Sylvanian Families Passport Promotion

Great news for all Sylvanian collectors in the country:  Ban Kee Trading Inc., official distributor of Sylvanian Families in the Philippines, has launched a new promotion to run from September 1, 2011 till November 30, 2011 in Toy Kingdom and Toy Express outlets.

The promotion, called Sylvanian Families Passport, allows collectors to buy their way to the top prize, a deluxe three-story Sylvanian Families JP house, while enjoying premium items along the way. Every PhP1000 purchase qualifies for a stamp in your passport. Collect enough stamps and you get to bring home premium items (these are not available for sale in the local market).

I have to give thanks to the Brands Department Manager for Sylvanian Families of Ban Kee, Mr. Joseph de Leon, for the news. He also gave us hints on what to look forward to in the coming months- new releases and plans for a big exhibit near the holidays. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us!

Of course, after hearing of this latest development, I did my homework and actually went to the store to check it out. My gratitude to Benjo of TK SM North EDSA for explaining the salient points of the promotion to me.

Here are the official promo mechanics:

Open to all Sylvanian Families Collectors/ Aficionados.

For every purchase of PhP1000 worth of Sylvanian products, single or accumulated, customers automatically get a passport with one (1) equivalent stamp earned.

e.g. A PhP2000 worth of purchase would earn two (2) stamps.

Accumulated  receipts are allowed but should be from the same store.

For every succeeding purchases worth PhP1000, simply present receipts to a customer service or authorized Ban Kee representative with ID who will stamp the said passport equivalent of purchased amount.

Collect stamps to reach target points and redeem premium items assigned.

Present passport and receipts to get corresponding stamp/s. In case a consumer was not able to bring his/her passport, he/she can still claim his/her stamp/s on his/her next visit provided he/she presents his/her passport to the same store he purchased the items.

Accumulation of stamps is valid in any participating stores.

First row must be completed before proceeding to the next row.

Once stamps have been completed, passport must be surrendered to an authorized Ban Kee representative.

Promo duration is from September 1, 2011 to November 30, 2011.

Participating stores as follows:

1. Toykingdom Megamall               
2. Toykingdom Mall of Asia            
3. Toykingdom North EDSA          
4. Toykingdom Fairview                  
5. Toykingdom Podium                      
6. Toykingdom Virra Mall                  
7. Toykingdom Las PIñas                   
8. Toykingdom Pampanga                 
9. Toykingdom Makati                       
10. Toy Express Megamall
11. Toy Express Mall of Asia
12. Toy Express North EDSA
13. Toy Express Manila
14. Toy Express San Lazaro
15. Toy Express Sta. Mesa
16. Toy Express Marikina
17. Toy Express Clark
18. Toy Express Cubao

Redemption period shall be up to 60 days from end of promo period in any of the  participating stores.

Combined stamps from a separate passport will not be honored.

Cannot be used in conjunction with other promo/s.

Passport is strictly non-transferable.

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Now, I’ll answer the question that’s on every Sylvanian collector’s mind: what are the premium items we can get for free? Hold your breath, friends!

5 stamps- keychain

10 stamps- bike set

15 stamps-seesaw accesories

20 stamps- washing machine

25 stamps- Wonder Land collectible figures

30 stamps- Wedding set collectible figures

35 stamps- cake car

45 stamps- Kimono set

60- JP deluxe house

Don’t believe all these are possible? What if I tell you they’re all waiting for you at the nearest Toy Kingdom  and Toy Express stores? I knew I’d have to prove these to you so I took pictures!

The prizes that await you… (washing machine missing, still in Ban Kee office)

And the three-storey that’s to die for…haaayy!!!

This is a very exciting time for local collectors. We have a lot of wonderful items to choose from these days, and our in-store SF displays now match those found in Singapore and Hong Kong in detail and beauty. I only wish we had this much earlier so I could have paced my buying sprees to garner prizes. Still, I have my eye on some doubles and triples… but let’s not tell A♥ all about it first, okay?

Happy collecting, Sylvanian friends!

First of the Season

With Christmas just eight days away, I feel the mounting pressure of finishing our family’s shopping list. This is the latest we have ever been in all of A and my years of shared holiday shopping and right now, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. There are last minute sales all over the city and all one needs is a little patience and lot of time to go through them. I have never been short on patience but it seems I am running out of time.

