A toy company sues a TikToker over her adult puppetry

A toy company sues a TikToker over her adult puppetry

The hottest tea for some: “Love Island.” For others, “Sylvanian Drama,” a TikTok account featuring cute animal dolls — known as Sylvanian Families or, in the US and Canada, Calico Critters — in adult situations. 

More drama: Epoch Company Ltd., the Japanese toy company behind the dolls, is now suing "Sylvanian Drama” creator Thea Von Engelbrechten for trademark and copyright infringement and unfair competition.

The complaint 

Von Engelbrechten racked up 2.5m followers using the cute dolls to act out skits involving drugs, sex, and murder. 

• After Von Engelbrechten scored brand partnerships with Taco Bell, Sephora, Netflix’s “Squid Game,” and others, Epoch became concerned that viewers would think it condoned the content.
• The complaint also alleges Von Engelbrechten built a following with their toys without licensing them. 

Von Engelbrechten’s account is now dormant.

Does Epoch have a case? 

Epoch doesn’t have a trademark on its dolls, so that may be tricky. 

As for the rest, Santa Clara University School of Law professor Eric Goldman told Ars Technica that it likely depends on whether Von Engelbrechten can defend her work as parody. 

That’s how she got TikTok to restore her account in 2023 after Epoch filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice, and parodies exploring a dichotomy between kids’ content and adult themes do exist: 

• Peter Jackson’s Meet the Feebles satirized children’s entertainment like the Muppets by using a bunch of animal puppets involved in adult scenarios.
• The Happytime Murders is an adult puppet comedy that actually uses the Muppets. It was directed by Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson. 

Perhaps Mattel could offer a lesson 

Von Engelbrechten is popular, which may lead to backlash against Epoch. Perhaps there’s a world in which the two team up.

Consider this: Mattel sued Aqua and its label MCA Records, over the band’s mildly raunchy 1997 hit, “Barbie Girl.” The two adversaries sued and countersued until Mattel’s complaint was dismissed. At one point, a judge wrote in his opinion that both parties “are advised to chill,” per Slate.

And yet, in 2023, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice partnered on “Barbie World,” a new (even raunchier) track that samples the OG and appeared on the official Barbie soundtrack.