Sunday, March 8, 2015

Li'l Woodzeez Living Room and Nursery Set by Battat Review

I have been on the lookout for Lil Woodzeez  families every time I get a chance to go to the city. They are quite elusive little guys, and are usually sold out. I finally saw some Furniture & Accessory sets and my curiosity got the better of me! I got the last sets they had.
But I had to pick out one to give a review so I chose my favorite one: the Li'l Woodzeez Living Room and Nursery Set.
I have been puzzled by pictures online of these furniture and accessory sets. So, ...none of the drawers or doors open? What are those sofa and love seat made out of?

Packaging

From the back of the box:
"Home is where the heart is...and where all the woodland creatures enjoy each other's company. They gather for fun and games in the living room, then story time begins in the nursery. Nighty night, sleep tight little ones."
The packaging for the Furniture & Accessory sets is not trying to create an lifelike display , like the Li'l Woozeez shop sets, so they are pretty uncomplicated.
Its easy to get everything free from the clear plastic holding everything in the backing. There are just a few pieces of clear tape to snip.

Once you get all the 23 individual pieces out, there are a total of 6 pieces of furniture, and 17 miniature accessories.

I actually like the quirky plastic couch and chair. They are very crudely made.They are hollow magenta plastic and you can squish air out of a hole in the bottom. The plastic is only shiny on the cushions. No painted details of any kind.  They have huge seats to accommodate the large Li'l Woodzeez bottoms. I think they are cute.



The bassinet is pretty much the same idea as the couch and chair, but a different texture of pink plastic. I like the way this piece feels over the couch and chair. It has molded details that make it look like a birds nest, which I particularly liked.


The bed is molded out of stiff brown plastic and tries to look like wood. It has a nice stuffed fabric mattress and a matching frilly pillow that are both separate pieces. The color of the fabric was a pretty color: light blue green with tiny flowers (not garish pink!)

The tiny nightstand matches the hard brown plastic of the bed with molded fake wood details.
But...the drawer doesn't open!
My favorite piece of furniture is the tiny table that looks like a tree trunk. Super cute! It coordinated with the forest theme.

The accessories included a tea sea for two on a tray and various baby items. The balancing toy is individual pieces that go on and off. There are 3 little alphabet blocks, a rocking horse,a teddy bear, a rubber ducky, a rattle, and a bottle.


 The bottle is cool because all brand's baby animals could hold it or put it into their mouths.
The rattle can fit into the older critter's hands.
Nobody is going to be riding this rocking horse! This thing was not going to balance with any sized rider. Its more because of the plastic mane making it too hard to sit on it. Too bad! I liked the color...
The plastic teddy bear has some painted details, including a pink bow. His paint job doesn't stay in the lines very well. Teddy sits nice and flat.
The ducky and the each of the blocks are one solid color,  but lack any painted details.
The balancing toy is probably the most intricate miniature, because it is completely functional! The toy balances and you can take the little rings off. My brother had this exact toy when he was a baby.
The pink tea set includes a silver tray, 2 cups, 2 saucers and a tea pot.
The tea pot was my only disappointment in this set. The lid is not removable,  but the bottom is open. So why not make one more piece so there could be a lid?
Im still happy that the cups and saucers are individual pieces, though.

Overall Opinion


This set could easily be used to flesh out your animal's nursery and living room if you cannot afford the expensive brand name playsets! When your trying to make your own critter village,  these sets are filled will functional accessories to give those empty rooms some life!
Sure, these sets are most definitely a mixed bag...
The couch and chair are more of a novelty. They honestly make me smile because I find them amusing. The bassinet, the bed and the little table are nicely nature themed to compliment your woodland creatures. The bed is the nicest piece, with its mattress and pillow.
So I would recommend these sets for someone that wants to collect flocked animal families, but cannot justify the high cost of the individual accessory sets.


Saturday, March 7, 2015

Sylvanian Families Spotter Meerkat Family by Epoch Review

 


The Spotter Meerkat family is my favorite animal family from this toy line! Hands down! The family is the the cutest, the babies are the cutest, and there are even grandparents. But  started looking, and realized that the Meerkats are only available in the Sylvanian Families line, not Calico Critters in the US.
This family was very popular at the time.  And I soon discovered every place I planned on ordering a set from soon ran out before I got the chance!
It ended up costing me, and i had to wait patiently, while they were shipped from overseas.
Finally, my Spotter Meerkat family and the Meerkat Triplets arrived in the mail.