While I hyperventilate and deal with anxiety issues, who else would come to my rescue but my dear, sweet A? 

The other day, coming from a work meeting, he brought home two packages for me. First, he handed me my most recent package from BeHappy Malaysia. I was already feeling giddy; I had been waiting for that for a couple of weeks. And then he hands me an unexpected surprise and it was huge! It would be my first Christmas gift of the season and it was an absolute thrill to receive it from him. Then too, he was so excited to see me open the gift that I only had a few seconds to take pictures before we both started ripping the glossy wrapper.

I closed my eyes and held my breath… and voila!

I absolutely love it!

This is the new Sylvanian Families Beechwood Hall or what Epoch Euro still calls the City House with Lights. Updated with new, fresher colors, a landing for the second floor and a reversible play area in the ground floor, this new home is a major improvement over the old Willow Hall and addresses many of the problems the old home was well known for. The room sizes remain small as the overall size of the house remains the same, but the addition of the landing and reversible play area adds up to a better play experience. Moreover, the bonus sets that come with this package make it more pocket friendly. Some of the items included are not even sold in the country as individual sets. A similar gift set was sold in the United States a while back under the Calico Critters brand and carries most of the bonus items, but not all.

I’m setting this house up for the Christmas diorama I would like to build in the living room. I have enough different playsets to personalize this house, but I fear I will not have enough time to paper the rooms or make additional carpets. Still, I can imagine how the house will look when I add the Christmas tree and Santa Bear. Also, I have a miniature creche to add the real spirit of the season to this holiday home.

If you want to see upclose the bonus sets that came with this purchase, here is a closer look at the sticker prominently displayed in front of the box.   

And just in case you’re still curious what precious finds I got from BeHappy at a great discount, here they are too:

Which reminds me of this: A forum friend posted a curious question on the Sylvanian Families forum, “How do people react to your Sylvanian collection?” and this is what I posted:

I’ve never really been embarrassed about my SF collections. Perhaps it’s because people already know me as a crazy Hello Kitty lady and have grown to accept me as such; one more “craziness” won’t change their perception of me.

I am lucky that like some of you here, my husband supports my collection and buys them for me without hesitation (but always within reason). As a collector of 80′s Japanese robots and Transformers toys, he possesses the mindset of a fellow toy collector. On occasion, he lets me play with his toys and I let him play with mine. It’s a playful marriage all in all, haha.

There are those who do not understand, and they probably never will. There are some relatives who question the sanity of this midlifer. There are also those relatives who think money should be put on other things, like an Hermes bag or Tiffany jewelry. These, they say, have real worth and can be put back in the market without depreciation. But when I think about the reasons why I collect SFs, ultimately, my collection is only as valuable as the happiness I derive from it.

I have a running tally of how much my husband and I have spent since September 2009 for SFs alone and it’s a daunting figure. I acquired so many in so little time and I am extremely grateful that we are blessed with circumstances that allow for these. And knowing how much of my husband’s hard work and sacrifice bought me all these, the only opinion I value these days is his.

Thank you, honey, for making all my Christmas wishes come true. Your love is my most precious gift and I could never ask for more.

Flair’s Red Deer Family

I promised Toukkero, my forum friend, that I will post pictures of the red deer family by Flair. I think she was surprised to find them as part of Flair’s lineup; honestly, so was I. I was prepared to shell out some money for Epoch JP figures but I was hoping to buy them sometime in the future when their prices had gone down a bit. Imagine my surprise when I found these beauties at Rustan’s Toy Department (first at Rustan’s Shangri-La and next at Rustan’s Glorietta 4) a week earlier than their release at Toys”R”Us Rockwell. A few days later, I found these lovely critters on my sick bed, a very thoughtful get-well-soon gift from my husband.

I am very appreciative of Ban Kee Trading’s efforts to bring different items to the Philippines. We may be a young market but we are a vigorous one. Of course, one can always pick up more Sylvanian Families in different parts of the world but having them here diminishes the stress of bringing home oversized, overweight luggage and packages. You know how Filipinos love balikbayan (literally translated as “return home”) boxes filled with presents for relatives and friends? Finding that many of the brands and services we love abroad are already here saves us not only worry, but time and lots of money as well.     

