According to reports from The Irish Times, RTE and more, the Japanese company behind the Sylvanian Families toy line has dropped its high-profile lawsuit against a Kildare woman whose soap-opera-style videos of the cutesy figurines turned into a viral sensation.
Epoch Company Ltd., which first launched Sylvanian Families in 1985 and sells them in the United States as Calico Critters, had filed a civil case in New York in April against Irish content creator Thea Von Engelbrechten.
Von Engelbrechten’s “Sylvanian Drama” series reimagined the miniature woodland animals as the stars of an unhinged suburban melodrama. Complete with fake eyelashes, marital breakdowns, kidnappings, and the occasional murder.
The wildly popular videos drew comparisons to Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars. The videos attracted 2.5 million TikTok followers, one million Instagram fans. As well as brand partnerships with names like Netflix, Burberry, and Taco Bell.
Epoch’s complaint accused her of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition. The suit alleging she was profiting from the toys without permission while tarnishing their “wholesome” image.
The company’s filing described the humour as “irreverent and borderline.” A far cry from the toys’ traditional marketing as safe, imagination-building playthings for children.
Her accounts had gone quiet since January, fuelling speculation that the legal fight had forced her offline. But on Friday, court documents revealed Epoch had voluntarily dismissed all claims “without prejudice,” with each side covering its own legal costs. No settlement terms were disclosed.
In the U.S. legal system, when a case is dismissed “without prejudice”, it means the lawsuit is closed for now but the party who filed it is allowed to bring the same claims again in the future.
Think of it like saying, “We’re dropping this fight today, but we reserve the right to restart it later.”
Within hours, Von Engelbrechten returned to Instagram. She announced she would rename the account and change its profile picture on 19 August. Then she invited fans to suggest new titles. Proposals included “Not Sylvanian Drama” and the cheerfully morbid “Cancelled Critters”. Whether Von Engelbrechten will be able to keep using the dolls in future storylines remains unclear. Though industry watchers say a licensing deal could still be on the table.
