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. (｡♥‿♥｡)