I was trying to compare these  JP and UK deer figures but it’s difficult to do so using stock pictures. My friend Toukkero has a JP set while I have the UK set so perhaps we can take similar views and compare them side-by-side in the forum. We’ll see. For now, here are some the pictures of the JP Red Deer family I found on the net from various sources,  with my own red deer UK figures’ pictures taken today.

 

 

I hope Toukkero can add more insights to this but as far as I can tell, the differences lie in their clothing. Also, Mother Deer has a cloth flower in her coat in the JP figure but the UK figure has a flower bead. Beyond that, they look pretty much the same to me. Even the babies are patterned after JP babies (one crawling/ one sleeping) and not the usual Flair twins that sit and crawl. All in all, the differences seem minuscule and not enough cause to own two sets of the deer from different SF manufacturers. But I’m not making a promise!

Sylvanian Shopping Day

I had been waiting for this for weeks. Too bad it had to fall on the week I fell ill. Nevertheless, I promised A that I would be well enough to join him even for a few hours that day for our Sylvanian Shopping Day.

I was a bit dizzy early on in the morning but my fever was gone. I took in lots of water, downed a decongestant, and pumped myself up with a megadose of Vitamin C and zinc. Those seemed to do the trick because I was already feeling bright and chirpy an hour or so later. Before traffic got too bad, we left the house with plenty of time to spare for the mall’s opening. Our destination: Toys”R”Us at Level R3 of  The Power Plant Mall at Rockwell Center, Makati City where a new Sylvanian display will be on exhibit from Saturday, November 19, till the end of December.

Toys”R”Us Rockwell Center used to be Kidz Station until TRU bought them out. The new TRU at Rockwell still looks pretty much the same, except you can now see TRU’s logo just about everywhere. The market of this particular mall is definitely upscale as it lies very close to posh residential communities, five-star hotels, and other ritzy commercial establishments. As such, even TRU markets itself vigorously to this segment, providing more varieties and more brands in this store than any other TRU I’ve visited, with the exception of TRU Robinson’s Galleria. The latter is a flagship store of the Robinson’s Retail Group, the company that brought TRU to the Philippines in alliance with Li & Fu Retailing, the Asian franchisee of TRU.

The trip to the mall was definitely worth it! The new Sylvanian display is absolutely beautiful and I had a great time looking at it. For SF fans like me, seeing dioramas created for the purpose of highlighting Sylvanian Families products is always a treat. Part of the thrill in collecting is the satisfaction that comes with having created your own dioramas and tableaus. As cute as they are, working on them is a lot of tedious hard work. You have to get the perspective right, you have to make sure the accessories are all in, and you have to arrange them so that they look natural and not staged.  If you’re interested to see samples of fabulous works online, you can check out Toukkero of Monte Suloista Kokoelmaa who makes some of the loviest mini-displays I’ve ever seen. There’s also Beverly  of Carrot Creek Sylvanian Villages who not only makes gorgeous tableaus but picture-perfect videos (Carrot Creek Sylvanian Videos) as well. On Flickr, you can check out bbqweasel‘s fusion of Sylvanian Families and Pinky St. characters. And if you’d like to see pictures and stories that range from the humourous to the heartwarming, you can check out Panda Patch, My Sylvanian Love, and Sylvanian Home. You can go through more on the list on the links beside my page. Sylvanian Families collectors are some of the most creative persons I know.

Below are pictures I took of the new display. I wanted the bring the entire thing home! I invite you to drop by The Power Plant Mall and have a look-see yourself. I assure you, it’s loads of fun. I saw lots of little kids and their parents admiring the display and like me, no one wanted to leave without ogling for loooong minutes.

Pls click to see whole picture in panoramic view

View from one end

Kittymama gets in the actiion!

On Saturday, to coincide with the unveiling of the new Sylvanian display, TRU Rockwell also released new Sylvanian items. Ban Kee Trading Corp., exclusive distributor of Sylvanian Families in the Philippines, as represented by Mr. Joseph de Leon, Brands Department Manager, brought in new items for sale only in that particular TRU branch. If you’re still looking for that perfect gift for someone you love, why not check out Sylvanian Families? This toy line reinforces imaginative play for children, is perfect for boys and girls alike, and appeals to all ages.