*Packaging 





The Spotter Meerkat family's  box was crushed during shipment! But the meerkats smiled out of the front display window unharmed! They seemed relieved to have finally made it to their new home! :)
Sylvanian Families boxes are different from Calico Critters boxes. The box has a picture window that isn't removable from the box. The Sylvanian Families box also features more text advertising the various animal families, but does not have the Family name or profile anywhere. They are just called the Meerkat family. Online they have a family name and a profile...

*Spotter Meerkat Family 



Profiles I found online:

Father: Harry Spotter is the most alert and watchful creature in Sylvania - and it's a good job as he has to check there are no wildfires in the forest. As this vital role demands his total concentration, the other Sylvanians have learned not to take it personally if Harry ignores them completely!
 Mother: Beatrix Spotter, on the other hand, is always warm and friendly. She loves children and is often babysitting as many as twenty at a time. She bakes them fairy cakes and reads them fairy stories - and she counts them every fifteen minutes to make sure they're all still there!
Brother: Alfie Spotter always has his head in a book. He often gets so absorbed in one of his adventure stories that he regularly forgets what day it is and has been known to turn up for school on a Saturday! Sister: Gail Spotter would much rather go for a long walk in the Sylvanian forest than read a book. She particularly enjoys strolling along by the river and picking wild flowers for her mother.

This animal family is beautiful! Their marking are well defined and their eyes just glow with expression. They have have dark spots around their eyes that add to that effect, I think.
 They have flat paws, so they aren't able to hold any accessories.Too bad. Pictures online showed them with open hands, but its not the case.
This family included a little girl and a little boy meerkat, but not a baby. No doubt because you can buy the Triplets separately. (Which I did!) They have fluffy, bendy tails that poke out of the backs of their clothing.

 Their articulation is awesome and they can hold poses and balance really well. The family seems high quality a durable, and I have no doubts about them standing up to long term play wear.

*Triplets



Penelope loves being outside and riding her tricycle. Peter is a fantastic brother and is always looking after his sisters. 
Patricia can spend the whole day playing in the baby sandbox.

These are the cutest animal babies! They are extremely easy to pose. They have little open mouths so that you can give them a bottle. They each are wearing matching pajamas (?) that lack a velcro closure, to make them easier to dress and undress.

*Clothing

The father has the coolest outfit to me. He looks like he's ready to go to work. His shirt has a large collar and real plastic buttons sewn onto the front. He kind of reminds me of a beekeeper. I think the colors give the outfits a lovely a antique look to them.They all have velcro closures, with a slit for the furry tail to poke out .

*Overall Opinion 

This set is my favorite family Epoch has made! I will have to get my Meerkat family some grandparents someday. The father is totally my favorite family member; with his wide collar and cool matching coat and pants. He is very distinctly dressed. Ironically,  the little girl has the same name as my grandma; because SF / CC clothing seems to always bring back memories of antique photographs of her as a child!




Friday, March 6, 2015

Calico Critter Sea Otter Family by Epoch Review


    I have been into making miniatures and dollhouses for a long time. But I never really gave Calico Critters much thought... Because they didn't fit into any "standard" scale, and their high prices.

I have always loved stuffed animals and dollhouses; so why did it take me so long to give them a second look?
Well, while holiday shopping, I found myself hypnotized by all of the various animal families available! I weakened and got the Sea Otter Family for myself...but I made myself wait for Christmas to unwrap them!

The Calico Critter Sea Otter Family


Packaging

The box is a simple cardboard box with a plastic window. On the back is a big picture of all the animals in naturalistic poses, hanging out in Cloverleaf Corners.
The animals were very easy to get out of the box. Then just cut a few rubber band things and they are free.

Profiles from the bottom of the box:

Father:Kyle teaches all of the kids how to swim. He often likes to relax and float in the water while looking up at the blue sky.

Mother: Jennifer is a famous fashion accessory designer. She makes beautiful bracelets, pendants, and even purses! Her most popular creations are her unique sea shell accessories.

Little girl:Lynn absolutely loves collecting sea shells! She always uses her little shell purse that her mother made for her.

Baby girl: Maya is always so joyful and smiling. She loves going on vacations with her family, especially when she gets to swim in a baby pool!

I chose this family for the nautical themed clothes and accessories, more than the specific species of animals. The clam shell shaped purse and pendant are the highlight of this set for me!
The Otter family members are cute...in a cartoony sort of way!  They are not realistic looking at all! Their eyes are bright and bring out the emotion in their faces.
The flocking is really high quality. Its super soft! I have read some great things about  long term wear and tear on these figures fur. They seem like they can stand up to the test of time.
The tails are more like beaver tails, and are made of a thin piece of fabric.

