Calico Critters is entering the world of publishing in the U.S. and Canada for the first time this year, through Macmillan Children’s Books. The line of collectible animal figures, which are covered in a unique soft flocked material, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025.
Macmillan’s licensed children’s list tends to be more gifty and higher-end than the typical licensed publishing program, featuring IPs such as the Moomins, Wallace & Gromit, and Alice in Wonderland (licensed from the original publisher), according to Chloë Pursey, publishing director of children’s books (preschool, brands, and classics) at U.K.-based Pan Macmillan, which oversees Macmillan Children’s and the global publishing program. “This [license] is a perfect fit for us,” she told PW. “It had been on our wish list for a long time.”
Family-owned Epoch Co. Ltd., a Japanese toy company, launched the line in 1985. Known as Sylvanian Families everywhere in the world except the U.S. and Canada, it started rolling out globally shortly thereafter. Positioned as wholesome and never trendy, the property features anthropomorphic animal families, from sloths to French bulldogs. New families are introduced and retired each year, and each has its own role in the Calico Village. Freya, a member of the Chocolate Rabbit Family, is the hero character.
“We’ve got so much invested in building out the characters and the world,” said Alyssa Masterson, VP of marketing and strategic product development at Epoch Everlasting Play LLC, Epoch’s North American subsidiary. “The books give us a chance to tell that story and provide inspiration for play, and they give collectors a deep dive into the characters and world. Macmillan has a strong, wholesome reputation in the industry, and that aligns very well with the brand.”
Pan Macmillan first introduced Sylvanian Families books in the U.K. and other markets starting in late 2023. The plan is to offer the same titles in the U.S. market. “They’re Americanized and rebranded, but we haven’t changed the content at all,” Pursey said. “That was a very conscious decision.”
Macmillan Children’s Books will publish four titles in North America this first year, two per season, with potentially a few more than that per year subsequently. The first title, The World of Calico Critters, hits retail this month, along with the first picture book, Freya’s Birthday Surprise. The former is a collectible guide featuring photography of the toys, while the latter is based on an episode of the 3D-animated content that is released on YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming platforms. In September, a Treasury of Tales and a title in a new shaped and flapped board book format, Freya’s Perfect Party, will follow. Planned for January 2026 are an Easter search-and-find and a second picture book.
“It’s a real joy to work on the books,” Pursey said. “There’s a lot of personal love for the property here. It’s so cute and so wonderful.” She added that sales reps and retailers tend to be particularly excited about the property if they have a history with it. “So much turns on what Calico Critters has meant to them in their childhood,” she said. “There’s a real emotional connection.”
While the core readership for the books is older preschoolers and young school-age children, interest ranges from the very young who like the look, to adult collectors, to tweens, teens, and young adults who associate the property with kawaii, a Japanese trend emphasizing cute characters. “It’s an interesting property from that point of view,” Pursey said. “The readership has a very wide reach, wider than you would think when you’re planning a publishing program. It really speaks to anyone. That’s one of the joys and also one of the challenges. Creatively, there’s a lot you can do.”
The books were introduced to U.S. toy retailers and the toy trade at New York Toy Fair this past March. “They thought it was a natural next step for the brand,” Masterson said. “There was a lot of excitement about the publishing.” Meanwhile, the brand debuted at San Diego Comic Con last year and will be there again in 2025, as well as at the L.A. Anime Show. “You can really see the connection with the consumers who grew up with Calico Critters,” she said.
The company also launched direct-to-consumer retail in 2024, including an online shop and a pop-up shop at American Dream mall last November and December. Distribution of the toys has expanded into fashion and trend retailers including Urban Outfitters, Claire’s, American Eagle, and Forever 21. The brand has accumulated a strong social media following, and online marketplaces have sprung up on Reddit and Facebook to facilitate a robust secondary collector market.
All told, the company has sold more than 200 million toys in 70-plus countries over its lifetime to date. In Japan there are 45 Sylvanian Families shops, as well as restaurants and a theme park. Kodansha has been publishing books in Japan for several years.
