on everyone’s lips:

See you next week,

sending everyone so much love.