The hands are flat, so they aren't able to hold any accessories, unfortunately.
The articulation is great on these figures! I only had to struggle getting my baby's head to turn at first.They hold poses nicely and stand very sturdily.

*Clothing

The clothing is really nice. It has a nice nautical theme with coordinating horizontal and vertical stripey  patterns. The colors remind me of an antique photograph! Each shirt has a separate collar on it. I was impressed with the individual details of each family member's outfits:
The Fathers shirt has a nice real plastic button sewn onto it.
The Mother has a nice pink shell pendant accenting her dress.
The little girl's dress is trimmed with lace and has a salmon colored bow. Plus she came wearing her little shell purse!
The baby sea otter came in a little beach dress with a tie on the front.
But I can already tell that the tiny clothes can stand up to repeated posing, and aren't developing creases in the fabric since I've had them!
Two thumbs up!

*Accessories



The little girl sea otter came wearing a little plastic pink sea shell purse with an elastic strap. So it can be removed and shared with other critters:)
 Mother Jennifer came wearing a sea shell pendant, but it is sewn permanently onto her dress.

*Overall Opinion

I really liked my Calico Critter Sea Otter Family. They perfectly compliment my coastal theme.
My favorite family member ends up being the Little Girl. She has my favorite colored outfit; with her pink purse and salmon colored bow. The colors are lovely.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Li'l Woodzeez Walk-in Clinic by Battat Review



From the very beginning of my interest in flocked animal families,  I have been tantalized by the Lil Woodzeez amazing , budget - friendly shop playsets. I could just see my Sylvanian Family Meerkats shopping at that farmers market set...
Sigh...but as usual, they were always sold out. When I actually found one of the shop sets on the shelves at Target, it looked like someone a dropped it on the floor and broken it!
I had to visit the city for some minor surgery (no biggie!) and was going to be there for a few days staying with my family.  I was also really, really hoping to find one of the Lil Woodzeez shops while I was in town! (Hey! Everybody needs a present when they go to the hospital! ;) I had to call multiple Target stores before I found one that had two of the shops sets in stock, and had the clerk hold them for me! The third shop I was forced to order online.
And then I couldn't open them until I got home! So I definitely had something to distract my mind while I recovered!
I couldn't wait to do a review of the Li'l Woodzeez Walk-in Clinic set!
This was the playset that I ordered online, and it ends up being the set that I was the most curious about.

*Packaging
The playset is encased by clear protective plastic but no cardboard box of any kind. There is a sturdy paperboard tag that has a list of everything included with the set. I am definitely keeping these with my shop sets to be able to keep track of what accessories went with which one.
 I was very skeptical about the toy getting much protection from this style of packaging, and after seeing the broken toys at the store , feel that is totally justified.
The plastic holds all the accessories in their places like they should be set up. It is so cool to look at! Trying to resist opening this badboy up was really difficult!
I actually didn't have any problems removing this set from the plastic packaging. It was time consuming to cut all of the pieces of tape holding all of the little accessories in place, sure.
But that should be expected when your buying a set that includes 57 pieces on top of the shop building itself? ( Imagine how I felt after opening all three shop sets in a row! 3 shop sets = 234 accessories! Holy cow!)

*The Lil Woodzeez Walk-in Clinic

This Lil Woodzeez shop set has my favorite color scheme of the four different sets available.
I love the teal and magenta (my two favorite colors!) with a little lime green mixed in.
All of the included accessories fit inside perfectly.

The Walk-in Clinic itself has a nice open layout; with no roof or back wall so that little hands can reach inside easily.


The Clinic has two swinging front doors that open easily but stay closed with a click. There are two arched windows on the front with nonfunctional shutters and one square window on one side. The other side has a "pretend" open window decoratively molded into the plastic of the exterior. Unfortunately it is not painted. The real windows are decorated with window boxes containing painted flowers.


The exteriors have many molded details decorating the outside of the clinic. But most are unpainted. There are flower bushes made of green plastic inset into the outsides of the Clinic, but the flowers are,once again, unpainted.
Inside, has a molded tile floor  and the walls have molded designs imitating wallpaper. There are two shelves permanently attached to the walls and pegs to hang the intended accessories on.  There is even a fabric curtain that can be rolled up or down!

*Accessories
This set came with 57 accessories along with the shop itself. That is a great deal for $20! And this set has the fewest pieces of the four shop playsets!