A, always generous, got me all the items I still don’t have. Although I was expecting JP items, the new releases didn’t disappoint and I was mighty glad we have new buildings to complement the existing line. Besides, the new deer family and babies are divine! I’m happy that the elephant babies have also reached our shores; now, if I can only convince Ban Kee to bring in the Grandparents at Home sets!

Here are my new Sylvanian items:

 

Had to update this picture as I missed a box!

There’s a twelve-year-old boy out there named John Lenard who’s also crazy over Sylvanians (Hi, John! I know you read my blog!) and for him, I also took a picture of this value pack which was available. I didn’t get this one as I have these items in separate sets. But John likes them all so I think he’ll try to convince his parents to get them all for him.

In the end, for all its excitement and surprises, Sylvanian Shopping Days are most fun because I share them with A. I never go anywhere without him, really, and for one who’s not really keen on SFs (or Hello Kitty!), his patience, generosity, and gift of time are amazingly limitless.  His constant support for his wife’s silly fancies is absolutely priceless.

Thank you, hon. I love you always. (｡♥‿♥｡)

New Kids on the Block

I am eating humble pie.

Whe I first wrote Sylvanians for the Masses, I must admit that I didn’t get Epoch’s marketing strategy on their new EU releases. It felt like a backward step for a company that has been producing finely crafted toys for 25 years. And so, while I appreciated the additions to my collections (you know collectors, they’ll collect just about anything even remotely related to their area of interest), I wasn’t in a hurry to acquire them all and when I did, I wasn’t at all that thrilled to open them. So they simply lay in wait in their sturdy card cases till I could summon enough interest to play with them.

Imagine my surprise one day, when reading a business magazine published by Globe Telecom and finding an article entitled “Launching a Mass-Market Line” ( Masigasig, volume 4, issue 7, August 2010), it suddenly dawned on me that even under different scenarios, local experts in marketing and management concur with the introduction of a low-cost line, or what they refer to as “second-tier” product line. Targetting differents segments of the market, they say, can actually boost company sales as these products serve different needs. Dr. Eric Soriano, a professor from the Ateneo de Manila Graduate School of Business, says it best:

“When you offer different products that serve different market segments, your consumers need not go to your competitor, because you already offer them an alternative.”

Moreover, he “sees no cannibalization” and considers this decision to broaden market segments as protective of the primary line. In this case, while he talks of a different matter altogether (he bases his opinions and recommendations on a case of appliance makers who introduced second-tier brands to counter cheaper brands in the market), I can clearly make the connection to this particular case of Epoch and their mass-market Sylvanians.

But how do I get over the “lack of prestige”  of the new line? It seemed unlikely, at first, to find anything good to say about them. The only thing they had going, I thought, was the low-cost factor. The answer was simple: open the box and play with them.

And I did. Humble pie has never tasted as good as this.

They’re not photogenic, mind you; either that or my photography skills are not enough to showcase them at their best. Their clothes seem too simple and lacking in charm. They have single colors and none of the distinctive markings of more refined Sylvanians. But when you do take them out of their packaging, you will fall in love with them! Their flocking is amazingly plush and thick, making their coat seem luxuriant compared to their Flair and Epoch JP kin. The joints are well manufactured and none of them are too tight, or worse, too loose. Their clothes, which seem simple and unstructured, are soft to touch and made of good quality material. Instead of ribbons to tie clothing, these use garterized straps that are easy to loop over bodies and heads. Best of all, these critters have got the cutest tails ever!

I am four sets short of the entire line and only because I have yet to see the sister with accessory boxes shown below.

The furniture sets are made of good quality plastic that is not brittle and easily broken. They have no sharp corners or edges. They adhere to original furniture designs and while they did away with the tiny accessories, they did not scrimp on detail. The piano, for example, has a moving keyboard. The closet doors of the sink/counter open, as also the little drawers of the desk and chair set. The dining table and chairs feature designs in relief on the tabletop and chairs’ backrests. Perhaps the only things that are missing are paddings for the sofa, bed and baby crib, but even those can be easily remedied by a crafty person.

The beginner’s set is actually a version of the newly released JP Sycamore Cottage. This set features a gray rabbit sister with a bed and a square dining set (table with two chairs). At just PhP1500, it is cheaper than the starter set featuring the Chocolate Rabbit sister (then again, the latter has more furniture and accessories).

