Sylvanian Families aka Calico Critters

Last week I had a really bad day.  I slept an hour the night before due to a fever and cold.  I could not go to work and stayed home... but there was not a moment of peace for me due to many reasons out of my control.  The incessant noise and interruptions kept me from getting the rest I needed.

I was beyond frustrated when the kids came home from school and I knew I would have no help from anybody either so I was on my own to babysit them for 5 hours before their parents came to pick them up.  I thought desperately about what I could possibly do to have a calm afternoon/evening.  So I decided to take out my collection of Sylvanian Families aka Calico Critters for the kids to play with.

It was a wise choice my friend!  They played passionately and nicely with the toys!  No videogames, no TV, no squabbling.  Just the good old house pretend play.

If you don't know what the Sylvanian Families are, you are missing out big time!  In the USA, they are marketed under the name of Calico Critters but in other countries they are known as Sylvanian Families.  They originated from Japan and they are such well made toys.  But a warning: it's addictive... prepare to spend a lot because each set is quite expensive.  

If you are a fan of miniatures and dollhouses, this is probably one of the best investment you could do because these toys are made with so much details and are good quality toys... and most importantly, the children love them! No, I don't get paid to write this! (I wished LOL!)

I have yet to buy a house from the Calico Critters Collection so I am using for now other dollhouses I have.  In the photos below I used the Li'l Woodzeez Honeysuckle Hollow General Store and the Lil Woodzeez Tickle Your Taste Buds Bakery which you can also buy at Target in store (if you are lucky to find them) or online. 

One set that I really like is the Calico Critters Country Bedroom Furniture Set which comes with the following items:

• a rocking chair
• a bed with mattress, bed sheet and pillow
• an armoire with two doors that can open and two drawers that can open as well
• a bedside table (or night stand) with one drawer that opens
• a lamp
• a storage trunk

In my picture below you can also see the TV set that came with the Calico Critters Living Room Accessories Set which I will tell you about in more details in another blog post.

Another set I bought is the Calico Critters Kitchen Set & Accessories which has a lot more items! It has about 40 accessories including the cutest miniature food, toaster, baking trays, knife, cutting board, etc. The set also includes :

• a round table with 2 chairs
• a kitchen counter with sink
• an oven that can open
• a refrigerator with opening doors 
• a hutch with drawers that can open

The mice family you see in the photos are the Calico Critters Norwood Mouse Family but there are many other families to choose from.  They come with clothes and are just super adorable. You can bend their arms and legs and make them sit down or stand up.

I'll post more about the other sets I have in another blog post because they are so darn cute I really have to write more about them :P