Sylvanian Families

Sylvanian Families (シルバニアファミリー) is the name of a line of video games and anthropomorphic collectible toy plush figures, created by Japanese company Epoch in 1985 and distributed worldwide by a number of companies. The characters, grouped into families, feature woodland creatures such as beavers, hedgehogs, mice and bears. They remain a quintessential part of the 1990s boom in craze (or fad) toys. The word 'sylvan' means 'of the forest'.

Growth
At the beginning of production, in 1985, Sylvanian Families were released in both Japan and North America, albeit with different packaging and minor differences to the characters themselves. In 1987, the success in these markets led to expansion into Western Europe. By 1988, Sylvanian Families had become a major success around the world, spawning a animated series, and winning the British Association of Toy Retailers award for "Toy of the Year" three years consecutively, in 1987, 1988 and 1989. There was also an animated series shown in the 80s that was popular in Spain and the UK and was also shown in the early 1990s in the US on Nick Jr.

In 1993, Tomy, who had been distributing the toys worldwide, lost the rights to the name "Sylvanian Families" in Canada and the USA. Tomy reintroduced the line under the new name Calico Critters.

The Calico Critters line is currently distributed in the US and Canada by International Playthings, LLC.

Decline and reinvention
By the end of the 1990s, Sylvanian Families had been discontinued in the UK, although they have since been reintroduced by Flair. Subsequently, Sylvanian families have been reintroduced in Australia and are becoming more widely available. Tomy stopped selling Calico Critters, but a new company, International Playthings, picked up the line.

In 2007, Sylvanian Families in the UK celebrated their 20th anniversary with a selected number of new items. The best selling was an Otter boat, and a reintroduced Dalmatian Family who now wore party hats that read "Happy 20th!".

1987 animated television series
Sylvanian Families is an American animated television series, co-produced in France and Japan.

Writer

 * Jean Ann Wright Episode one imdb The Wheel Thing/Muddy Waters (1987) segment
 * Steve Robertson The Wheel Thing/Muddy Waters (1987) segment
 * John Vornholt The Wheel Thing/Muddy Waters (1987) segment
 * Phil Harnage The Wheel Thing/Muddy Waters (1987) adaptation

Voice cast

 * Brian Belfry
 * Len Carlson
 * Lisa Coristine
 * Jeri Craden
 * Diane Fabian
 * Michael Fantini
 * Catherine Gallant
 * Paulina Gillis
 * Ellen-Ray Hennessey
 * Jeremiah McCann
 * Frank Proctor
 * Chuck Shamata
 * John Stocker
 * Tara Strong (credited under maiden name "Charandoff")
 * Cree Summer
 * Thick Wilson
 * Noam Zylberman
 * Kerry Shale (Only Voices Herb Wildwood)

Characters

 * The Evergreens-Forrest, Honeysuckle, Ernest, Primrose, Preston, Ashley, Dusty and Poppy
 * The Babblebrooks-Rocky, Crystal, Cliff, Pearl, Bubba, Breezy, Sandy and Coral
 * The Thistlethorns-Chester, Willow, Lester, Prissy, Barry and Heather
 * The Chestnuts-Durwood, Pansy, Grover, Myrtle, Hoss and Charity
 * The Wildwoods-Herb, Ginger, Smokey, Flora, Rusty, Hollie, Barkley and Juniper
 * The Slydales-Slick, Velvette, Buster, Scarlett, Skitter and Lindy
 * The Timbertops-Taylor, Rose, Gruff, Fern, Bud, Daisy, Burl and Blossom
 * The Waters'-Wade, Nancy, Roger, Misty, Bucky and Bubbles

Villains

 * Packbat
 * Gatorpossum

Human

 * The Woodkeeper

Children

 * Grace
 * Bridget
 * Donny
 * Jonathan
 * Katie
 * Joey
 * Jack
 * Lisa
 * Charlie
 * Maria
 * Jessica
 * Penny
 * Chrissie
 * Robby
 * Sara
 * Sid
 * Jamie
 * Tracy
 * Diane (Di)
 * Jerry & Susan
 * Amelia
 * Mikey
 * Lori
 * Evan
 * Andy
 * Debra

Episodes

 * Grace Under Pressure / Cooking Up Trouble
 * Dam Busters / School Daze
 * Double Trouble / Outfoxing the Foxes
 * Know It All / Beauty and The Beast
 * The Bear Facts / Fraidy Cats
 * Daddy's Little Girl / Fool's Gold
 * The Wheel Thing / Muddy Waters
 * There's No Place Like Home / Tough Enough
 * Hip to Be Bear / Feud for Thought
 * Stand by Your Dad / My Brother's Keeper
 * Really Amelia / Boy's Intuition
 * Here Come the Brides / Hoppily Ever After
 * Founders Keepers / Little Ms. Woodkeeper

1988 stop-motion animated series
Stories of the Sylvanian Families is a British stop motion animated series and four stories narrated by Bernard Cribbins, from 1988.

Episodes

 * The Lucky Mascot
 * Lucky Clover
 * Fun at the Fair
 * The Camping Holiday

Characters
These characters appear in the stop motion animated series but not the animated series.
 * The Treefellows-Aristotle, Arabella, Winky, Blinky and Grumpy
 * The McBurrows-Digger, Heidi, Muddy, Molly, Monty and, Mo
 * The Oakwoods-Ollie, Betsy, Barnaby, Bluebell, Abbie and Acorn

2007 3DCG anime series
Sylvanian Families was adapted to three stand-alone OVA episodes of 3DCG anime in 2007. The DVDs feature an English-language track.

Voice actors

 * Tomoko Kawakami
 * Kana Ueda
 * Kōki Miyata
 * Fushigi Yamada
 * Kaori Mizuhashi
 * Chinami Nishimura
 * Megumi Matsumoto
 * Makiko Ōmoto
 * Ai Maeda (seiyū)
 * Hyo-sei
 * Maya Okamoto
 * Kiyoyuki Yanada
 * Kōichi Yamadera