Review: Calico Critters: The Furbanks Squirrel Family
Posted By Lindsay

This is a somewhat different kind of product from what we generally review here.  Calico Critters are tiny poseable animal figures.  They are very very cute.  This review is going to be picture heavy, because you'll see pretty quickly whether this is something you're interested in or not.

I collected these when I was in the target demographic (female 6-10, I'd say), back when they were called Sylvanian Families.  They got a lot of play, inside and outside.  I can personally report that they are surprisingly sturdy.  Of my favorite two rabbits from back then, one is missing a leg and the other has only lost some of its flocking.  Considering the amount of time I spent with them, that's really impressive. 

After I rescued some of my old figures from a box to star in the post pictures of my book blog, I received a few new ones for the holidays.

Appearance: 7/10

In case you can't tell, the figures are about 2.5 to just over 3 inches tall, and these guys are as cute as I remember.  I love their stripes, and their shiny eyes.  The costumes are fairly standard with only a few variations across the line, but they work well.  The tiny buttons look great.  The tails interfere with the clothes slightly.  The tails themselves are made out of a surprisingly soft fake fur, although the edges  of the fabric show in places.  The flocking is soft and consistent, and the paint of the stripes is clear and bright.

There are four in this set, a stereotypically nuclear family.   

See below, the new figure compared to a similar figure from my childhood.  Not much change in the clothes, there.  The country look is part of the intended aesthetic, but it does dance on the edge of sappiness.

  

Packaging and Extras: ---

The packaging is straightforward, and shows the figures well.  It is easy to open and easily breaks down for recycling.

All the costumes are removable, and they don't come with any other accessories.  The costumes fit fairly well, although the gathering on the mother's skirt takes a little adjusting to look its best.  Additional packs are available with furniture and other various small props.

Play and Display: +1

I debated between adding the point here or above.  It's for articulation and removable costumes, half for including them, and half for the play options they create.

All the figures have cut joints at the neck, shoulders and hips.  

The hips are mostly useful for tweaking the stance, they don't sit flat on the floor.

The packaging gives a jumping off point for imaginative play, giving a name and brief character description of each family member.

Price Tag and Final Analysis: 8/10

These are sweet little figures, but they are fairly expensive for their size.  

The family four-packs are marked at 21.99 most places, which feels high for four small figures, but they are quite good quality.  That works out to about 5.50 each, and I would pay that.  My hesitation with buying these guys is they only come in multipacks or packs with accesories, no single packs for a lower price.  If you look around online, you might see a pack like this for as low as 15, or you can find loose singles on eBay.  They come in many fuzzy mammals: cats, mice, bears, dogs, pandas, rabbits, and more.

They only recently have appeared at our local Toys'R'Us, possibly since the deal with FAO Schwartz.  Maybe eventually they'll go on clearance, but until then, I recommend looking through for your favorite animal, not starting a new collection.
 

Unless you can't resist the cuteness, in which case your budget is your own affair.

Looking for more?  Well, I rant about books, and make custom toys, and Erin rants about just about anything.