Miscellaneous doll's house items
Epoch Co Ltd
Category
Dolls' houses and furnishings
Date
1985 - 1991
Materials
Plastic, cardboard, cotton, nylon, fur fabric, metal, beads and paper
Measurements
Cradle – 55 mm (length); 36 mm (width), Rolling Pin –39 mm (length); 10 mm (diameter), Chopping Board –40 mm (length); 25 mm (width), Frying Pan – 40 mm (length); 28 mm (diameter), Play Pen –70 mm (length); 70 mm (width); 93 mm (height), Doll’s House Box – 55 mm (length); 37 mm (height); 31 mm (depth), Doll’s House Furniture Box – 31 mm (length); 20 mm (height); 10 mm (depth), Cooker –59 mm (width); 60 mm (height); 32 mm (depth), Sink Unit –50 mm (width); 70 mm (height); 30 mm (depth), Doll’s House –50 mm (width); 35 mm (height); 27 mm (depth), Doll’s House Furniture –5 mm (min. width); 8 mm (max. width); 7 mm (min. height); 10 mm (max. height); 5 mm (min. depth); 7 mm (max. depth), Chair –35 mm (width); 60 mm (height); 40 mm (depth), Figures - 42 mm (min. height); 88 mm (max. height), Table - 50 mm (height); 70 mm (diameter), Baby Walker - 48 mm (diameter)
Place of origin
Jingdezhen
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 662469
Summary
A group of objects belonging to the 'Sylvanian Families' set of toys (circa 1985 to circa 1991), comprising five animal figures, kitchen furniture, baby equipment and a doll's house and furniture. The animals comprise a brown rabbit (in a green dress with a pattern of pink and white flowers and a white apron), a grey rabbit (in a dress which has a pink bodice and a flowery pink skirt, and a pink shawl), a grey mouse (in a white skirt patterned with coloured flowers, which has a lace trim and pink ribbon ties/braces which fasten behind the neck), a brown hedgehog (in a similar skirt to the mouse, but flowers only pink and green) and a brown baby hamster (in a blue brushed nylon all-in-one garment trimmed at the neck with lace). The animals are made from plastic covered in nylon plush and have moulded features and black shiny plastic eyes. All except the mouse have swivel heads and the rabbits and hedgehog are jointed at the shoulders and hips. The rabbits have fluffy tails, the mouse has a long plastic tail, and the mouse and the hedgehog have nylon whiskers. The hedgehog's spines are a piece of grey-brown fur fabric. The furniture is all made from plastic and comprises a green, circular table on a pedestal with matching straight-backed chair, a black 'Aga'-type cooker with a drop-down oven door, and a light brown sink unit which has a gold-coloured tap over the sink and opening doors at the front (which open to reveal the 'plumbing' for the sink, the pipe work is also gold-coloured). To accompany these is a black frying pan and a light brown rectangular chopping board and rolling pin. The baby equipment comprises a play pen, cradle, baby walker and potty. The play pen is light brown, square, and has 'turned' bars and a blue brushed nylon mat in the base. At the top edge of one side are two metal wires on which are threaded plastic beads - pink and red on the top wire, blue and yellow below. In each of the corners opposite this side is a small hole into either of which can be inserted an L-shaped white plastic 'arm', attached to which is a mobile made up of pink, red, blue and yellow plastic rabbits and birds, white cross pieces and white thread. The other baby equipment is all green. The cradle is rectangular, with a rocker at each end. Each rocker finishes in a circular shape. The baby walker is circular and has a circular hole for the baby with a 'tray' indentation at the front, at the base of which is a white paper 'mat' printed with a red pattern. The potty is mainly circular, but has an extra piece at the front into which a 'horse's head' shape is inserted. There is a short handle attached to each side of this 'head'. The doll's house and its furniture are not currently on display. The doll's house is contained inside a white cardboard box which is colour-printed with 'Sylvanian Families', a floral border, a photograph of the house and writing in Japanese / Chinese characters. The house is light brown with a darker brown chimney and a red roof. Moulded on the back are four windows, but the front is open, showing one large room downstairs and one small room and two tiny rooms in the slope of the roof. The furniture for the doll's house is contained inside a small turquoise cardboard box colour-printed with photographs of Sylvanian Families houses and furniture, with similar characters to the house box and 'Furniture Set'. The furniture comprises a square table and two straight-backed chairs, a dresser and small bookshelf - all green plastic - a cooker in black plastic, and sink unit and kitchen unit - both light brown plastic. Total number of items is 29.
Provenance
A gift to the National Trust Museum of Childhood by Mrs Sue Fraser in 2017 - previously on loan from 2007. Owned by the donor's daughter Julia (born 1982) and played with between c1988 and 1992 (when owner aged 6-10)
Makers and roles
Epoch Co Ltd, maker