The creator of the viral TikTok account SylvanianDrama is being sued by Epoch Co., Ltd., the Japanese toy company behind Calico Critters (known as Sylvanian Families outside North America). The lawsuit claims the account’s dramatic videos have damaged the brand’s reputation and misrepresented its family-friendly image.
Created by Irish TikToker Thea Von Engelbrechten in 2021, the SylvanianDrama account quickly grew to over 2.5 million followers. The videos feature melodramatic, soap-opera style stories starring Calico Critters figures — including one where a bear husband cheats on his koala wife and later dies in a bee attack. Though the content has drawn millions of views and sparked a fan following, Epoch views it as harmful.
In April 2025, the company filed a lawsuit accusing Engelbrechten of causing “irreparable injury” to Calico Critters' goodwill by producing and sharing unauthorized “online advertising videos” using its products. The two parties are scheduled to meet in court on August 14, 2025.
Engelbrechten has not publicly addressed the lawsuit and hasn’t posted on the account since January 2025. In a 2024 interview, she said she was open to collaborating with Epoch, but noted that no partnership had materialized.
Fans of SylvanianDrama have rallied behind Engelbrechten in comment sections, criticizing Epoch for suing a creator they credit with boosting the brand’s visibility. Some have even pledged to support her financially through crowdfunding efforts.
Her viral success also led to brand partnerships with Netflix, Sephora, and Taco Bell — a sign of SylvanianDrama’s mainstream reach far beyond TikTok.
Epoch has not made any further public comment on the legal dispute as of this writing.
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