Ban Kee Trading, the company that distributes Sylvanian Families in the Philippines, released this with the purpose of introducing Sylvanians to young kids. Because this line is both parent- and child- friendly, they see this as a way of opening the market to new collectors who might want to continue collecting even as they get older. Moreover, the single furniture sets allow parents the flexibility to plan their purchases according to their budgets without ever sacrificing quality.

All in all, this new line complements the existing JP and UK lines very well. I’ve grown to love these new Sylvanians as much as my standard ones. They may be different, but different isn’t necessarily bad.

(See new pictures of these Sylvanians over at New Sylvanians.)

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Three more days before the giveaway entry period ends. Please join and get the chance to win cool prizes!

Want Prizes?

Today, I was looking at the entries to the Okasaneko Chronicles’ 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaways and I was very pleased to see the numbers growing. You can still join until November 14. The contest ends one second before midnight of the 15th, so any entry received until 11:59:59 pm of November 14 is still valid.

I noticed, however, that there have been some confusion on where to post and what to post, and since we’re all friends here, let’s just say I ♥ you all and forgive the little mistakes. If you took the time out to visit this blog, write a comment, and leave your well wishes on this blog, as long as you indicate that ”I want to win in Okasaneko Chronicles’ 3rd blog Birthday Giveaway,” you’ve got one entry for the raffle drum.

To make things clearer, however, let me point out some more helpful tips for posting and re-posting.

1. Comments must be left on the blog entry “Now 16, Forever Sweet.”  
2. For FB postings, please make sure that your FB status post is viewable and please put the link in the comments box of  “Now 16, Forever Sweet.”
3. To  blog about the contest, I ask that you link the Official Giveaway Rules and include the picture with our blog giveaways sponsors (see below). You can resize the picture if it’s too big.

I do have pictures to upload now so if you want any of of these prizes, then, join, join, JOIN!!! I hope these whet your appetite to win freebies!

One winner will receive this very helpful Autism Society Philippines Directory of Resources, which lists down all available schools, therapists, and other professionals, for children with autism. This comes with a bright neon green angel baller band, also courtesy of ASP.  (Note: Because this book will be of greatest use to those in the country, raffle of this prize is limited to local readers only.)

Two winners will win a set each of this lovely charm bracelet with enamel autism and puzzle charms, an enamel autism awareness pin, and a “I ♥ someone with autism” badge pin featuring Alphonse’s brother Alex as a cutie ten-month-old doing a kissy face. These are all courtesy of Alphonse (amd Alphonse’s mama!).

And to Sylvanian fans out there, or simply anyone who wants to see what Sylvanian Families are like,

Ban Kee Trading, exclusive distributor of Sylvanian Families in the Philippines, will be giving away these prizes to four lucky winners! Two will receive a box each of  the 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Baby Students and two will each receive a furniture set with a Limited Edition 25th Anniversary Forest Fairy key fob. Absolutely divine!

So, far, we have 12 prizes up for grabs! What are you waiting for? Join, join, JOIN!!!

Now 16, Forever Sweet

Today, Alphonse turns sixteen.

It never ceases to amaze me when I look at him, now almost grown up. He stands three inches taller than me, fits into men’s clothing, and sports a slightly disheveled moustache which matches the smattering of hair in his armpits. Everywhere I look, I no longer see a trace of the baby or the child he once was. All I see is a man.

The truth is, I miss my baby. I miss the sweetness of his breath in the morning. I miss the softness of his unblemished skin. I miss being able to carry  him in the crook of my arm to sing him to sleep.

 I miss the way he fits in the side of my body when he curls up in bed with me.

I miss his chubby cheeks and his round, heavy body. I miss the hibernating porkchop and his pouty lips.

I miss his childlike smile, the one that erases all my fears away. 

But even as I miss those mementoes of his childhood, I marvel at who he has become today. Almost a man, but not quite. Loud, quirky, opinionated, determined. Headstrong and bullish. Sweet and trusting. 

It has been a long journey from then to now. There were many days of pain and heartache, and of grief and despair, but for each one of those miserable days, our lives were blessed a millionfold by what we have learned living with and loving him. Alphonse has taught us patience and tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance, gratitude and surrender. Most of all, he has taught us how to love without hope or thought of reciprocity. We love him because we do, and not because of anything he does to make us love him. It’s as simple as that.

