If there's anything these past two months have made me realize, it's that I'm now also a Sylvanian Families/Calico Critters toy collector.
And I blame my Re-ment collections for that. Lol!! I mean, when one has these miniature sets/Re-ment sets/collections, it would be nice to use those or at least get those displayed as much as possible, not just stored. But how does one display their Re-ment collections more cohesively but also with dollhouses correct? So not just in display cases but also with other toys where both may go well together. And thus came in the Sylvanian Families dollhouse and accessories toys by Epoch of Japan. Gah.
I first came across Sylvanian Families or Calico Critters maybe in 2011, when I saw my niece's toys, one of which was this adorable ferris wheel set of cute little critters which turn out to be a Calico Critters set. (For those not in the know, Sylvanian Families is marketed as Calico Critters in North America, Sylvanian Families in the rest of the world.) I even told her/her parents to make sure to keep those and not sell them. Lol!
As I just moved addresses then, Sylvanian Families toy collection was the farthest thing from my mind, even after I came across another SF set I liked in 2012/2013, the camper/caravan. I had other priorities though, so hadn't bought it as I found no real use for it yet.
But fast forward a few more years later, when I have collected more than a dozen Re-ment collections, and looks like this SF search and purchase has become the natural progression. Lol!
I don't buy every SF release though so I don't buy every house/cottage/lodge or shop they release. I choose sets that I quite like, and then make sense to me first and foremost. And so far, the sets I've purchased are releases from several years ago whose designs I seem to prefer vs the more recent ones. And so they tend to be ones I see online, vs the limited selection of SF toys at the bricks and mortar stores here in Vancouver/Lower Mainland (what a pity).
I think the oldest design/release I bought must be the Crepe Shop (from 2002 but came with my Street Market purchase which was possibly released in 2012.). It's either the Crepe Shop, or the Chocolate Rabbit's Kitchen/Courtyard Restaurant, or The Sylvanian Toy Shop, both from 2008/9 or earlier. Or I think the Garden Shed set.
Anyway, my first SF home purchase is not even solely a home but the Chocolate Rabbit's Kitchen/Courtyard Restaurant piece. It's like a multi-functional home piece as the front was a restaurant and the back can be a home. I figured that's even better 'cause then I can keep as much SF clutter in one place and thus make it less messy, less storing or lying around of the different SF toys in different parts of my apartment. So I thought it's a good design and good value.
