JULY 19 – Sylvanian Families has turn into embroiled in a authorized battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic movies of the kids’s toys in darkish and debauched storylines.
The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have turn into a childhood basic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them performing out grownup sketches involving drink, medicine, dishonest, violence and even homicide.
The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case within the US saying the movies are inflicting “irreparable harm” to its repute.
The proprietor of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works had been “parody”.
The skits are such successful that the account has 2.5 million followers and the movies have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama additionally has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.
It has partnered with main manufacturers together with Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for promoting posts.
Sylvanian DramaSylvanian Families are marketed as “an lovely vary of distinctive animal characters with charming and delightful properties, furnishings and equipment”.
‘Insecure individuals, weight loss plan tradition, poisonous males’
But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and pretend eyelashes, with captions saying issues like “My marriage is falling aside” and “My boyfriend received’t submit me on Instagram”.
The court docket doc states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten stated her inspiration for the storylines got here from “cringey TV exhibits and early 2000s comedy”.
Asked why she thought her movies had been so fashionable she advised Fohr: “Maybe it’s as a result of it’s coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the identical issues as [they do]. I’ve plenty of storylines about insecure individuals, weight loss plan tradition, poisonous males, and sustainability, which I feel different ladies my age are additionally pondering quite a bit about.”
A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial convention. This is when authorized groups from either side meet to discover settlement choices or put together the case for trial.
Epoch Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten didn’t reply to the BBC’s requests for remark.
By BBC