Happy birthday, our dear sweet child, our Alphonse.  Papa, Mama, and Kuya Alex love you so much.

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While on the subject of birthday celebrations, this blog also turns a year older this month. Happy 3rd birthday to Okasaneko Chronicles!

In 2007, when I started blogging, I was lucky to get even just ten people a day to read my blog. Three years later, despite the lack of promotion (I’ve never really been very big at that) and the freedom to express myself, those numbers have multiplied exponentially. In this little corner of the Internet I call Kittymama’s home, I have made many friends. I have also become part of a larger community of people I would never have met were it not for this wonderful experience. Thank you to all those who have come, visited, read, lingered, commented, returned, or even just glanced at the pages of my life. I am humbled by your kindness and love.

The Okasaneko Chronicles’ 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaway starts today so please be sure to leave a comment in this blog post to join. You can read the mechanics here for the full details on the giveaway. Many, many thanks to all those who have helped make this giveaway a reality: Sanrio Gift Gate Philippines, Ban Kee Trading, Inc., BusinessWorld/HerWord.com, Autism Society Philippines, The Fairy Godmother, and Alphie (who is none other than Alphonse, the birthday boy who wishes to share his birthday blessings with his Mama).

 

Countdown to November

As November approaches, Alphonse senses something special is coming up and acts giddy and excited. It doesn’t hurt that another long break is overdue, what with the All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day holidays coinciding with most schools’ semestral break. Despite Alphonse’s lack of knowledge and concern about dates, he gets a lot of cues from the people around him and instinctively anticipates the coming days.

I can’t help but feel giddy as well. The OC (short for Okasaneko Chronicles, but funny how it simply dawned on me now that another form of OC is perfectly apt for me- obssessive compulsive, heehee) 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaways will be starting on November 3  and all the people I’ve asked for support has responded very favorably. Even HerWord.com, BusinessWorld’s e-zine for women, is sending a gift for giveaway! Yippee!  The mechanics will be up very soon so please watch out this week for more news on the giveaway.

To get Alphonse prepped for his birthday road trip, we started him on short trips again. His behavior looks very promising. He has been very well behaved on our short trips and save for some minor shouting (he does love his verbal stims), there have been no major problems with grabbing or running away. Two weeks ago, at the grocery store, Alphonse wanted to ride the shopping cart the way he used to when he was a small child. I can’t help but smile when I remember how he took off his size 8 shoes and tried to lift one leg to put inside the large shopping cart. He’s almost five feet five inches now so the sight of him inside one can’t be considered cute anymore. Good thing he’s very pliable these days and we were able to convince him to walk with us instead.

Yesterday was another holiday because of the local barangay elections. Taking advantage of another free day, we decided to start Alphonse’s day with a visit to Granny Flower’s ossuary (Granny Flower is A’s mom).

Then it was off to  my Mom and Dad’s house for a visit. We didn’t stay too long, though. We wanted to give him an hour or two at the mall before it was overrun with people.  We also wanted to tire him out by walking the stretch of the SM North EDSA Sky Garden’s 400-meter covered walk way.

Alphonse was met with a lot of curious stares as his dad and big brother held his hands while walking. He didn’t seem to mind the gawking; in fact, he had a ready smile for everyone he crossed paths with.

He fell in love with this overgrown pumpkin decoration and sat down and fiddled with it before we could entice him to walk again. He even laid down a few seconds on the grass right beside it.

But we made sure to keep our promise of afternoon merienda (snack). Food is always a highlight of any trip for him and he loves Ineng’s succulent pork barbecue on a stick. He had one while sitting, another one while walking back to the car, and a third one inside the car. When we got home, he ate two more! This boy can definitely eat!

It doesn’t take much to make him happy, as you can see.  We didn’t even have to spend for anything other than food. At yet, at the end of the day,  you can tell by his smiles and kisses that he absolutely loves these mini-dates. Here’s crossing our fingers he’ll love our birthday surprise for him!

Birthdays and Giveaways

Alphonse will turn 16 in a little less than two weeks. Birthdays are fun but it’s always been difficult finding presents for him. Unlike your typical teenager, Alphonse wants little and needs so little to make him happy that often, we end up with such unimaginative presents of … you guessed right… underwear, shoes, and clothes. We can’t ask him what he wants when his default answer is “yes” to everything (when he says “No” you know he means it, whereas “Yes” can mean either) and Alex, his wily older brother, usually finds a way to twist this to his advantage.

