Happy Families

Fox Family and Royal Princess Set

Our trio of young toy-testers got a treat this month as Epoch Making Toys shared three of the latest additions to its ongoing Sylvanian Families range, including the new Amusement Park set, Baby Mermaid Castle, as well as Fennec

Sadie four and a half Mum Mairead

What did you like about this toy?

Mum Mairead

“The absolute star of the show is the Baby Mermaid Castle. It’s quite magical. Even I found myself gasping with excitement as the box was being opened!”

As a household we are already Sylvanian Families fans so Sadie was particularly excited to play with the set. The Baby Mermaid Castle is really gorgeous and actually I’m very impressed with how much Epoch has managed to pack into the playset – there's a lot of different play elements for what is a small enough piece in the terms of size. I might go so far as to say it’s one of the better playsets I’ve come across. Also, it’s quite sturdy which is a bonus.

The Royal Princess Set is a lovely addition to have – very pretty and Sadie immediately wanted to dress the characters. The highlight of the Fennec Fox Family set is undoubtedly the babies and the double buggy. Daddy Fox has been very busy walking the babies to sleep!

What did the child like about the toy?

Sadie loves imaginary play so, as mentioned, she is a big Sylvanians fan already. The colourways in this set are really lovely with lots of pinks, purples and blues. Mermaids are a hot topic in our house at the moment with Disney’s Little Mermaid being released so Sadie has really tapped into full mermaid energy and just loves all the different play elements.

Explain how easy it was to set up

Sadie’s daddy set the Baby Mermaid Castle up and said it was “very easy. You just click a few bits into each other, and it’s done. It is noticeably of a higher quality that some of the toys I’ve had to put together.”

What were your/their first impressions?

Magical! Sadie genuinely loves this toy. She’s still playing with it!

What features does it have and what makes them fun?

There are lots for a small playset. A spinning swing that sits three Sylvanians. A carousel, which again sits three Sylvanians. A detachable boat with a lookout that sits atop the piece. A separate little yellow swing and a pretty shell, which a Sylvanian can sit in. It’s all lovely. We were pleased to have the Royal Princess Set and the Fennec Fox Family to play with too as the original Baby Mermaid Castle comes with just three Sylvanians and there is plenty of scope to play with more in the playset.

Would this toy be something the child would play with again and again?

Absolutely – it’s a huge hit. Lots of play value here and Sadie will come back to it time and time again as she does with her older Sylvanian toys. As a parent with three children agedfive and under, I consider myself a bit of an expert in toys and this is one of the better ones on the market at the moment. My only critique is the packaging – I felt there was a lot of it and also, I need something to store all of Sylvanians safely because there are a lot of different elements. But overall, we love this.

Colette – eight years old Mum Emilie

The toys are very clearly of high quality compared to many out there and were great for encouraging my daughter to use her imagination. She loves animals and cute babies, so this was right up her street. She was patient helping me put the castle together.

Explain how easy it was to set up

The castle took a little while but ultimately we followed the instructions and used the picture on the front of the box as a guide.

What were your/their first impressions?

"Wow!" She was really excited. “THIS. IS . AWESOME.” She already knew Sylvanian Families and was looking to own more.

"The mermaid castle was like nothing else I've seen before."

What features does it have and what makes them fun

"I like the animal swirly rollercoaster and how it spins." She liked adding all the finishing touches like the algae, fish etc.

Would this toy be something the child would play with again and again? Please elaborate!

"Yes, of course." You can also play with characters that don't belong in the mermaid world.

Blossom, 6 Dad Alex

Fennec fox

Dad Alex says: “There’s a good amount of accessories, and the clothes are removable, which gave Blossom plenty of play options. She liked that they were fennec foxes – not just ordinary foxes - as she had learnt about them at school so recognised their features – like their big ears!

We got them straight out of the box, no setup needed –that was nice!

Royal princess set

Colette

Baby Mermaid Castle

There are lots of things you can spin around. I like the little clamshell. The submarine is very cute. I like that you can put a character on the top of the ship, above everyone.

Fennec Fox Family

I really like their furry little tails. I think it's fun to play with them and I especially like getting one of the parents to push the buggy. I like the tray on the buggy where you can put mini food.

Royal Princess Set I like the accessories that they use to dress up. I really like the witch hat.

Emilie

She kept saying how cute they are and was amazed at the scale of the castle and all the different rides and opportunities.play

The set came with a booklet with simple to read descriptions, which encouraged Blossom to read, as well as play with toy.

What did you like about this toy?

It was easy to open and the interchangeable accessories could be used on any/each of the characters to suit the child and their play options.

What did the child like about the toy?

There were lots of accessories includedBlossom liked that it was a complete family of characters.

Explain how easy it was to set up

Blossom

I

No setup required. Blossom was able to play with it straight out of box.

What were your/their first impressions?

There is a really good amount of characters and accessories included.

What features does it have and what makes them fun

The included booklet gave Blossom ideas for play but also encouraged her own imaginative play, and the accessories were interchangeable to suit Blossom’s ideas.

Contact:

For more about the Sylvanian Families range, contact Epoch Making Toys on 0208 049 1377 or via email, sales@epochmakingtoys.com