The Walk-In Health Clinic™ set includes:
1 health clinic, 1 chart, 1 pair of eyeglasses, 1 cast, 1 bandage, 1 stethoscope, 1 file folder, 1 chair, 1 desk, 1 X-ray board, 1 foot X-ray chart, 1 cat X-ray chart, 1 dentist chair, 1 medical cart, 1 wall cabinet, 1 drawer chest, 1 picture frame, 4 medicine bottles, 1 tooth brush, 1 dental tray, 1 medical tray, 1 mug, 1 skull model, 1 tooth model, 2 hanging signs, 1 eye exam chart, 1 doctor's case, 3 books, 1 patient bed, 1 mattress, 1 doctor's gown, 1 patient gown, 1 eye patch, 1 divider, 1 scale, 1 crutch, 2 hangers, 1 food tray, 1 placemat, 1 soup bowl, 1 spoon, 1 pair of scissors, 1 syringe, 1 mirror, 1 scalpel, 1 thermometer, 1 dental pick, 1 medical hammer


Most of the them are plastic, but there are a few fabric accessories . (the doctors gown, patients gown and mattress) I was pleasantly surprised by the cute rubber pieces though:


I like how easy it is to put the soft stethoscope in Dr. Squirly's ears.


I had to look on the card to figure out what the eye patch was. The cast and the bandage actually fit on my little woodzeez girl's arm!



The patients gown and the doctors gown are easy to get onto my Woodzeez animals.


My favorite pieces were the bright orange skull and the model teeth that really open and close!

 *Product Defects
I read many reviews warning against ordering Lil Woodzeez toys online due to people receiving toys already damaged during shipping.
Now, while I didnt  have any problems with my Walk-in Clinic in the form of production defects, my clinic WAS damaged during shipping! (I ordered from Target.com)
The sign on the front of my Walk-in Clinic was warped sideways right out of the box after it arrived in the mail!!
Bummer! 

*Overall Opinion
I loved the Lil Woodzeez Walk-in Clinic!  The accessories were nice quality for being priced so low. The functionality is great too! Any of the adult woodzeez can be the towns doctor, and the smaller animals can be the patient.
Some details lacking a paint job could be customized. I might add some color to my flowers... I love Lil Woodzeez as a lower cost alternative to more expensive products. As a collector, even for just displaying your collection of another kind of figures, I highly recommend the Li'l Woodzeez Walk-in Clinic set! My animals a happy to finally have a dentist in town!















Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Li'l Woodzeez Tippytails Fox Family by Battat Review

I only recently got into collecting flocked animal families . I only ever had one Calico Critter bunny rabbit girl when I was really little. But I quickly destroyed her ! I was obviously too little to appreciate them. Also, Calico Critters also tended to be too expensive in a house with four little kids !

I also recently discovered the toy company Battat. And their product lines quickly made them a favorite brand. Their toys are made using pthalate free plastic and the packaging is recyclable. They also make their products surprisingly affordable! Including a couple of toy lines that are obviously lower priced alternatives to much more expensive companies.
I just love to peruse the "My Generation" doll section at Target and wish that this line had existed when I was a little girl. 18 inch dolls were another expensive item I could never afford back then! I love the individuality possible with these dolls more than the expensive brand - definitely!
 But the real highlight from this company, for me, is the "Li'l Woodzeez " line of flocked animal families and accessories . I feel like they are marketed especially for me!

"Welcome to Honeysuckle Hollow, where all the woodland creatures work together to take care of each other and their environment. Every animal family has a special job and every day is an adventure."

There are sets of animal families, individual carded figures and some really impressive play sets. 
 In reality, CC/SF are much easier to find in stores. So while i really wanted to compare one of each brand,  it ended up taking me forever to track down Li'l Woodzeez toys in person. (I have read reviews warning about damaged flocking after being shipped. So sad!) I finally got a chance to stop at a Target store while on a business trip. Too bad the Lil woodzeez section was almost empty! I snapped up the last two animal families that were still available : the Swiftysweeper Hedgehog family, and the very last Tippytails Fox family! They weren't my first choices, but oh well.( I still cannot find an owl family for the life of me!) 