Mama: Alphonse, do you want a new shirt?

Alphonse: (nods) Yes

Mama: Do you want new Crocs?

Alphonse: (nods) Yes

Alex: Wait, Mama, it’s my turn. Alphonse, do you want a new PS3?

Alphonse: (nods) Yes

Alex: See, Mama, you really have to get the PS3 for Alphonse. He really, really, really wants it! Please? Let’s buy the PS3 today!

(Nice try, son!)

Finding gifts Alphonse will genuinely love is always a challenge. These days, he’s still drawn to colorful preschool toys ; he actually sneaks off with his little three-year-old cousin’s toys every now and then. He still loves Disney DVDs despite our attempts to introduce him to other movies. And he is still absolutely, passionately crazy over bubbles. Running out of bubble solutions or bubble bottles will likely provoke a prolonged crying spell. We realize however that we can’t exactly keep encouraging him with these. While they remain part of his life, we have to keep looking at things and activities most neurotypical teenagers enjoy at that particular age. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. Nothing seems to pop out as remotely interesting to him as the things he is already used to.

Alphonse's PECS card

So we racked our brains and discussed countless ideas, without ever coming to a united position on our special gift for Alphonse’s 16th birthday. But you know how the answers to prayers come when one least expects it? Just a few weeks ago, we had a lightbulb moment.  When Alphonse popped open one of the large covered pails of water we had and dove right in- head, shoulders, body, feet and all- we knew at once what we were getting him this year.

Just a brief backgrounder: Alphonse loves water but not the kind you swim in. He loves humongous basins and shallow pools  and garden hoses and sprinklers of all kinds but would not venture into any body of water higher than his knees. This past summer, on a family trip, we went to a hot springs resort and were suprised when, for the first time ever, he decided to step into the pool and submerge himself neck deep. Not only that, he half-walked, half-paddled the entire length of the small pool.  That he decided to stay submerged for almost a whole day told us that he finally found the courage to enjoy being in the water. Unfortunately, when night came, he wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed, though we had already paid for accommodations for the night. We tried to coax him to sleep but he cried loudly and refused to be appeased. We made the long drive back and once home, he promptly fell asleep. With that experience in mind, we promised him only day trips for now.

And that is what he is getting for his birthday- a day visit for a swimming party at the same resort. We’ve already made reservations. I only have to firm up the plans for food and extra amenities, get the swimsuits and swimming gear ready, get extra decorations, and we are ready to go!

~0~

While we’re on the topic of birthdays, next month, Okasaneko Chronicles on WordPress turns three years old.  To celebrate my blog’s third birthday and to thank all those who have supported my blog with their visits and comments, I will be hosting my first ever giveaway. Wheee! Who can resist giveaways?

For now, I have decided on giving away three different sets of gifts which reflect each of the different passions I write about in my blog- autism advocacy, Sanrio and Hello Kitty, and Sylvanian families. Yesterday, I received an e-mail confirmation from Ms. Isabel Lopez, Marketing Manager of Sanrio Gift Gate Philippines, of their very kind sponsorship of the Sanrio gift pack. I was amazed that within an hour of sending my e-mail request, Ms. Lopez replied with a positive confirmation. I will wait for further instructions from her, but already, I am beside myself with joy.

Autism Society Philippines, through the kindness of ASP Secretary Tiffany Tan, will also donate two items for the autism advocacy gift package. I won’t reveal yet what’s inside this gift pack but let me tell you that some of the gifts will come from Alphonse and myself.

I am still waiting for Ban Kee’s Mr. Joseph de Leon’s reply to my request. I am hopeful that with these two generous sponsors already committed to the giveaway, they will follow suit. I will keep you guys updated on this.

The ”I Am Three” Blog Giveaway will be launched very soon so please come back to this blog to get more details. As soon as the gift packs are all ready, I will post pictures and instructions on how to join. With two birthdays coming in November, it’s going to be a party!

P.S. Ban Kee said YES!!! It’s three for three!

Sylvanians for the Masses?

