Latest news with #SylvanianDrama
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sylvanian Families' legal battle over TikTok drama
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 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.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sylvanian Families in legal fight over TikTok sex and drugs videos
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 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 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 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 has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts. 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 have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat 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 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 Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
TikToker SylvanianDrama sued by Calico Critters parent company over viral soap opera videos
The creator of the viral TikTok account SylvanianDrama is being sued by Epoch Co., Ltd., the Japanese toy company behind Calico Critters (known as Sylvanian Families outside North America). The lawsuit claims the account's dramatic videos have damaged the brand's reputation and misrepresented its family-friendly image. Created by Irish TikToker Thea Von Engelbrechten in 2021, the SylvanianDrama account quickly grew to over 2.5 million followers. The videos feature melodramatic, soap-opera style stories starring Calico Critters figures — including one where a bear husband cheats on his koala wife and later dies in a bee attack. Though the content has drawn millions of views and sparked a fan following, Epoch views it as harmful. In April 2025, the company filed a lawsuit accusing Engelbrechten of causing 'irreparable injury' to Calico Critters' goodwill by producing and sharing unauthorized 'online advertising videos' using its products. The two parties are scheduled to meet in court on August 14, 2025. Engelbrechten has not publicly addressed the lawsuit and hasn't posted on the account since January 2025. In a 2024 interview, she said she was open to collaborating with Epoch, but noted that no partnership had materialized. Fans of SylvanianDrama have rallied behind Engelbrechten in comment sections, criticizing Epoch for suing a creator they credit with boosting the brand's visibility. Some have even pledged to support her financially through crowdfunding efforts. Her viral success also led to brand partnerships with Netflix, Sephora, and Taco Bell — a sign of SylvanianDrama's mainstream reach far beyond TikTok. Epoch has not made any further public comment on the legal dispute as of this writing.
Tokyo Weekender
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Sylvanian Drama TikTok Creator Sued for Copyright Infringement
The creator behind the explosively popular Sylvanian Drama TikTok account, which features darkly comedic skits starring Sylvanian Family figurines, has reportedly been sued by the Japanese toy giant Epoch Company. The toy brand is seeking damages for copyright infringement and acts of false endorsement. As of this week, according to the Irish Independent , the parties have entered settlement talks. Thea Von Engelbrechten, who is based in Kildare, Ireland, started the TikTok account in her childhood bedroom out of boredom in January 2021, never imagining that her videos would amass millions of fans. Combining the innocence of Sylvanian Family toys and the absurd hilarity of soap opera scenarios involving murder, kidnappings and infidelity, the skits quickly gained a cult following — 2.5 million followers on TikTok and 1 million on Instagram . In the past few years, she has collaborated with major brands like Netflix, Asos, Sephora, Taco Bell, Burberry and Marc Jacobs, to name just a few. from Epoch Company's court complaint, filed April 7, 2025. Epoch Company, which originated the Sylvanian Family toys in 1985, claimed in a lawsuit filed in the US this April that Von Engelbrechten was 'creating, publishing and disseminating online advertising videos' using the dolls without the brand's permission. Both parties are now actively engaged in settlement discussions, and the initial pretrial conference is set to take place on August 14. Epoch's original complaint states that Von Engelbrechten will continue to 'cause irreparable injury' to the company's 'goodwill and reputation' through her account unless enjoined. According to Epoch, Sylvanian Drama content could confuse potential customers by giving the impression that the videos were officially produced, authorized or endorsed by Epoch. Sylvanian Drama has not posted a new video on Tiktok or Instagram since January 2025. Behind the Meteoric Rise of Sylvanian Drama At a bleak time when Zillennials were being bombarded by a never-ending scroll of disposable content on TikTok, the Sylvanian Drama skits immediately stood out for their deadpan humor, plot twists and questionably adorable visuals. Often set to 2010s pop hits, the skits communicate dialogue solely through text overlays, with rapid sequences of one liners, dramatic zoom-ins and internet lingo. Uniquely hypnotic and addictive, the videos take a comedic approach to topics like modern dating, diet culture and politics with layers of internet and pop culture references. A Sylvanian Drama skit, image courtesy of The Face Thea Von Englebrechten, who is in her early 20s, dropped out of her multimedia degree once her account took off, turning Sylvanian Drama into her full-time job. She has said that it takes about five hours to make one short-form video, as she goes through the entire production process — the intricate sets, costumes, lights and all — without an assistant. Sylvanian Drama's first brand deal was with luxury fashion giant Burberry, and it involved a critter toting a miniature Burberry Lola Bag. While discussing her partnerships with Marketing Brew last year, Von Englebrechten expressed that she would 'definitely be interested' in a collaboration with Epoch, 'but it's not something that has happened.' Although Von Englebrechten initially started the project as a joke, inspired by campy TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Pretty Little Liars , the aspiring film director has shared that she hopes the account will help her branch out into writing for the screen. 'I'm still surprised that people even watch the videos because they're so stupid … I'm surprised I'm not already cancelled,' she said in an interview two years ago. 'Comedy can be quite hard because it's so niche and weird. But the biggest thing I've learned is that, if you find something funny, some other people will.' Related Posts Japanese Company Buys Original Birkin Bag for ¥1.47 Billion Pompompurin Wins 2025 Sanrio Character Ranking McDonald's Chiikawa Collab Causes Chaos and Controversy
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘Sylvanian Families' toy firm in settlement talks with Kildare TikTok star over parody videos featuring Japanese company's dolls
In April, Thea Von Engelbrechten, the Co Kildare-based content creator behind the SylvanianDrama account, was sued in the US by Japanese toy giant Epoch Company, which developed the Sylvanian Families dolls in 1985. In the lawsuit, Epoch accused Von Engelbrechten, who is in her early 20s, of copyright infringement and 'creating, publishing, and disseminating online advertising videos' using the dolls without Epoch's permission. The toymaker claims SylvanianDrama, which has 2.5 million followers on TikTok, of advertising household name brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, and Hilton Hotels. However, lawyers for Epoch recently claimed both parties were 'actively engaged in settlement discussions'. The detail was included in a filing asking the US court to extend deadlines in the case. 'The parties will be in a better position to address the legal and factual issues, including Ms Von Engelbrechten's defences in the case after Ms Von Engelbrechten files an answer,' the filing said. The filing asks the court to extend the deadline for Ms Von Engelbrechten's answers to August 8. Epoch proposed an initial pretrial conference on a date between September 2 and 5. Last Monday, the court adopted the parties' deadline for Von Engelbrechten's answer, but set the initial pretrial conference to August 14. The SylvanianDrama page, which also has one million followers on Instagram, publishes short-form videos using Sylvanian Families dolls. The videos involve the doll characters in fictional comedic storylines aimed at adults, with some referencing drugs and violence. In its original court complaint, Epoch claimed that Von Engelbrechten could continue to 'cause irreparable injury' to Epoch's 'reputation' through the social media account.# Epoch also claimed the SylvanianDrama videos could confuse potential purchasers of Sylvanian Families toys. The group alleged purchasers may form the false impression the adverts were produced, authorised or endorsed by Epoch. Epoch is seeking a court order declaring Von Engelbrechten had infringed copyright, had committed acts of false endorsement and to stop her from allegedly further infringing Epoch's copyright using the dolls. It is also seeking damages.
