Your Old Sylvanian Families Set Could Be Worth A Few Quid

Quick! Check your attic and that box under your bed!

Your Sylvanian Families Could Be Worth More Than A Few Quid

by Aida Amoako |
Published on

If you’ve managed to hold on to your Sylvanian Families sets since childhood, congratulations: they could now be worth big bucks!

People are selling their figures and sets on eBay for a decent amount and you can make even more if you’ve managed to keep the box. There’s a Sylvanian Families Applewood Department Store set (with café, of course) currently going on eBay for £499.

Your Sylvanian Families Could Be Worth More Than A Few Quid

The adorable (or slightly creepy, depending on your point of view) little woodland animal collectibles were first created in 1985 by the Japanese gaming company Epoch under the rather long-winded name ‘Pleasant Friends Of The Forest Epoch System Collection Animal Toy Sylvanian Families’. They quickly became a family staple, originally used in Japan to teach kids who had mostly grown up in high-rise buildings in cities about nature.

Get nostalgic with the 1999 Argos catalogue:

Gallery

Debrief Argos 1999 Catalogue

Argos 1999 Catalogue1 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

1. Easy Bake Oven

What says a young girl constrained by the gendering of their sex than a desperate desire to be the sole proprietor of a kitchen tool.

Argos 1999 Catalogue2 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

2. Discman

SO high-tech for 1999.

Argos 1999 Catalogue3 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

3. The Way Things Worked

You knew you were a cool kid when you had this series before the school library did.

Argos 1999 Catalogue4 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

4. Pocahontas Costume

In the woke light of 2017, it's likely that this would be perceived as cultural appropriation :/

Argos 1999 Catalogue5 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

5. Mr Frosty Ice Cream Factory

Never trust a child that makes their own ice.

Argos 1999 Catalogue6 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

6. Baby Born

On reflection, what was possibly fun about having a doll that constantly needed feeding and then and weed everywhere?

Argos 1999 Catalogue7 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

7. CD Stereo

On reflection, it makes sense why our parents wouldn't buy us a portable radio, because really what self-respecting adult can listen to B*Witched blaring at top volume all hours of the day?

Argos 1999 Catalogue8 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

6. Themed Bedsheets

Making sleepovers better since 1999.

Argos 1999 Catalogue9 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

8. Polly Pocket Mansion

Fact: Polly Pocket had a nicer house than anything available on Help To Buy

Argos 1999 Catalogue10 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

9. GameBoy

More advanced than an electronic Disney game, less hardcore than a PlayStation. Otherwise, known as the dream.

Argos 1999 Catalogue11 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

10. Cosmetics Collection

It's super creepy for a child to have a bigger make-up collection than me, a 28-year-old beauty editor.

Argos 1999 Catalogue12 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

11. Play Till

Who else learnt basic arithmetic on one of these fake tills?

Argos 1999 Catalogue13 of 14

12. Spinning Sindy

Seriously, what was more fun than a doll that could also be used as a weapon?

Argos 1999 Catalogue14 of 14
CREDIT: RetroMash

13. Educational Electronics

When we were young enough to be fooled into thinking that learning could be fun as long as it came with an electronic accessory.

The little figurines became a huge hit with kids and adults alike all over the world. You can even still see the vintage adverts for them on Youtube.

In Japan, which still has the most enthusiasts, there’s even a Sylvanian Families theme park and themed-restaurants. The UK is the third biggest market after Japan and America, and in 2015 they celebrated their 30th anniversary with a huge picnic. Jacc Batch, who is said to have the biggest collection of Sylvanian Families in the world, actually buys an item every day, so you could end up selling to him.

Sylvanian families have been back in the spotlight these days, perhaps not exactly in the most wholesome way. Paul Welander, the British nurse behind the Twitter account @F0rest_Trump used the sweet little children’s toys to parody the Trump presidency with hilarious and sweary scenarios.

Sylvanian Families aren’t the only retro toymaking big bucks on auction sites. Owners of vintage Polly Pocket sets are raking it in making up to £1500 on eBay.

Looks like it won’t just be TV and film producers making big money out of our obsession with nostalgia.

Follow Aida on Twitter @kidisalright

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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