You can find knock-offs almost anywhere these days. Clothes, shoes, bags, electronics – all replicas of name brands – flood the market. Even toys are no longer exempt. There are fake Barbie dolls sold for less than ten percent of the price of the original, fake Transformers robots which look amazingly close to the originals, Hello Kitty stuffed dolls that are no less pretty as the authentic ones ripped off from Sanrio- you name it, there’s probably an imitation of it being sold anywhere at any time in the world. Apparently, even Sylvanian Families are not exempt, with the appearance of “Sylvanian-like” figures, buildings, and accessories in online market places like eBay.  

Theratpack360 of Sylvanian Haven has a very good review on a particular set of knock-offs manufactured by SanJin Toys (China). You can find the review here. Not only does she describe the products in clear detail in terms of figure quality (flocking, joints, clothing, coloring) and packaging, she also makes a very prophetic statement on the effect of these knock-offs on the market as far as Sylvanians as concerned. 

“The down side is that as companies try to compete with a name brand and customers keep buying the alternative, it has the potential to drive quality of the main brand down to keep within competition.”~ Sylvanian Haven

True enough, we see that happening already. In a recent visit to the toy store that owns the distribution rights of Sylvanian Families in the Philippines (Toy Town Eastwood), I came across these items- three-figured families, matching babies, and some furniture.

I wasn’t at all surprised to see these, having heard about their existence in the forum beforehand. But seeing them up close and personal, I could not help but notice the marked differences in quality, packaging, and costs from figures previously released. For example, comparing the three-figured sheep family side by side with the original four-figured sheep family, it is clear that SF has cut corners with coloring (single colors as opposed to multiple colors and variations), clothing (single items of clothing without much structure or design), and packaging to diminish production costs. The dogs and mice aren’t so bad looking, though. They are, in fact, rather cute.

The new sheep family comes in a single color and has lost the pink noses and ears of the original. Clothes are simpler, less detailed single pieces. These are also packaged in clear plastic with only cardboard backing.

The introduction of these new families seems to be the response we were expecting to cheap copies that threaten SF’s market share. Sylvanian Families toys, as we all know, have a reputation for being expensive (and they are, really) and while this affords the brand a certain prestige, it also tends to discourage a large segment of the market from trying out the toy line. By meeting market needs with simpler toys that require less to produce, Epoch may be effectively heading off competition from knock-offs.

But figures are not all that these new releases have modified. If original Sylvanian Families designs are genteel, refined, and elegant in nature, these new releases can be considered a simpler, working man’s line, or what my husband likes to call “the farmer’s line.”  (No offense meant to farmers, though. Even the salesman kidded and called these new critters as ”ipinanganak sa bukid” or literally “born in a field,” in reference to their simpler, less sophisticated aesthetics.)  Not that there’s anything wrong with them, but collectors can definitely see the differences in quality and attention to detail. For the first time,we have Epoch Euro furniture sold as single items, much like the singly-boxed Epoch JP furniture sold in Japan, Hong Kong, or Singapore. Beyond that, the similarities end.

versions of living room sofas

three generations of the television- from L to R- vintage, deluxe and farmer's line

While still made of sturdy, smooth plastic, not much else was added to its appeal. The sofa, for example, is no longer upholstered with foam and fabric; what passes as cushioned seats are strips of cloth pasted directly on the plastic molding. The television lacks a clear screen, which used to be thick acetate in older versions. Pictures provided for the telly are no longer laminated plastic, just simple cardboard. Moreover, the packaging seems fuzzy and unclear, making it look like knock-offs when they really are not.

What these lack in aesthetics, they more than make up in affordability. These three-figured families are pegged at PHP649.75 as compared to PhP1000-1200 for the regular four-figured families, a savings of 13-28% per figure off of the original. The babies are sold at PhP179.75 each compared to the PhP250 of the baby carry cases.  And single furniture go as  low as PhP149.75, making it easier and lighter on the pocket as one can choose specific items without having to buy complete sets. This makes these perfect for little kids or for parents who want sturdy, safe toys for less price. 

I don’t know if this is the ultimate future of this toyline, and if it is, this is a development many diehard collectors will one day rue. Side by side with the original designs, I can learn to live with these new releases, no big deal. Choices are always good for the consumer. By themselves, however, I feel that these are but a sorry excuse for Sylvanians.