More Minis Dollhouses Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I know that these aren't true dollhouse items but I went to the toy store today and saw the cutest plastic dollhouses, accessories and critter families to go inside of them, that I have ever seen. They look like collectors items. The dollhouses light up inside and everything. They are very detailed and well made. I'm 40 years old but I have to admit, I wanted them so badly! Here is a link the toy manufacturers website so you all can take a look: http://www.calicocritters.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 My best friend had several of these sets growing up. (They were called Sylvanian Families then.) I loved them and always wanted to play with them when I went over there. I know she had the mouse family because we accidentally cut off the dad's tail when making him a pair of pants. I think the other family she had was foxes. And she had two houses - a cottage and a four bedroom. I don't know if they're the same as the ones available now but the Lakeside Lodge looks vaguely familiar. She also got a Greenleaf Pierce for Christmas one year and we played with the Sylvanians in the plastic houses and also in the Pierce. For years afterward, I had dreams about walking past her old house and finding the dollhouses on the street, or her dad clearing out the house to move, and getting to keep them. I actually saw her about eight years ago and asked her mom what happened to the dollhouse (it was long gone). I think they thought I was nuts... EDIT: Here's a link to the Sylvanian Families. No idea why the name changed, they might still be called Sylvanians in Europe...? EDIT2: The commercials I remember had a little jingle at the end: "Sylvanian Families, each sold separately!" This one doesn't have it, but http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f82zvxLRZbc... looks like the furniture hasn't changed much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 In another life I opened a Lionel Toy World store in Jacksonville, FL, and worked stock for nearly two years; I remember the Sylvanians very well, and wished I'd had time & $$$ to collect them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 For some reason I am unable to post a picture as a reply to someone's original topic. I am sadly techno-challenged. SO this in reply to the original "Calico Critters" post. I had bought a carvable pumpkin in October, hollowed it out, added a floor and stairs. Then gave it to my Mom to decorate. I had bought the squirrel Calico Critters to go in it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Gina - I posted a picture of a pumpkin I made and I was going to put the Calico Critters in it. My Mom now has the pumpkin. I was going to put moss, Fall leaves and things about the outside and make rustic furniture for the inside. I don't have the finished photo's as the pumpkin is with my Mom who lives in a different state. But maybe you can get an idea of what I was trying to do from the unfinished project picture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 For some reason I am unable to post a picture as a reply to someone's original topic. I am sadly techno-challenged. SO this in reply to the original "Calico Critters" post. That's weird! Anyway, I merged the two topics. The pumpkin looks great! Perfect for the critters. Where did you get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 That's weird! Anyway, I merged the two topics. The pumpkin looks great! Perfect for the critters. Where did you get it? THanks for moving my topic. I got the pumpkin at A.C.Moore. They are made of some type of foam and are not as easy to cut as you would think they might be. After decorating, we used a brownish type moss around the openings, sacks of flour and nuts for inside with a little table and chairs, a bed upstairs and we used small branches for trim around the doors and windows. Came out cute for a Halloween/Fall type decorations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I remember those pumpkins! Michael's also carries them sometimes. I seem to remember someone turning one into a Cinderella coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I remember those pumpkins! Michael's also carries them sometimes. I seem to remember someone turning one into a Cinderella coach. I thought about the Cinderella coach idea, buy my Mom was looking for something that she could put out in the Fall as a decoration. She has trouble with strength in her hands and so would have been unable to carve this pumpkin, but she loves to decorate little things - so this worked out perfectly for her. She is 84 and still going strong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris P. Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 The pumpkin house is super cute, Patricia! I love the Calico Critters, too. I got the whole mouse family for a house I am planning to build for my granddaughter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I thought about the Cinderella coach idea, buy my Mom was looking for something that she could put out in the Fall as a decoration. She has trouble with strength in her hands and so would have been unable to carve this pumpkin, but she loves to decorate little things - so this worked out perfectly for her. She is 84 and still going strong! I hope to continue mini making in the next thirteen years, when I'm 84! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 The pumpkin house is super cute, Patricia! I love the Calico Critters, too. I got the whole mouse family for a house I am planning to build for my granddaughter. They are really cute. More on the 1/2" scale, so they worked out well for in the pumpkin. The floor in the pumpkin was hard to do, as the inside walls have a lot of lumps and bumps. Made a cardboard pattern and then covered it with popsicle sticks. Can't wait to see the mouse house you are doing. I just love these little critters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris P. Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I hope to continue mini making in the next thirteen years, when I'm 84! Yes indeed! It is the love of what we do and staying active that keeps us healthy as we get older. My father was still painting well into his 80s. I will be enjoying seeing your creations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I hope to continue mini making in the next thirteen years, when I'm 84! I'm right behind you by a bit, Holly. About nineteen years and I'll hit the 84 mark. My Mom is just barely five feet tall, we call her Mighty Mouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbytsdy Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 The Critters and Families are short and chubby, and probably closer to 3/4 scale; I had a bunch of Sylvanian Families characters when I was a kid and had alot of fun making "furniture" out of wood scraps and sewing little quilts for them. Now I am buying them to live in the houses that I make for my nieces, because I can't justify to myself buying them for myself! The hedgehogs are really cute-- somebody is going to have to get the hedgehogs for her birthday this year... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I turned the 1" scale houseboat into a 1/2" scale home for Captain Walter Bulrush and his family, Sylvanian figures. They were a tad large for the scale but if not seen near furniture, they worked out just fine. See it here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I turned the 1" scale houseboat into a 1/2" scale home for Captain Walter Bulrush and his family, Sylvanian figures. They were a tad large for the scale but if not seen near furniture, they worked out just fine. See it here. I love that houseboat! You did a fantastic job on that. I like the idea of creating a miniature scene and not having to use people, but rather the little critters. It makes it a fun project for a change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 The Calico Critters - Sylvanian sets are uber-cute. I used a "lady" figure for my tree trunk Nuthouse. http://grazhina-nuthouse.blogspot.com/ They are sort of 3/4 scale sized. I would up turning a 1" scale coffee table into a kitchen table. Some chairs from Dollar Tree were good for her kitchen chairs after I shortened the legs. I loved those pumpkins from AC Moore and made a pumpkin house too. It was sized for a small fairy or child, but a Calico Critter would be just right too. Mine was just a single room, though, more like a garden house. http://grazhina-pumpkin-house.blogspot.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 The Calico Critters - Sylvanian sets are uber-cute. I used a "lady" figure for my tree trunk Nuthouse. http://grazhina-nuthouse.blogspot.com/ They are sort of 3/4 scale sized. I would up turning a 1" scale coffee table into a kitchen table. Some chairs from Dollar Tree were good for her kitchen chairs after I shortened the legs. I loved those pumpkins from AC Moore and made a pumpkin house too. It was sized for a small fairy or child, but a Calico Critter would be just right too. Mine was just a single room, though, more like a garden house. http://grazhina-pump...e.blogspot.com/ Nice job on both! Wish I had the finished picture of the pumpkin my mom decorated. THey were a lot harder to cut than I thought they would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Nice job on both! Wish I had the finished picture of the pumpkin my mom decorated. THey were a lot harder to cut than I thought they would be. Thanks. They truly are harder to cut that you figure. I sanded and scraped and sanded to get my opening to look ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Minis Dollhouses Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Aww, the pumpkin is adorable! Thank you for sharing. I am happy to know that I'm not the only one loving these critters. They would go perfectly with a Greenleaf dollhouse but I have no idea what scale they are. They look sort of between one inch and half inch scale. I imagine they would go well with a larger half inch scale house like the Fairfield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsea Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Aww, the pumpkin is adorable! Thank you for sharing. I am happy to know that I'm not the only one loving these critters. They would go perfectly with a Greenleaf dollhouse but I have no idea what scale they are. They look sort of between one inch and half inch scale. I imagine they would go well with a larger half inch scale house like the Fairfield. They are not quite one inch scale, but slightly larger than 1/2" scale. The furniture we used in the pumpkin house was 1/2" - and they did not look too out of place with it. They are just wider than a doll would be in the same scale. Chubby little guys! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocGreen Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Posted some photos of my baby GD playing with my Calico Village in the gallery section if you would care to look. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris P. Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Great photos, Perry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Minis Dollhouses Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thank you so much for posting the pictures DocGreen! They were super adorable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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