Jennifer Meierhans
Business reporter
Epoch Company Ltd
Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children’s toys in dark and debauched storylines.
The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder.
The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing “irreparable injury” to its reputation.
The owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works were “parody”.
The skits are such a hit that the account has 2.5 million followers and the videos have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama also has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.
It has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts.
Sylvanian Drama
Videos on the Sylvanian Drama account have millions of likes
Sylvanian Families are marketed as “an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories”.
They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a river.
Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat baby.
They usually have wholesome adventures with stories entitled Picnic by the sea, Surprise shopping trip and Ice cream for everyone.
‘Insecure people, diet culture, toxic men’
But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and fake eyelashes, with captions saying things like “My marriage is falling apart” and “My boyfriend won’t post me on Instagram”.
Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company’s copyright without its permission, causing irreparable injury to its goodwill and reputation.
The court document states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten said her inspiration for the storylines came from “cringey TV shows and early 2000s comedy”.
She went on: “I’m also really inspired by my cats because they are extremely sassy and self-obsessed and can be so cute, but they also have no morals when it comes to killing other animals. I try to embody that with the Sylvanians.”
Asked why she thought her videos were so popular she told Fohr: “Maybe it’s because it’s coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the same things as [they do]. I have a lot of storylines about insecure people, diet culture, toxic men, and sustainability, which I think other girls my age are also thinking a lot about.”
A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial conference. This is when legal teams from both sides meet to explore settlement options or prepare the case for trial.
Epoch Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC’s requests for comment.