Embrace the Cuteness with Calico Critters

Dragonfly (age 7) enjoys watching doll unboxing shows in Youtube and has become very interested in Calico Critters recently.  The toys combine classic doll house and family play with adorable anthropomorphic animals.  For kids who don't enjoy doll play, Calico Critters can be a good option.  Dragonfly has a bunch of CC stuff on her Christmas list, so I thought it would be a good time to make a gift guide with all the cuteness.  Click on any of the red links to add the toys to your Christmas list.

The Calico Critter toys would be nothing without the actual critter families.  The adults and kids have the basic five points of articulation (head, arms, legs) while the babies only have one (head).  All of the animals are 1:24 scale and fit the accessories, which means their not scaled for each other (aka the mice and the elephants are the same size).  The animal families break into three basic groups: woodland animals, pets, and wild creatures.  Dragonfly (age 7) is hoping that they'll add fantasy creatures one day too.  Click on the red links to buy the animals for the kids in your life.

In the woodland animals category, you'll find the Pickleweeds Hedgehogs and their twin babies, who have awesome thick hair for combing.  The Hazelnut Chipmunks and their twin babies have huge fluffy tails, while the Buckley Deer family has pointy ears.  Lastly, the Cuddle Bears have a non-threatening teddy bear appearance.

The pets group is the largest.  There are dog families like the Chocolate Labradors (and their triplet babies), the Golden Labradors (and their twin babies), and the Toy Poodles (and their twin babies).  The Hopscotch Rabbits are unique in that they come with Grandparents, parents, kids, Baby Twins, and Sweetpea Rabbits aunts, uncles, and cousins.  There are lots of feline families, too, like the Sandy Cats (and their babies), the Persian Cats (and their twin babies), the Silk Cats, the Maple Cats, and the Tuxedo Cats (and their Baby Triplets).  For rodent families, you can chose between the Marshmallow Mice (and their triplet babies) or the Fluffy Hamsters (and their twin babies).

The newest line of creatures comes from the wild!  From Africa, you can get the Ellwoods Elephants (and their twin babies) and the Mango Monkeys.  The Hopper Kangaroos and Outback Koalas hail from Asia, while the Wilder Pandas (and their twin babies) and the Red Pandas come from Asia.  Although they're not the most realistic version of those animals, you can still these wild animals to talk about geography, habitats, and conservation.

Which one of these animal families is your favorite?  Comment down below and tell me.

All those families need places to live!  The koala, monkeys, and bears can live in the Adventure Tree House.  Everyone else can live at ground level in the Red Roof Country Home, the Luxury Town House, and the Cozy Cottage.  For first time Calico Critters buyers, I recommend the Cozy Cottage since it is reasonably priced and comes with a rabbit girl and some furniture pieces.  During the day, all the kids can attend the Country Tree School, unless they're homeschooled.

For family vacations, it doesn't get much cuter than Calico Critters.  The Caravan Family Camper folds down for so much play potential.  It even has a tiny toilet.  The Cruiser Houseboat has lots of accessories and extra play areas.  Vacation housing includes the Lakeside Lodge and the Secret Island Playhouse.  Click any of the red links to view the products on Amazon.

Of course, all those creature families need a way to get around their play land.  All the children can go on the School Bus, while the babies go on the Sunshine Nursery Bus.  The working parents can drive off in their Convertibles and Cherry Cruisers.  Soccer moms and homeschoolers can pack out the Family Van and drive to their errands or field trips.  After the shopping is down, the Hot Dog Van will be waiting to feed everyone lunch at the park.


There is so many more amazing Calico Critter things that I could talk about, but I'm going to have to save those for another gift guide.  Be sure to check out the adorable shops for the downtown center and all the cute and practical furniture to fill the houses.  Calico Critter always is adding new things, so the collecting never has to stop.

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