Toymaker drops lawsuit against Sylvanian Drama creator

Four Sylvanian Families dolls are stood on what appears to be a wedding cake. There is a beaver-type toy dressed as a priest on the far left, second from left is a rabbit wearing a wedding dress, on her left is another rabbit dressed as a groom, then on the furthest right there's a smaller rabbit dressed in what appears to be a bridesmaids dress. It's pink, and she's wearing a matching pink ribbon on her head. Getty Images

The Sylvanian Drama TikTok and Instagram has 2.5m and 1m followers respectively

Mel Ramsay
Newsbeat
@MelRamsay_

A lawsuit against the Irish content creator behind the incredibly popular Sylvanian Drama social accounts has been dropped.

The brains behind the tongue-in-cheek account, Thea von Engelbrechten, whose TikTok and Instagram has 2.5m and 1m followers respectively, stopped posting in December 2024 which led to fans questioning where she had gone.

In April of this year, Epoch, the Japanese company behind Sylvanian Families, filed a lawsuit in New York alleging "copyright infringement" and "irreparable injury" to its reputation.

However, they have now dropped the case.

The creator first found viral fame during the Covid-19 pandemic, using the dolls to create soap opera-style scenarios - such as murders and affairs.

Video captions included "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram".

By contrast, Sylvanian Families - known as Calico Critters in the US - are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories".

Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat baby.

In its lawsuit, Epoch claimed that the creator had advertised "other brands", including Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, and Netflix using the toys. In a countersuit, Ms von Engelbrechten claimed that the accounts were "parody".

However, on 8 August, Epoch dropped its suit, voluntarily dismissing all claims "without prejudice," with each side covering its own legal costs.

On the same day, Thea broke her social media silence, posting on Instagram: "Hi guys, on the 19th August I will be changing the name and profile picture of this account.

"I'm not sure what to change it to yet so please let me know if you have any suggestions".

Newsbeat has reached out to Ms von Engelbrechten for comment.

A footer logo for BBC Newsbeat. It has the BBC logo and the word ‘newsbeat’ in white over a colourful background of violet, purple, and orange shapes. At the bottom a black rectangle reading ‘Listen on Sounds’ is visible.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

Related topics