*Packaging

So i guess start off by saying that  I read a lot of warnings from reviewers about the Li'lWoodzeez packaging being difficult to remove the animals from. So i was sort of prepared for a potential hassle. It took me a good 20 minutes to carefully free each family.  I was worried about damaging their flocking the whole time. But they came out just fine. Since then, ive become an expert on taking apart this brands packages.(Next time i can review a li'l woodzeez family,  i will post step by step instructions on how to remove the plastic packaging, with pics.) Lastly there are a rubber hat accessory and a small book about the fox family. I honestly didn't really like the hat. I was worried it might damage the flocking on the father fox, so i will probably never use it except for display.


*The Tippytails Fox family





Animal Profiles:
The package describes this family as teachers at the Cares-a-Lot Kindergarten.
Confusingly, the package has the family named "TippyTails" most of the time, but the description, and the book title say " Tippytail" .
Father: Tommy
Mother: Suzy
Little Boy: Howie  (I named him Sly)
Baby Girl: Cookie ( I changed her name to Poppy)


As I examined my new fox family, the first really obvious trait is the fatter , more rounded shape of the animals bodies. Lil Woodzeez are almost the same hight as CC/SF , but their heads and bodies are wider, and their legs are shorter.
The Tippytails fox family have great orange coloring! I really love the contrast between the bright orange fur with the dad and little boy's blue outfits. They have brown tipped ears and hands. The muzzles,  bellies,  and the tips of their fox tails are white.

I felt like Battat chose mostly animal species that are actually kind of round in nature. But the fox family is the most unrealistic of the Lil Woodzeez line. All of the foxes have open hands to allow them to hold accessories , except for the little baby.
The package shows lighter eyebrow markings on the faces of every family member, but only the parents actually had them. The little boy fox and the baby fox just have lighter muzzles.
I love that every family member has cute plastic whiskers. Even the tiny baby! The older animals have plastic tails that can be posed, but the baby just has a round bottom so she can wear her diaper.
The noses are kind of weird. It looks like the flocking was applied everywhere except on the nose, leaving a large cartoony black nose sticking out. None of the other Lil Woodzeez animals have noses quite like the foxes. I think they are cute though! They definitely have a unique look to them.
Their faces a cute and endearing ! They have nice little teddy bear smiles. I love how the  bright orange foxes (and the green turtles) stand out among my other more naturally hued animals!
And I must mention that i like the mix of shapes among my collection of flocked animals. My Lil Woodzeez animals look just fine among my Calico Critters / Sylvania Families animals.
A note for collectors: in the sets that include the whole family, only the Father has a sticker on the bottom of his foot identifying them as Lil Woodzeez.  The mother or child will have a sticker on the bottom of their foot when they were packaged separately on a card.

*Clothing
The Lil Woodzeez Tippytails outfits were cute; but obviously lower quality fabric than Calico Critters. The pants and shirts are sewn together as one piece and have a velcro closure in the back. Overall like their clothes just fine. The baby's removable fabric diaper was my favorite. I understand the company's need to keep the clothes simple to keep prices low, so i appreciate how much you get for your money with these sets. A rubber hat is included for tha dad to wear, but i prefer him without it.

*Book

Title: " The Tippytail Fox Family in Cares-a-Lot Kindergarten "
Author: Susan Cappadonia Love
Illustrated By: Carrie Anne Bradshaw
26 pgs.
I found the inclusion of a miniature book with each of the families very charming, and was part of the appeal for me. They are small paperback books with lovely color illustrations. The inside cover has a color map of the town of Honeysuckle Hollow. In the back there are pictures of other animal families available. It also says in the back of the book that the Tippytails Fox family has hidden a  "W" in each illustration,  and asks if you can find all of them.

*Overall Opinion
Well, i should note that i was probably biased toward liking these guys! I wanted a Li'l Woodzeez set for so long, and it took a lot of searching to get them!
The Tippytails Fox family has grown on me, and they have become one of my favorite animal families of my Lil Woodzeez collection.  I love the bright color scheme. The tiny baby wins as my favorite. She is just so cute with her little whiskers!
"At least this hat is good for something!"


*Product Defects

I was worried after reading many negative comments online about how much easier it is to damage Lil Woodzeez  flocking. People ordering them online received animals that already had damage to their fur from the packaging, and rough handling by curious  little kids leads to damaged animals right off the shelves at the store.

I only had one Tippytails Fox family to choose from, but they were in perfect condition! Mommy fox had some crooked whiskers on one side, but it no big deal. One of daddy fox's eyes was a little crooked, but it gives him more expression.
Im not really sure if the lack of markings on the youngsters faces is a flaw. The pics on the back of the box may be prototypes. But i have yet to lay my eyes on another Tippytails Fox family at the store. (So im even happier I scored the only set that they had!)